MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Argentine airline pilots announce strike against deregulation

The measure has been announced with the winter school recess coming nearer

Argentine airline pilots announced a strike for Friday, the last working day before the winter school break and judiciary recess, to protest against the decision of President Javier Milei's Government to open up the industry to foreign players through deregulation.

According to Buenos Aires media, the APLA airline pilots guild will also be demanding a salary increase to cope with inflation.

The new policies provide for the digitalization of check-in and other procedures to optimize costs, in addition to speedier mexhanisms fir the granting of routes to carriers as well as deregulating ramp services at airports.

“This will allow intermediate cities in the interior of the country, which today do not have direct flights, to have access to greater connectivity,” the Transport Ministry argued.

“The final objective of the reform package is for the country to have greater connectivity, more frequencies and new airline companies. This will generate a greater flow of tourism in the Argentine provinces, with more competitive fares so that more people can fly,” it went on.

“Regulations governing the Argentine air sector have not been renewed for more than 70 years” and that “in order to transform transportation, air work and civil aviation it is necessary to update them,” the agency also pointed out.

Argentina has recently signed open-skies agreements with Ecuador, Brazil, Peru, Chile and Uruguay; also with Panama and Canada, “to which more countries will be added in the coming months,” the Ministry insisted.

If no understanding with the authirities is reached, the strike will be extended during the first week of the winter holidays, the union grouping chiefly Aerolíneas Argentinas pilots warned.