MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Milei to no longer fly on passenger services out of security concerns

“Indeed, the President will stop using commercial airplanes,” Adorni announced

Argentine President Javier Milei will no longer use commercial flights due to security concerns stemming from his stance beside Israel in the ongoing crisis in the Middle East, it was announced in Buenos Aires on Tuesday.

Milei would thus be on the advice of Security Minister Patricia Bullrich. The Libertarian head of state had preferred regular flights in a move to cut down costs. His administration was at some point eyeing the disposal of the presidential fleet, particularly of the ARG 01 Boeing 757-200 aircraft purchased under Alberto Fernández. Fernández's aircraft were not labeled with the “T” (or “Tango” in aviation code) because that letter is reserved for the Air Force and Fernández had insisted on having a presidential fleet department outside the military. Hence, ARG-01 and not T-01.

“The Ministry of Security warned us about certain risks of the President continuing to fly on common commercial flights. The President can no longer travel on commercial flights and the Ministry of Security has submitted a confidential report to all the parties involved as to why this suggestion was made,” Presidential Spokesman Manuel Adorni told reporters. Henceforth, Milei “will stop using commercial airplanes” and all precautions will be taken so that the President “has all the security conditions that his office deserves,” Adorni underlined.

Bullrich insisted that despite budgetary constraints the President needed to be “taken care of” and therefore he should no longer travel on commercial flights. “We have to consider that Argentina is in a stage of austerity, but we also have to take care of the President,” Bullrich said in a TV interview.

Since Milei became President, Argentina's foreign policy shifted towards the United States and Israel, which the President holds to be beacons of the Western world.

Argentina has in its memory two serious attacks against the Jewish community: in 1992, against the Israeli Embassy; and in 1994, against the headquarters of the Argentine Israelite Mutual Association (AMIA), which left more than 100 dead and hundreds wounded.