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DATE

Wednesday, Aug. 5, 2026 at 9:00 a.m. ET

CALL PARTICIPANTS

  • Chief Financial Officer - Ricardo Dourado
  • Chief Executive Officer - Roberto Alvo Milosawlewitsch
  • Corporate Finance Director - Andres Del Valle
  • Head of Investor Relations - Tori Creighton

TAKEAWAYS

  • Total Revenue -- $4.2 billion, representing a 28% increase driven by higher passenger demand and cargo yields.
  • Net Income -- $125 million, reflecting profitable performance despite a significant fuel cost headwind.
  • Adjusted Operating Margin -- 5.4%, at the higher end of management estimates during the seasonally weakest quarter.
  • Fuel Costs -- Increased 93% year over year, resulting in an impact exceeding $700 million in the second quarter alone due to an 80% increase in all-in average fuel prices.
  • System Capacity (ASK) -- Growing 8.9% year over year, while maintaining a consolidated load factor of 81.8%.
  • Passenger RASK -- Increased 17.5% year over year, reflecting the successful pass-through of fuel costs through fare adjustments.
  • Passenger CASK Ex-Fuel -- $0.045, remaining sequentially in line with the previous quarter despite local currency pressures.
  • Premium Segment Revenue -- 29% of total passenger revenues, growing faster than the main cabin segment and exhibiting lower demand elasticity.
  • LATAM Pass Revenue -- Generated 67% of passenger revenues, an increase from 60% previously, driven by deeper customer engagement.
  • Cargo Revenue -- Increased nearly 22% year over year, supported by higher yields and flexible pricing cycles.
  • Liquidity -- $4.2 billion, equivalent to 26.2% of the last 12 months' revenue.
  • Adjusted Net Leverage -- 1.5x, remaining below the company's financial policy target of 2x.
  • Full-Year Revenue Guidance -- Projecting $17.3 billion to $17.7 billion for 2026.
  • Adjusted EBITDA Guidance -- Updated to $4.1 billion to $4.4 billion, representing a $250 million improvement at the midpoint compared to prior guidance.
  • July 2026 Passenger Traffic -- 8.1 million passengers transported, a 2.0% increase compared to July 2025.
  • July 2026 Load Factor -- 84.6%, with international operations achieving 84.6% and domestic Brazil at 85.0%.
  • Embraer E2 Fleet Expansion -- 12 aircraft scheduled for delivery between October and December 2026, with commercial operations beginning Nov. 3, 2026.
  • Brazilian Domestic Network -- Expected to reach 67 destinations, including eight new routes such as Cabo Frio and Ji-Parana.
  • Share Buyback Program -- Approved for up to 5% of total shares over a duration of no more than five years.
  • Fuel Price Assumptions -- Forecasting $147 per barrel in the third quarter and $130 per barrel in the fourth quarter.
  • July Cargo Operations -- 85,000 tons transported, a 3.7% increase year over year with a 51.7% load factor.
  • Elite Membership Engagement -- Elite member counts grew 26% year over year, while third-party sales from this segment increased 48%.

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RISKS

  • Alvo stated, "The second quarter provided us with one of the most severe fuel crises in the industry has experienced in recent years," highlighting significant price volatility that management does not expect to decrease during the current quarter.
  • Alvo noted that "we are seeing a little bit of a weak domestic Chile environment," as the economy in that region has not grown for six or seven months.

SUMMARY

Management of **LATAM Airlines Group S.A.** (LTM -1.36%) reported profitable results for the second quarter, emphasizing the resilience of its diversified business model in a period of significant jet fuel price volatility. The company focused on revenue management and capacity adjustments to mitigate a substantial fuel cost impact, while continuing to invest in customer experience and fleet modernization. Strategic priorities include the expansion of the Brazilian domestic network through the introduction of Embraer E2 aircraft and the deepening of the LATAM Pass loyalty ecosystem. Management updated its full-year 2026 guidance to reflect a more constructive outlook for fuel prices and reaffirmed its focus on maintaining a strong balance sheet and disciplined capital allocation.

  • CEO Alvo attributed the ability to pass through fuel costs to the differentiated value proposition of the Premium segment, stating, "Premium demand continued to demonstrate greater resilience than the broader market."
  • Management reported a temporary slowdown in demand during June, which Alvo attributed to travel pattern changes caused by the FIFA World Cup across South America.
  • The incorporation of Embraer E2 aircraft will cover 42 domestic routes in Brazil, intended to improve connectivity to regional markets and focus cities.
  • CFO Dourado noted that the 14% increase in adjusted non-fuel costs was partially driven by the appreciation of the Brazilian real, which moved from BRL 5.66 to BRL 5.05.
  • Management confirmed that $400 million in interim dividends were already distributed in the fourth quarter of 2025, with recent payments completing the mandatory 30% distribution of 2025 net income.
  • The company is evaluating 18 potential new bases for the second phase of the Embraer E2 expansion beginning in early 2027.
  • CEO Alvo stated, "the second quarter did not change our strategy. It validated it," referring to the group's performance during what management expects to be the year's most challenging operating environment.

