Argentine LCC protests ongoing closure of El Palomar

Argentine low-cost carrier Flybondi has strongly protested the government’s decision to keep Buenos Aires’ secondary airport El Palomar closed as the country slowly reopens following the coronavirus crisis. El Palomar, located near the centre of the sprawling Argentine capital, had been the chosen airfield for low-cost carriers such as JetSmart and Flybondi as they expanded their services to an ever growing middle class prior to the global pandemic. The country’s government-owned flag carrier, Aerolineas Argentinas, and other international carriers use the larger Ezeiza International airport, on the city’s far southwestern outskirts. Last week, Argentina’s airport authority ORSNA ruled that Ezeiza was the only one of the region’s three airports that satisfied the health and safety requirements to re-open during the global health crisis, effectively freezing out El Palomar and the LCCs which operate from the field. The city’s third airport, Jorge Newberry Aeroparque, also near the city’s centre, closed in August for major repairs - including expansion of a runway and a terminal - and won’t reopen until at least February 2021. That airport was primarily used for domestic flights, which have been transferred to Ezeiza until the construction is complete. “Flying from Ezeiza is not a commercial option for Flybondi nor for our passengers, and the government authorities and regulatory bodies are aware of this reality,” says Flybondi president Esteban Tossutti on 25 October. “Their decision shows the lack of respect for passengers who purchased tickets to fly from El Palomar…in addition to the thousands of passengers who can only travel by plane if they do so from an airport that can be reached by public transport.”<br/>