Argentina and Canada They signed this Tuesday a bilateral memorandum of understanding that eliminates the caps on flight frequencies and seat offers between the two countries, which had been in force since 1979.
Likewise, the agreement increases the number of airports where airlines can land.
At the moment, Air Canada It is the only airline that arrives from that country to Ezeiza, with a flight with a stopover in San Pablo. It offers, always with a stopover in the Brazilian city, destinations to Montreal or Toronto. The frequency varies from four to five weekly flights in low season, and six in high season.
While Argentinian airlinesthe only line of local origin that makes long-haul flights, It does not have routes to Canada.
The agreement was signed this Tuesday at the San Martín Palace between officials from the two countries and joins other recent “open skies” agreements, as the government of Javier Milei usually calls them.
A similar agreement will be signed this Wednesday with PanamaAccording to the Secretary of Transportation, Franco Mogetta. With this country there is greater connectivity through Copa Airlineswhich uses the Panamanian capital as a “hub” to multiple destinations.
Within the framework of the so-called “open skies policy”, the Government has so far signed agreements with Brazil, Chile, Uruguay, Peru and Ecuador.
In fact, “open skies” are only those included in the agreements with Chile and Uruguaywhich includes the possibility that an airline from the other country can carry out internal or domestic flights in the other country.
For other cases, including this week’s agreements, what is liberalized are the international routes.
“With the liberalization of flights between Argentina and Canada, it will be possible to increase connectivity, expand operational capabilities, generate conditions of unlimited frequencies and add new destinations,” said Mogetta, after signing the agreement, which was also attended by the Secretary of Tourism, Daniel Scioli, and the vice chancellor Leopoldo Sahores.
“This is the first agreement that we signed with a country that is not from the region and now other agreements will come“Mogetta added.
Bilateral agreements, in each case, are subject to the policies and regulations established by both countries, especially in cases where “open skies” are fulfilled until the so-called “ninth freedom of the air.”
This figure is what enables domestic flights in the destination country, with planes and crews from the country of origin. One possibility that is being considered within the Milei government (it is not yet enabled) is that, for example, a plane LATAM Chile, Sky or JetSmart Chilewith Chilean registration and crews, can land from Santiago de Chile in Mendoza and take off from there to another airport in the interior of Argentina.
There is a previous step that is the entry into full force (with the force of law) of DNU 70, of which this Saturday marks six months since its legal publication.
If there are no judicial challenges before this Saturday to the chapter of the mega decree dedicated to the airline sector (Chapter 9), starting next week the legal framework of the sector in Argentina will be effectively reconfigured. And the door will also be open for implement the “open skies” policy.