INDUSTRY GLOSSARY

  • ASK (Available Seat Kilometers): A measure of an airline's passenger carrying capacity, calculated by multiplying the number of seats available by the number of kilometers flown.
  • RPK (Revenue Passenger Kilometers): A measure of the volume of passengers carried, calculated by multiplying the number of revenue-paying passengers by the distance traveled.
  • RASK (Revenue per Available Seat Kilometer): A metric used to assess an airline's efficiency, calculated by dividing total passenger revenue by total available seat kilometers.
  • CASK (Cost per Available Seat Kilometer): A metric representing the cost to fly one seat one kilometer; CASK ex-fuel excludes the volatile cost of jet fuel.
  • ATK (Available Ton Kilometers): A measure of cargo carrying capacity, calculated by multiplying the available tons of capacity by the distance flown.
  • Load Factor: The percentage of available seating capacity that is filled by passengers.
  • Premium segment: Higher-fare cabin classes, such as Premium Business or Premium Economy, typically offering additional amenities and services.
  • LATAM Pass: The loyalty program and customer engagement ecosystem of the LATAM Airlines Group.

Full Conference Call Transcript

Operator: Hello, everyone. Thank you for joining us, and welcome to the Second Quarter 2026 LATAM Airlines Group Earnings Conference Call. [Operator Instructions] Before I turn the call over to the management, I'd like to remind you that certain statements in this presentation and during the Q&A may relate to future events and expectations and as such, constitute forward-looking statements. Any matters discussed today that are not historical facts, particularly comments regarding the company's future plans, objectives and expected performance or guidance are forward-looking statements.

These statements are based on a range of assumptions that LATAM believes are reasonable, but are subject to uncertainties and risks that are discussed in detail in the published 20-F 2026 guidance earnings release, financial statements and related CMF and SEC filings. The company's actual results may differ significantly from those projected or suggested in any forward-looking statements due to a variety of factors, which are discussed in detail in our SEC filings. And if there are any members of the press on the call, please note that for the media, this is a listen-only call. I will now hand the conference over to Ricardo Bottas, CFO. Mr. Bottas, please go ahead.

Ricardo Dourado: Thank you. Hello, everyone, and good morning. Welcome to our second quarter 2026 conference, and thank you all for joining us today. Here with me is Roberto Alvo, our CEO; Andres Del Valle, Corporate Finance Director; and Tori Creighton, Head of Investor Relations, and we will present the highlights and results for the second quarter 2026. I will hand it over to Roberto to share his opening remarks. Roberto?

Roberto Alvo Milosawlewitsch: Good morning, and thank you, Ricardo. The second quarter of 2026 was an important demonstration of the resilience of LATAM Group's business model. During this period, the industry faced one of the sharpest increases in jet fuel prices in recent years, creating a significant cost headwind across the sector. As we estimated back in May alongside our first quarter publication, the impact of higher jet fuel prices was in excess of $700 million in addition to -- in the second quarter alone. Yet despite this environment, LATAM delivered profitable results, reflecting an adjusted operating margin of 5.4%, which was also on the higher end of the estimate that we had made of mid- to low single digits back then.

These results are not explained by a single initiative. They are the outcome of a business that has been consistently strengthened over the last several years to perform across different environments, which starts with a dedicated effort to care for our customers, constantly improving their experience and making them willing to experience LATAM. In addition to this, a diversified business structure integrating our passenger, cargo and LATAM Pass businesses, together with an effective commercial strategy, a competitive cost structure, a strong balance sheet and above all, the commitment of more than 43,000 employees across the group, enable LATAM's agile response while maintaining a focus on profitability. Throughout the quarter, this ecosystem delivered exactly what it was designed to deliver.

Customer preference remains strong across the network, particularly in the Premium segment, which now accounts for 29% of the passenger revenues allowing the group to partially offset higher fuel costs through deferred adjustments while preserving healthy demand. At the same time, cargo, loyalty and other ancillary sources of revenue diversification reinforce the resilience of the model during a particularly challenging period. Diversification only becomes an asset when it's supported by effective execution and LATAM has consistently demonstrated that capability. During the period, the group rapidly activated multiple commercial and operational initiatives to mitigate the impact of higher fuel prices while continuing to invest in customer experience, operational reliability and the long-term competitiveness of the business.

Financial strength also remained a key enabler, particularly in such a volatile environment. A strong balance sheet and healthy liquidity over 26% of last 12 months revenues provided LATAM with the flexibility to navigate a period of heightened uncertainty without losing focus on its long-term strategy and value-creating objectives. As we enter the second half of 2026, the environment remains highly dynamic. The significant swings in jet fuel prices we have seen over the last few weeks are a clear reminder of that volatility continues to be present. The second quarter provided us with one of the most severe fuel crises in the industry has experienced in recent years, and we believe we have navigated it well.

We don't expect that price volatility to decrease during the remainder of the current quarter. In this sense, we remain cautious, although this quarter also reinforced our confidence in the group's ability to navigate this challenging environment. As we now enter what is seasonally a stronger half of the year for the business, we do so with the confidence that comes from having demonstrated the resilience of our business model. LATAM Group has commercial and financial tools, operational flexibility and most importantly, the people and the mindset to continue adapting effectively, navigating volatility and creating long-term value.

