Argentina’s Flybondi bets on local flights to survive virus

Argentina’s discount airline Flybondi is planning to redouble its bet on domestic service once the toughest travel ban in the Americas is lifted. The company will focus on local flights as long as demand for international travel remains tenuous because of the coronavirus pandemic, said CCCO Mauricio Sana. Flights to Brazil, the hardest-hit country in Latin America, may not restart until May 2021. “The bet for regional growth in 2020 is cancelled,” Sana said. “As foreign travel reduces, much of tourism will turn to whatever domestic options come up. Local markets will recover faster.”<br/> Argentina’s government has banned all air travel until Sept. 1, one of the toughest restrictions in the world. Even before the pandemic, airlines operating in the country had been hard-hit by an economic slowdown, double-digit inflation and a 30% tax on foreign travel. <br/>