On this Sunday morning it was possible to see leaving the workshops of the Argentine Aircraft Factory (FAdeA) in Córdoba. Boeing 737 MAX 8 registration LV-KIT of Aerolíneas Argentinas.
This aircraft has some peculiarities. In principle, it is the tenth aircraft of that model received by Argentinian airlines. Second, it is the first plane that the state company incorporates after seven months. And thirdly, it is a Boeing 737 MAX 8 who arrived in the country wearing the scheme of Ukraine International Airlines (UIA).
In total there are three “Ukrainian” MAXs that Argentinian airlines will receive, part of an order that UIA was finally unable to take as a result of the Russian invasion. The airplanes Boeing 737 MAX They are leased under an agreement with ICBC Aircraft and were manufactured in 2019. Their former Ukrainian registrations were UR-MXC, UR-MXB and UR-MXA.
After the “Ukrainian” planes, Argentinian airlines must receive four 737 MAX directly from the manufacturer, given that the next ones are from the original order placed during Isela Costantini’s management. According to Pablo Ceariani, former CEO of Aerolíneas Argentinas, it was scheduled that between 2024 and 2025the state company will have 17 MAX in your fleet.
The LV-KIT had arrived at the Ezeiza International Airport at 9:07 p.m. on Friday, May 17. On the 22nd he was transferred to the Córdoba Air Garrison of the Argentine Air Force to the application of the Aerolíneas Argentinas scheme.
Current Boeing 737 MAX fleet of Aerolíneas Argentinas
Aerolíneas Argentinas currently operates nine other Boeing 737-8 aircraft (LV -HKV, -HKW, -HKU, -GVE, -GVD, -KEI, KEJ, -KKD and -KKE), which perform national and regional flights, including one of the next longest routes for this model.
According to Cirium, the link between Córdoba and Punta Cana (PUJ)Dominican Republic, opening in September 2024, will be the 11th longest route for the 737 MAX.
The company mainly operates them on regional routes that include São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Brasilia, Curitiba, Porto Alegre, Salvador, Santiago de Chile, Lima and sporadically to Asunción and Montevideo.
At the national level, Aerolíneas Argentinas has scheduled the 737 MAX to most national destinations, although the ten main cities are Ushuaia, El Calafate, Bariloche, Neuquén, Iguazú, Córdoba, Mendoza, San Martín de los Andes, Río Grande and Tucumán .
According to data obtained by Aviacionline through Cirium, in June the MAX will represent an offer of 204,000 seats, 18.2% of the total of Aerolíneas Argentinas.