Finally, regarding guidance, given the information we gathered in the past quarter and therefore, better visibility, we are reinstating our full list of parameters, and we have improved our outlook for the year. However, it is important to note that because of the highly -- high fuel price volatility, these numbers should not be only seen as our expectation given the stated assumptions, but also as an understanding of the resilience of the model in the current environment. With that said, I'll hand it over to Ricardo to go over specifics of LATAM's performance during the quarter. Thank you.

Ricardo Dourado: Thank you, Roberto. Please join me on the Slide 4 to have a look at our overall results. As Roberto just explained, the second quarter was defined by an unprecedented increase in jet fuel prices. During the quarter, the all-in average fuel price, including hedge, increased by more than 80% year-over-year, resulting in a 93% increase in total fuel costs and creating one of the most significant cost headwinds the industry has faced in recent years. In response, LATAM rapidly implemented revenue management actions and target capacity adjustments. With these, total revenues increased almost 28% year-over-year, reaching nearly $4.2 billion.

This was propelled by passenger revenues, which grew 28%, reflecting the consistent capacity growth together with the successful implementation of continued fare adjustments while preserving resilient demand across the network. Cargo revenues increased almost 22%, benefiting from both higher yields and continued growth in transport which demonstrates the flexibility of this business to adjust pricing given its significantly shorter booking cycle. On the cost side, adjusted costs, excluding fuel, increased by 14%, broadly in line with the continued growth of the operation. It's worth noting that part of this increase reflects costs that are directly linked to higher passenger fares, together with the depreciation of local currencies, particularly the Brazilian real, which pressures the dollar-denominated cost base.

Just as a reference, the Brazilian reference in Q2 2025 was BRL 5.66 and now was BRL 5.05. That said, passenger CASK ex fuel remained sequentially in line at $0.045. Despite this unprecedented fuel environment and while growing capacity by 8.9% at a healthy 82% consolidated load factor level, LATAM remained profitable and delivered an adjusted operating margin, as Roberto mentioned, at 5.4% during what is seasonally the weakest quarter of the year. This translated all the way to the bottom line with the group generating a positive net income of $125 million.

These results demonstrate that while the fuel shock had a significant impact on CASK and costs, the combination of effective execution, commercial flexibility and the resilience of LATAM's diversified business model allowed the group to increase unit revenues this quarter, successfully mitigating a substantial portion of that impact. Let's now take a closer look at the commercial execution behind these results on the next slide, Slide #5. During the quarter, LATAM Group continued executing its profitable growth strategy, increasing consolidated capacity by 8.9% year-over-year alongside some targeted capacity adjustments to mitigate the impact of higher fuel prices. These actions were selective, allowing LATAM to preserve profitability without compromising the strength, connectivity or integrity of its overall network.

Importantly, demand for LATAM Group remained resilient across all markets, even under a high fare environment. Consolidated load factors declined modestly from 83.5% to 81.8%, remaining at healthy levels across all markets where the group's affiliates operate during the quarter. It's worth mentioning that particularly in June, there was a higher impact on demand, reflecting the temporary impact of the FIFA World Cup on travel patterns across South America. This combination of effective capacity management, a differentiated value proposition, revenue actions and resilient demand translated into a 17.5% increase in consolidated passenger RASK during the quarter, which allowed LATAM Group affiliates to successfully pass through a significant portion of the increase in fuel costs.

Looking at the different markets, LATAM's affiliates in the Spanish-speaking countries, domestic markets delivered a particularly strong performance, increasing passenger RASK by 15% in local currency or 20% in U.S. dollars. For its part, LATAM Airlines Brazil and its domestic market also successfully increased its unit revenues with passenger RASK growing 12% in local currency and almost 24% in U.S. dollars, demonstrating its ability to implement fare adjustments while preserving healthy demand. Lastly, the International segment increased passenger RASK by almost 13%, even while expanding capacity by 12%. The quality of LATAM's revenues also play an important role.

Premium demand continued to demonstrate greater resilience than the broader market, allowing the group to implement fare adjustments while preserving passenger preference across the network. Let's jump now to Slide 6 to take a better view at this. LATAM's resilient revenue quality was particularly evident in 2 areas that continue to deliver exceptional results for the group, Premium traffic and the LATAM Pass ecosystem. In a quarter as challenged as this one, these 2 elements once again proved to be especially valuable because they make up a part of the LATAM customer base that is structurally less elastic and more resilient.

On the Premium side, demand remained strong and continue to enhance the quality of the group's revenue mix with Premium revenues now representing 29% of the passenger revenues and growing at a rate faster than main cabin revenues. More importantly, this segment continued to respond positively to the differentiated value proposition LATAM has built over time and reflected in Net Promoter Score that remained 3 points above the overall passenger average in line with historically high levels. This confirms that the investments made in product and services continue to strengthen customer preference. LATAM Pass also remained a key lever during the quarter.

The program continued to deepen customer engagement and strengthen loyalty across the network while supporting a more resilient and higher-quality revenue base. Over time, LATAM Pass has evolved well beyond the traditional frequent flyer program into a broader engagement ecosystem, allowing the group affiliates to strengthen their customers' relationship both in and beyond the travel experience. Today, more than 67% of passenger revenues are generated by LATAM Pass members, up from 60% previously, reinforcing the group -- reinforcing the growing importance of the program within the commercial ecosystem. The engagement of Elite members also continues to deepen.

