A Chilean arrested for making racist, xenophobic and homophobic comments against a flight attendant on a Latam Airlines flight was removed from the company where he worked in Chile this Saturday (May 16, 2026). The information is from CNN.
Germán Andrés Naranjo Maldini was on a flight on May 10 that left Guarulhos International Airport (SP) bound for Frankfurt, Germany. During the trip, he stated that one of the flight attendants was gay and declared: “It’s a problem for me to be gay”.
Then he started making racist insults. “The smell of black, the smell of Brazilian… […] You are black, monkey…”he said, while imitating the animal’s sounds. The attacks were recorded on video by the victim.
The Chilean was preventively arrested this Friday (May 15, 2026) by the Federal Police upon returning to Brazil.
Germán had worked for more than a decade as a commercial executive at Landes, a Chilean company in the fish sector.
In a statement, the company stated that it became aware of the case through the press.
“The company categorically and unequivocally condemns all acts of discrimination, racism and homophobia. This type of behavior is completely incompatible with Landes’ values and its Non-Discrimination Policy, which applies to all company employees. The company is gathering more information to make appropriate decisions, in accordance with its internal protocols and current regulations”he declared.
What Latam Airlines says:
“LATAM Airlines strongly repudiates any discriminatory and violent practices, including crimes of racism, xenophobia and homophobia.
“The company fully collaborates with the Federal Police in the case of the passenger who committed discriminatory violence against one of its crew members on flight LA8070 (São Paulo-Frankfurt), on May 10th (Sunday), and who was detained at Guarulhos airport on May 15th (Friday).
“LATAM further clarifies that it provides psychological support and legal support to the employee who is a victim of this violence.”
