JetSMART

JetSMART is a Chilean ultra-low-cost airline created by Indigo Partners, the US private equity firm whose other airline investments the company lists as Wizz Air, Volaris, Frontier Airlines and Cebu Pacific. It is based at Santiago's Arturo Merino Benítez airport and runs sister airlines under the same brand in Argentina, Peru and Colombia. Its founder and chief executive is Estuardo Ortiz.

The pitch on JetSMART's own website is simple: low base fares, with passengers paying only for what they use. A small bag or backpack is included; a larger cabin bag, checked bags and other extras are sold separately. The company also stresses that it flies new aircraft, and each one carries a different animal on its tail, a branding device used across the whole fleet.

Getting started

JetSMART applied for its Chilean air operator's certificate on 26 January 2017, received authorisation that June, and began scheduled flights on 25 July 2017 with a Santiago–Calama service. It started with three Airbus A320-200s and initially flew only within Chile, competing with LATAM Chile and Sky Airline on most of the routes it opened in its first months. The company marked its tenth anniversary in 2026.

Becoming a regional group

Expansion beyond Chile came through local subsidiaries. JetSMART Argentina was set up to gain traffic rights there, and on 4 December 2019 JetSMART bought Norwegian Air Argentina, taking over its staff and licence but not its Boeing 737s, which it replaced with its own Airbus aircraft. Domestic flying in Peru began on 16 June 2022. In March 2023 JetSMART signed a memorandum to buy Colombia's Ultra Air and began certifying a Colombian operation.

In July 2021 American Airlines announced a minority investment, together with an arrangement that lets AAdvantage members earn miles on JetSMART flights; the two airlines also codeshare.

Fleet and plans

The fleet is all Airbus A320 family. Orders placed in December 2017 (56 A320neos and 14 A321neos), June 2019 (12 A321XLRs) and November 2021 (22 A321neos and two more A321XLRs, with some A320neo orders converted to the larger A321neo) set the direction towards bigger aircraft. In a release dated Buenos Aires, 29 September 2026, the company gave its regional fleet as 56 Airbus A320 and A321 aircraft serving more than 90 routes in South America, and said it aims to pass 100 aircraft by 2030.

The same release set out growth in Argentina: a fleet there of 19 aircraft by December 2026 and more than 20 by January 2027, eight new direct routes added during 2026 including domestic flights from Buenos Aires to Posadas, San Juan and Santiago del Estero, and international links from Buenos Aires to Lima, Medellín and several Brazilian beach cities. A separate release on 24 September 2026 said JetSMART expects to expand its Chilean capacity by around 10% in 2027.