While the numbers of Elite members increased by 26% year-over-year, third-party sales generated by this segment grew 48% compared to the same period of 2025, highlighting the increasing relevance of these customers across the board, the broader LATAM Pass ecosystem and their growing engagement with the partner network. Altogether, the trust in the LATAM brand by customers, the alignment with the Premium customers and the LATAM Pass ecosystem help explain why LATAM affiliates were able to preserve revenue quality and successfully pass through a significant portion of higher fuel costs during the quarter.

More importantly, they represent the strategic pillars that create value across the cycle, not only strengthening the group's resilience during the periods of heightened volatility, but also structural growth, drives that, will continue to support LATAM's Group commercial performance as the operating environment improves over time. Let's move to the Slide 7. The differentiated value proposition we just discussed is not only reflected in Premium and LATAM Pass, it is the result of several complementary elements working together with the network playing a central role. The incorporation of the Embraer E2 split is a key enabler of this strategy, allowing LATAM Group to further strengthen its Premium offer, expanding connectivity and open new sources of profitable growth.

The entry into service initiatives are advancing positively and are on track. The first aircraft have already been manufactured, cabin certification is currently underway, and the seventh aircraft is already in production. LATAM Airlines Brazil expects to receive the first 12 aircraft between October and December on this year with commercial operations confirmed to begin on November 3, 2026. The network will increase capillarity while further strengthening LATAM Airlines Brazil connectivity.

The initial deployment will cover a total of 42 domestic routes within the Brazilian market, which includes 8 new routes, 4 connecting Guarulhos with the new destinations of Cabo Frio, Ji-Parana, Rondonopolis and Macae, enabling LATAM Airlines Brazil to expand into markets that were previously not part of its network and 4 additional routes linking existing bases. These aircraft provide the flexibility to expand the group's connectivity across Brazil, increasing capillarity and broadening access to regions with attractive corporate and leisure demand profiles while creating new opportunities. Altogether, LATAM Airlines Brazil will reach a total of 67 domestic destinations, the largest network in its history compared to 44 in 2019.

Looking ahead, the airline is also evaluating up to 18 potential new bases for the next phase of its Embraer E2 expansion as an additional aircraft are delivered beginning early 2027. Beyond the domestic market, while this network expansion significantly enhanced connectivity within Brazil, the strategic value goes well beyond domestic travel. By connecting smaller regional markets into the main focus cities, the Embraer E2 will provide customers with access to LATAM's Group extensive network across South America and the 4 continents served by the group. That increases the connectivity of overall network, broaden LATAM Group's addressable market and further enhance the group's value proposition.

From a product perspective, the Embraer E2 will feature both the economy and premium economy cabin, reinforcing consistency across the fleet and preserving the differentiated experience that LATAM Group customers expect. Even with a differentiated aircraft configuration, the group will continue delivering a consistent product standard so that a new aircraft type does not mean a different customer experience. Overall, the incorporation of the Embraer E2 is not only about adding aircraft, it's about reinforcing the network, improving connectivity through a more efficient and versatile aircraft and continue to build on the differentiated value proposition that LATAM Group has developed across the region. Moving on to Slide 8.

Let's get back into the quarter's performance and take a look on the cash generation. The group's strong operating performance continued to translate into solid cash generation during this quarter. LATAM generated $476 million in adjusted operating cash flow, even considering the impact of high jet fuel prices, once again, demonstrating the business ability to consistently convert earnings into cash. As a result, the group generated a positive cash -- change in cash, close to $150 million before dividend payments and ended the quarter with a positive net cash variation of $110 million. It's worth noting that the dividend payments correspond only with the remaining balance required to complete the mandatory 30% dividend distributed based on 2025 net income.

As you may recall, LATAM had already distributed $400 million in interim dividends during the fourth quarter of 2025 with this payment simply reflecting the final remain. This consistent cash generation remains one of the LATAM's key pillars, providing the financial flexibility to continue investing in the business, strengthening the balance sheet and executing the group's long-term strategy. Moving on to Slide 9, see how this translates into continuing strengthening the balance sheet and level of liquidity. The group closed the quarter with liquidity of more than $4.2 billion, equivalent to 26.2% of last 12 months revenues.

On the leverage side, adjusted net leverage remained at 1.5x, comfortably below the company's financial policy target and consistent with the planned capital management that has characterized LATAM over the last several years. This liquidity and net leverage position, together with management's perception that the stock is undervalued at the current prices, supported the Board's decisions to propose a new share repurchase program, which was approved by shareholders early this week. The new program contemplates a duration of no more than 5 years and allows for the repurchase of up to 5% of the company's total subscribed and paid shares.

With these, shareholders have delegated to the Board of Directors the authority to determine the terms of the program's execution, including its time, mechanisms, pricing and other relevant conditions. With this, we remain confident that the strength and fundamentals of LATAM business model, the commercial strategy and execution capacity, both commercially and operationally, combined with the strength of the capital structure, maintain the solid foundations of the aspiration contained in the financial policy. The policy which considers the preservation of liquidity ratios between 21% and 25% and a net leverage below 2x, allow us to continue on the path of improving LATAM's credit ratings. Now let's move to the Slide #10.

