Published December 2019
In 2018, many of our aircraft took off and landed in accordance with their flight plan, which resulted in an award in the early months of 2019. The prestigious OAG ranking recognized us as the world’s most punctual airline in the category Mega Airlines. And, for this to happen, we relied on the efforts of many people, including Brazilian Claudinei Castro.
He’s not a pilot, crew member, or mechanic, but his work has a direct impact on the punctuality of airplanes. “I started my career at TAM Airlines, in São Carlos, in rural São Paulo. I was in charge of distributing materials at the Aircraft Maintenance Center (MRO),” he recalls. Every day, parts and tools were inspected, placed on shelves, and Claudinei looked for their recipients, who worked on plane repairs.
His work led him to Mexico City and, later, Santiago, where he currently lives. “I’m part of a team that analyzes all types of material used in aircraft maintenance,” he explains.
The team is responsible for planning over 25,000 tasks with over 400,000 different materials, sent to 200 airports. “If we don’t plan everything right, this may affect flight punctuality.”
His work has yielded results: in addition to the recognition LATAM received from OAG, Claudinei was named the best planner at the MRO; won second place at the Prêmio TOGA Awards, for helping to develop a system where mechanics can search for the necessary materials in a database; and, in 2018, was recognized as a service leader and the airline’s service spirit. “I think this is all due to my life motto: to be happy by helping the most people possible,” he concludes.
