James May June 2024 web - Flipbook - Page 56
Brazil from the U.S. West Coast. And
of course Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson,
Delta’s primary hub and the world’s
busiest airport, is one of the biggest
beneficiaries. Since the start of the JV
the partners offered nearly one million
seats on 3,500 flights to South America, a 50 percent increase in key routes
connecting to hubs including São
Paulo, Bogota, Lima and Santiago.
But the partnership wasn’t just
good news for Delta frequent fliers— it
was music to the ears of Georgia economic development officers who now
had a direct pipeline to South America
plopped down in their backyard.
Those possibilities were not lost
on Kemp when he pitched his support
for the JV back in 2022. “As you know,
South America is an important trade
partner for both Georgia and the entire
country, especially in agriculture, and it
is my hope that the JV will be another
tool in maintaining and growing our relationships in that region of the world,”
he wrote in his letter to Buttigieg.
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The Georgia Department of
Economic Development (GDEcD) has
longstanding ties to South America as
a trade partner, with offices in Brazil,
Chile, Colombia and Peru. The ports of
Brunswick and Savannah serve as key
entry (and exit) points for billions of
dollars’ worth of food, agricultural, and
pharmaceutical products each year.
Inspired by the joint venture,
GDEcD officials recently embarked
on a trade mission to South America
focused on expanding connections
with Chile and Peru, two major LATAM hubs. They met with LATAM
leaders and Chilean business leaders
in Santiago, pushing the message of
connectivity by air and sea, a combo
that makes Georgia a very attractive
business partner.
Mary Waters, Chief Administrative
Officer at GDEcD, tells James about the
mission. “Many of the companies we
met with were related to the food and
beverage industry. Chile’s thriving food
processing and agriculture sectors
align with Georgia’s own agricultural
roots, and we talked a lot about our
extensive logistics infrastructure.”
Delta and LATAM’s joint venture
has been a success already, but it’s still
just in its early stages. Waters says the
best is yet to come.
“Our conversations with companies during the mission indicate that
Georgia’s continued role as a global
gateway will only expand for South
American markets such as Chile and
Peru. On the cultural and tourism side,
we have the World Cup in 2026, which
is an amazing opportunity to spotlight
our state again. Georgia has a lot to offer Latin American businesses, and we
need to continue to tell our story. We’re
excited for our future opportunities,
and we would invite any companies
who are interested in doing business
in Georgia to connect with our offices
in Brazil, Chile, Colombia, or Peru.”
Patrick Hickey is the James office manager and
one of its staff writers.