Following the second quarter and as also -- as Roberto mentioned, we see a more constructive outlook for jet fuel prices over the remainder of the year. LATAM is updating its full year guidance for 2026, reincorporating the full set of metrics, including capacity with year-over-year growth between 9% and 10% and revenue projections between $17.3 billion and $17.7 billion, among others. The updated guidance reflects a more constructive backdrop for the remainder of the year than the one anticipated when the prior guidance was issued, particularly with respect to fuel prices. Based on the assumptions incorporated today, LATAM expected the second quarter to have represented the most challenged operating environment of the year.

As the group enters a seasonally stronger second half of the year under more favorable fuel assumptions, the updated outlook also incorporates what LATAM demonstrated during the quarter, its ability to execute with discipline and deliver solid results even under challenging conditions. Turning first to the assumptions behind the updated guidance. In the prior guidance, LATAM assumed an average fuel price of $170 per barrel for the third quarter and $150 for the fourth quarter. Today, reflecting the evolution of the market, the company now expects average fuel prices of $147 per barrel in the third quarter and $130 per barrel in the fourth quarter.

Based on these updated assumptions, LATAM now expect adjusted EBITDA between $4.1 billion and $4.4 billion, improving the midpoint of the prior guidance by $250 million. Passenger CASK ex fuel is expected to remain in line with the prior guidance between $0.045 and $0.047 as the assumption of BRL exchange rate stayed at the same level of BRL 5.15 per dollar. In terms of the balance sheet, liquidity is expected to end the year of at least $4.7 billion, while adjusted net leverage is projected to be equal to or below 1.6x.

Overall, the updated guidance reflects a business that has multiple levers to deliver results, and that's now supported by a more constructive macroeconomic backdrop despite the level of uncertainty and the fuel price volatility. Lastly, let's move on to Slide 11 for a few closing remarks. First, the second quarter did not change our strategy. It validated. In one of the most challenging operating environments in recent years, LATAM once again demonstrated that the business has built and planned to perform across different macro and market conditions with now even more solid and tested foundations. Second, the group showed that it has multiple levers to deliver results.

Effective execution, commercial flexibility and the group diversified ecosystem allowed LATAM to preserve profitability, increase unit revenues and mitigate a substantial portion of the fuel shock. Third, the high level of trust from customers and the quality of the group's revenues base continued to be among LATAM's key elements. Premium customers in LATAM Pass ecosystem once again supported by a more resilient demand profile, allowing the group to preserve revenue quality even at significantly higher fare environment, holding a profitable growth strategy, combining capacity increase with healthy load factor levels.

And finally, LATAM is updating its full year guidance for 2026 to reflect a more constructive outlook for the remainder of the year, having demonstrated the ability to deliver solid results during what we expect to have been the most challenging quarter of the year, the group now enters a more favorable operating backdrop while remaining focused on disciplined execution, risk and revenue management. Thank you, and let's open the line for the questions.

Operator: [Operator Instructions] Your first call comes from Michael Linenberg from Deutsche Bank.

Michael Linenberg: Well done, the fact that we're now back to an EBITDA guide for the year that is within spitting distance of where you were prior to the war even beginning. So well done on the revenue recapture, revenue recovery. I have 2 questions here. Just more specifically on the International, where the PRASK was up just under 13%. Can you just give me a better feel for how that looked via geography? And I don't care about Oceania or Africa. I care more about Europe, North America and just regional, how those may have differed the trends in those various key markets?

Roberto Alvo Milosawlewitsch: Mike, thanks for the comments. Yes, across the board, International was solid. In the previous quarters, I mentioned that we saw a little bit of weakness from South America to the U.S. linked at some point in time with potential visa restrictions also with the announcements and policies of the U.S. government in general. We have seen, I would say, a little bit of an improvement in those lines vis-a-vis what we had seen in previous quarters. Europe remains very solid. We had a little bit of a slowdown in demand generally for the World Cup, actually a little bit more than what we expected. We know that these events always have a little bit of an impact.

And this, I think, also had some impact on the second quarter results, otherwise probably would have been a little bit better. But regardless of that, the demand remains very solid. In the regional, I would divide it into, I would say, that Argentina is a little bit slower, and this is probably a function of the economic situation of Argentina at this point in time. It was very, very strong in the beginning of the year. So a little bit weaker in that sense. The northern part of South America is in a good place. But I wouldn't mark any specific large concerns with respect to how we're seeing international demand.

And Oceania, even though you don't want to hear, it's also in a good place.

Michael Linenberg: Okay. Good. Okay. And then just my second question to Ricardo, I did see that you took a tax credit in the quarter. What drove that? And what's a good tax rate that we should use for the back half of 2026?

Ricardo Dourado: Michael, that mentioned in the tax credit, it's -- I call a regular business as usual situation because remember that we have a different tax environment in each country. So in some country, we could have, in some moment, some additional provisions or some tax credits that could take in some local administrative or even the judicial decision. So that was the reason that we have that situation today in one affiliate. And I think the best way to see, Michael, because I mentioned, there is not a one-off itself, I think it's to have last 12 or 24 months' average tax rate, and I think it could be a good driver for you. [Audio Gap]

Guilherme Mendes: Can you hear me?

