Troubling signs emerge for aviation liberalisation in Argentina

Since the election of Argentina's new president Alberto Fernandez and the former president Cristina Kirchner as vice president in late 2019, speculation has grown over how the new government will oversee the reforms of the previous administration that paved the way for new entrant low cost operators to launch operations in the country.

In the very early days of the administration there have not been any earth shattering changes to the overall status quo of the current state of Argentina's aviation industry, but there are some troubling signs emerging, including what appears to be heightened scrutiny of the operations of the low cost operator Flybondi and declarations by the new CEO of state-owned Aerolineas Argentinas that the previous liberalisation was unrestricted.

Those developments could suggest that further liberalisation in the country is a non starter, and protectionist policies could creep back into Argentina's aviation landscape. And perhaps there should be some cause for concern over how the government could oversee low cost operators in the future.