On June 22, the last trip of the operating contract signed with the airline DAP, which lasted 12 months, was made. This agreement, which represented a monthly cost of $100 million pesos, included 90 exclusive subsidized seats and operated twice a week during the high season and once a week in the low season.
In view of the end of the contract, the Ministry of Transport and Telecommunications, through its regional secretariat, carried out a call for a new tender. However, the offer – presented by the current operator – was not sufficient for the needs of the contract. Given this situation, a second call was made, summoning six national airlines, of which one presented an offer, but it was declared inadmissible due to lack of antecedents.
Thus, and in order to speed up the restoration of the service, a system was activated on June 26
new process, with a response time of seven business days. “It is a priority for our administration to maintain connectivity in isolated areas such as Aysén and Magallanes. We hope that, in this new call, the airlines will join and we can reactivate this route that is so important for the inhabitants of these regions,” said Rodrigo Hernández, Seremi of Transport and Telecommunications of Magallanes and Chilean Antarctica.
This service, established eight years ago, was created due to the lack of direct commercial flights between Balmaceda and Punta Arenas. Therefore, it is a crucial route for people who work, study or have family members in the Aysén and Magallanes regions.
Furthermore, without the existence of the service, travelers would have to travel 1,400 kilometers by land, passing through Argentine territory or making an air connection via Santiago. The Seremi of Transport and Telecommunications of the Magallanes and Chilean Antarctic Region will be reporting on the progress of this new tender, in addition to carrying out the pertinent steps to expedite the process and resume the service during the third week of July.