Roberto Alvo Milosawlewitsch: Now we can hear you, yes..

Guilherme Mendes: Okay. Yes, sorry, it was mute for me. My question is if you think about 2027, now that the visibility is gradually improving. And looking at your fleet plan, the average number suggests that fleet should be increasing by mid- to high single digits into next year. Just wondering if that's a fair assumption for capacity growth into 2027. And think about this yield environment that we are seeing given the fuel spike, is it fair to assume that once fuel comes down, LATAM and the rest of the industry should be able to keep most of that price increases that we saw throughout 2026 for 2027?

Roberto Alvo Milosawlewitsch: Thank you, Guilherme. Let me see if I understood your fleet question correctly. So yes, we have on the fleet plan, that increase in fleet that you see in 2027. Do remember that we're receiving a significant number of Embraers in the last 2 months of the year. So even though the count for the end of the year of 410 accounts for a dozen Embraers, they basically will not fly almost anything in 2026. So we'll see the impact of the Embraer fleet most significantly in 2027. We haven't finalized our capacity plans for 2027, so we don't have a figure for you. But we have the potential of growing significantly with this part of the fleet.

And also remember that we have a number of old aircraft that we have decided to keep these 319s that are the flexibility that we have downwards in case of need. Regarding your fare question for 2027, I mean, I would love to know -- I'd love to have a crystal ball here. I think that the comment here is demand is strong and stable. Premium revenues are growing. We see a lot of premium leisure. We see a lot of corporate.

Ultimately, I think that the fare environment in 2027, let's assume that fuel goes down to something that looks a little bit more like '24 or 2025, it will end up being, I guess, a function of industry capacity probably. But what we have seen in the past is that normally, you see fares sticking a little bit longer when they're high before coming down and going the other way around.

But let's see how the environment behaves for the time being and for the rest of the year, we have a good outlook in terms of demand and the capacity we are deploying matches well what we believe is what we can serve and what the passengers want to fly for the remainder of the year.

Operator: Your next call comes from the line of Andre Ferreira with Bradesco BBI.

Andre Ferreira: Andre from Bradesco. I have 2 here. So one is recently the Brazil Development Bank approved the credit for airlines using the civil aviation fund at attractive rates. My question is if you plan on using it? And what's the latest on when the credit will actually be disbursed? And my second question, in the guidance, we kind of raised domestic Brazil ASK guidance to 8% to 9%. I'm saying raised compared to the December guidance, right? While cutting domestic Spanish-speaking countries to 4% to 5%. Looking at RASK in the 2 regions year-over-year, they are somewhat similar. So my question is if it's better relative demand trend, capacity discipline by competitors, fuel-driven economics.

So what was the driving force in that decision?

Roberto Alvo Milosawlewitsch: Sorry, the audio was quite bad. So I think we understood your questions. So the first one regarding FNAC, I'll pass it to Ricardo, and I'll take the capacity question on the domestic Brazil for the guidance.

Ricardo Dourado: Okay. Regarding FNAC, I think it was public that was a line of credit provided to the Brazilian airlines. So we are taking part of the access of that line of credit. And yes, we are still having some ongoing conversations with the BNDES in terms of the ways that we should execute that line. But so far, it's the information we have in terms of the line available for the entire market in Brazil until the end of this year, okay?

Roberto Alvo Milosawlewitsch: Regarding capacity for domestic Brazil, and I think I understood you were comparing it to the guidance for domestic Spanish-speaking countries. Remember again that we have the Embraer fleet coming into domestic Brazil specifically. So we're accounting for that in the guidance. We see very healthy demand in Brazil in general. We see a number of opportunities to continue growing our network, as it was explained before. Domestic Brazil capacity is a little bit higher in this guidance than what we published in the beginning of the year when we gave the first outlook of 2026. This is basically a function of the robustness that we see in demand and the solidity of our network and our presence in Brazil.

Also remember that our fleet has a lot of flexibility. So we can move capacity around within the network and the current spread of capacity that you see between Spanish-speaking and Brazil is basically a function on where we see the opportunities. I think it's fair to say, finally, on domestic Spanish-speaking that we are seeing a little bit of a weak domestic Chile environment. Actually, the economy hasn't grown for the last 6 or 7 months, if you see the reports on the economy altogether. And that has a little bit of an impact on the average that we see in Spanish-speaking. The position we have in domestic Chile is very healthy, still 65% market share.

But the outlook still is positive for the remainder of the year. I hope we answered your questions because we [indiscernible], okay?

Andre Ferreira: Yes. Sorry for the audio, but you answered it perfectly.

Operator: [Operator Instructions] Your next question comes from Jens Spiess from Morgan Stanley.

Jens Spiess: Congrats on the results considering the challenging environment, quite impressive. So I just -- I have 2 questions basically. One, on your hedging and the hedging results for the quarter. You had a negative fuel-hedging results. So just trying to understand like how to forecast it into the future? Because at the end of the day, I do understand that your hedging strategy protects up to a certain range, but we're still a bit surprised to see like a negative result on that line specifically. And just want to have a better understanding on how we can do a better job in forecasting that line going forward. And also considering that you're now incorporating more like downside protection without limits.

And my second question goes to, in general, like the Brazilian market environment, how are you seeing the competitive environment evolving, not just in terms of capacity, but prices? I mean you've been very successful in raising prices. So just wondering what's your like sense of how things are heading?

Ricardo Dourado: Thank you, Jens. It's Ricardo speaking. Remember that the last quarter, we have disclosed that we have hired some additional calls together with the collars, the traditional collars that regular LATAM used to protect against the fuel price volatility. And after all the negative impact on this quarter came from the premiums that we pay for those calls. And because of the positive evolution in terms of prices, we have a relevant concentration about the negative impact from the premiums, much more than the positive impact that will come from the settlement of the hedge.

And also, if you see the disclosure that we have for the next quarter, we have close to 8% of the protection in terms of volumes for Q3 in terms of calls. That was also higher at the beginning of the crisis. So everything that you should project is connected with this, the level of calls that we used to have in the Q2 was higher than the level of calls that we have for Q3. And because of that, the level of premium should be lower. That's the way that you should forecast. And yes, we do see and continue to use the collars.

In some ways, we could widen the ranks in terms of protection to capture more protection in terms of that four-way structures under the same hedge policy. So we just now need to wait and see the market conditions to understand the way that we should move forward.

Roberto Alvo Milosawlewitsch: Okay. Regarding your question on the competitive environment in domestic Brazil, 2025, domestic Brazil out of the 10 largest domestic market in the world was the one that grew the most. And this year, the trend despite of the fuel situation continues. So in general, we see a good development of the market. We have taken a leading position on the most important market in Brazil, which is Guarulhos Airport. Today, our relative frequency share in that airport is around 2.5x versus the second. And also remember that Guarulhos is basically the entry point for international travel to Brazil, 65% of international capacity to Brazil flies into the airport.

So today, the combination of the hub we have in Guarulhos together with Brasilia and our hub in the Northeast in Fortaleza and the presence we have in Congonhas are a very solid footprint with respect to how we can serve the Corporate business and the Leisure business in Brazil. And of course, this is going to be reinforced with the addition of the routes that Ricardo talked about on the E2s. Capacity in the market is in the high single digits if you account for everybody here. But what we see in terms of capacity is, I would say, a level consistent with the dynamism of the domestic market in Brazil.

So in general, we have a good and positive outlook for the remainder of the year for the Brazilian market.

Operator: Your next question comes from the line of Filipe Nielsen with Citi.

Filipe Ferreira Nielsen: I do just have one question regarding the E2 strategy. I think it was quite clear about this first phase on how you're deploying the aircraft, what are routes and et cetera. I just wanted to understand a little bit better the strategy behind choosing the markets and choosing the routes here. Is it a strategy more focused on opening new markets? Or are you targeting any specific gaps or regions that should enable more feed for your main cabin or international? How is the strategy behind choosing the markets? And a follow-up to this one.

Just wondering how are you seeing the profitability and -- regarding CASK and the margin profile compared to the other aircraft and the other routes that you're already serving in the country?

Roberto Alvo Milosawlewitsch: Thanks. So on the Embraer, let me separate for a second existing routes with new routes. So on existing routes, the E2 allows us to do 2 things. One is to rightsize the aircraft to the demand on specific times of the day where probably the A320 is a little bit big for that particular time of the day. So we're, in some cases, replacing frequencies of A320s with frequencies of E2s. The second thing we can do on those existing routes is add new times on parts of the day where the demand is a little bit lower.

So we -- what you're seeing in some routes is more frequencies than the ones that we would have with only A320 specific fleet. So this improves the product on those routes. And then on new routes, you have kind of 2 possibilities. One is operate airports where the E2 from an operational perspective can fly and the 320 or the 319 cannot fly just because of airport infrastructure runway, whatever. And two, airports where we do operate today with the A320 fleet and A319s in particular, because -- but because these are less efficient, they're older aircraft and heavier aircraft, the economics of operating E2s is much better than the economics of operating 319.

So those are the drivers on how we deploy E2s across the network, whether it's for current routes or for new routes. We haven't yet flown the E2, so I can't give you a sense of the reality of the operation, but we're very confident on it. It looks like a great airplane. We have seen the experience of other operators, all of them very happy. So we are actually very excited, anxious for November to arrive and have our first flight with the Embraer planes in Brazil. That was the first question. What was the second question?

Filipe Ferreira Nielsen: No, the second one was regarding the economics, but I think it was already answered.

Operator: Your next question comes from the line of Gabriel Rezende with Itau Bank.

Gabriel Rezende: Two questions here on our side. So just if you could remind us a little bit more about the company's dividend policy. And also how you're thinking about shareholders' remuneration when you're deciding between share buybacks versus dividend announcements. Just trying to understand what's the possibility here for the coming quarters on top of the share buyback you have already announced. And also on a second point here, it's a little bit tricky for us to calculate what's your actual CASK growth because of all the different FX components into the equation.

So just trying to understand how are you seeing operational leverage improving and potentially diluting CASK as we look into this capacity expansion you're planning for the coming quarters under cost and FX?

Roberto Alvo Milosawlewitsch: Okay. Do you want to take the CASK and I take the -- So we have a shareholders meeting on the 3rd approving a buyback for up to 5% of our shares. Remember that in Chile, buybacks need to be first approved by the shareholders, and they have certain limits. You can only buy up to 5% and you have up to 5 years eventually to buy the shares. So what we actually approved was the program. Now the Board has the ability to take the decision on how to execute on this program. And I think that the important line here is we first prioritize the growth of the business.

And if we see profitable growth that makes sense for what we're doing, that's the first priority. On top of that, we look at the financial policy. And that we meet the guidance of the policy that you know well. And any excess cash after these 2 points is for consideration in terms of capital allocation. And now with the buyback, we have another 2. So we have dividends, and we have now this, we also look at re-profiling eventually or changing the debt. So as the weeks and months progress and we have a better outlook of the next quarters and years, the Board will have the ability to eventually execute on the buyback -- share buyback program.

Maybe an important just addition to this is the Chilean stock exchanges, they revamped and what is the word probably make more current, the procedures in terms of how to buy shares. It was a little bit cumbersome. We had to wait at least 20 days. I mean the whole process was a little bit more complicated. Now it's much more streamlined. It looks a little bit more like what the U.S. does. So that, I think, increases the ability of companies in general in Chile to execute on those programs because the procedure is simpler than what it was in the past.

Ricardo Dourado: Gabriel, it's Ricardo. Regarding your question about CASK and because we are not providing any guidance for next years, I will try to answer your question regarding 2 different considerations. Yes, we do have an impact from the inflation and escalation over the cost that we have, but we also have the operational leverage that we could dilute part of this increase in terms of cost with the capacity and the way that we manage our business through an efficient agenda.

But remember, if you see the way that we updated the -- actually, the guidance for this year for CASK ex fuel passengers, it's almost the same that we updated last time in Q1, but was higher than the original guidance that we disclosed to the market late on December, but mainly because the change in the FX assumption. So it's also important to bear in mind that you have to also have your forecast for the FX assumption that could have an impact. And still not answer your question for the future, but the way that you could take some driver, not as a guidance.

If you see the level of CASK from the group since 2019, we are having a very intense agenda in efficient way and also through digitalization and all leverage that we could take to hold and that capacity to hold the same level of CASK for years and years mean more than 6 years. So having said that, I think it's fair to think that we are working hard to hold the cost as a real advantage for the group.

Roberto Alvo Milosawlewitsch: And just one additional clarification because you asked about the mix of currencies. We have, of course, cost in Chilean pesos, in soles in Peru, in Colombian pesos and so on. But the real one that matters is the Real. And this is why when we provide guidance, we basically focus there. So I think that you can simplify the model by assuming that the Real is what matters in terms of FX changes in the cost. The others are relatively small. They're not very significant.

So as Ricardo said, a significant amount -- a significant -- most significant portion, almost all of the difference between the guidance we gave in December and the guidance we have today, the change in the cost ex fuel is related to the appreciation of the Real. So that gives you, I think, one data point in terms of how to model this.

Ricardo Dourado: And sorry, just another side comment. Don't forget to also look the impact from this FX situation over the RASK because we also have an impact from this variation in terms of FX over the RASK. And after all, it's important to see the evolution of RASK and the CASK.

Roberto Alvo Milosawlewitsch: And that's why we provide the 2 figures in terms of RASK in domestic markets.

Operator: [Operator Instructions] Your next question comes from Joao Frizo with Goldman Sachs.

João Francisco Frizo: I have a quick follow-up on the guidance for leverage. You guys mentioned you're expecting leverage to be below 1.6x for the year-end. Just wanted to hear your thoughts on what's the leverage, excluding the planes that are expected to come in towards the end of this year. Leverage comes first, right? And then EBITDA comes afterwards. So I just wanted to hear about what's leverage without the planes that are only going to generate EBITDA towards the end of this year, beginning of 2027.

Ricardo Dourado: Okay. Thank you. I think we're not providing any guidance in terms of the breakdown that you are asking, but I think it's important to mention that all -- and it doesn't matter in the way that we decide to finance the fleet, if it's going to be through finance lease or operating lease. After all, it's everything accounted as debt. And I think it's also important to notion that -- to note that this updated guidance to be below or equal to 1.6x, it's also including our decisions to finance the fleet and when we will finance the fleet. And also in the earnings release, you can see that we have added some additional facilities in this quarter.

And also, it's included in the net leverage and the way that we are forecasting the leverage. But I think it's complicated to split that level of leverage, not including, but it's quite easy to make the calculation having a list of debt that we have in the attachment of the earnings release. I don't know if I help you, but that's the way that I should answer your question.

Operator: There are no further questions at this time. I will now turn the call back to Ricardo Bottas for closing remarks.

Ricardo Dourado: Thank you all again for participating in today's call. And if you have any further questions, please reach out to our Investor Relations team. Thank you again, and have a nice day.

Operator: This concludes today's call. Thank you for attending. You may now disconnect.