“In Argentina, the opposite is happening in the world and that is why companies choose to leave,” said the vice president of the airline association.

The administrative decision 643/2021 of last Friday imposed the “air trap” reducing from 2000 to 600 the number of passengers who can enter per day from abroad. Based on the prevention and reduction of the circulation of the delta variant of Covid-19, It has caused massive flight cancellations, left thousands of Argentines and residents stranded abroad and caused great unrest in the commercial aviation sector.

There are flights that arrive in Ezeiza empty of passengers or with less than thirty passengers: operating in these conditions becomes almost impossible.

“With a week to go, we don’t know what the government will come up with, we need more predictability. It would be good to remind the authorities that the airlines are choosing to leave the Argentinian market in the face of so many complications, ”warned Peter Cerdá, regional vice-president for the Americas of the International Air Transport Association (IATA), in this report. interview with Infobae.

“Right now there are drugs, medical equipment, some vaccines, equipment, ultimately supplies that are not produced in the country and depend on air transport.”

– Why do you want to meet with the government?

– We want to dialogue to share ideas and cooperate. For us, the number one priority is Argentines stranded abroad. The most important thing is that we dialogue with the chief of staff (Santiago Cafiero) to put on the table the situation of those who have to return to their country and cannot do so because of the air stocks. You have to shift the focus, it doesn’t matter if you are a person in Miami or some other part of the world, the main thing is that you have the opportunity to come back. Second, we want to ask the government to establish a long-term work plan with international air transport, we think in about four or six months. If measurements are taken every fortnight or ten days, it becomes very difficult for airlines and the aviation industry to work in Argentina. We are asking the government for more predictability and the power to anticipate.

– What is the reason for IATA’s insistence that Santiago Cafiero be present at the meeting?

– We would like to ask you about the reasons for the reduction in the number of passengers able to return to the country. Why do it now when a good part of these travelers will arrive in the country vaccinated. Let him know that we have a good predisposition to work together, to cooperate with the government, we are not on the opposite team, our idea is to work together. We want to understand the reasons for this decision, since It was a surprise to us that we worked with the ANAC (National Civil Aviation Administration) in a totally different way.

– In what sense “different”?

– With them (ANAC), we worked in an aligned manner, even considering the possibility of increasing the quota above 2,000 passengers per day. remember that the aviation sector is one of the sectors that has had to put in place the most protocols and measures since the start of the pandemicTherefore, the work between ANAC and the airlines was abundant during this period.

– How would it be possible, according to existing protocols, to open international borders without risk?

– The important thing is to highlight what the problem was. Countries like Canada, the United Kingdom or Chile have measures for the traveler very similar to those of Argentina: only allow the entry of citizens and residents, negative PCR before boarding the plane and another on the way down, finally, compulsory quarantine. This last point was the problem, there were people who returned home did not respect quarantine and that meant an increase in cases. But we believe that the airline industry cannot be penalized for this reason. Therefore, the only thing Argentina should do is verify that the mandatory quarantine is being observed., and therefore consider, as other countries are doing, starting to reopen international transport instead of reducing it.

– The Government supports its decision on the basis of the evaluations of the delta variant carried out by the Ministry of Health. What do you think about that?

– The delta variant will reach the whole world. There are already many countries where it is, even more extensive than in Argentina, and for this reason they have not restricted the arrival of passenger planes. We must learn to coexist with the pandemic.

– What is the situation in the rest of Latin America?

– Colombia, Mexico, Peru and Ecuador have already opened their borders. Of course, they maintain protocols but they manage the coronavirus in a balanced way. The region in general and the world are adapting, it is opening up, the reverse is happening in Argentina. For example, consider the so-called dating tourism, Latin American countries begin to participate in these meetings and fairs in search of post-pandemic economic reactivation, Argentinian businessmen are isolated and barred from participating .

– Why do you think the Argentine government is adopting these measures?

– Sincerely, I do not know. The government is acting illogically. Instead of emulating the successful models that exist, they are taking drastic and one-sided measures that seriously affect the aviation sector and the sectors on which it indirectly depends, be it taxis, cafes and restaurants, and other activities carried out in the aeronautical orbit. We are seven days before the technical expiration of the restriction, with one week remaining, we know nothing of what the government will be proposing, we need more predictability.

– The arrival of what supplies can be affected?

– 60% of the air freight transported in the world is carried out in the holds of passenger planes. Imagine that in 2019, before the pandemic, Some 155 passenger planes per day arrived in Argentina, today on a good day, 3 arrive. It is therefore impossible that this does not affect, at the moment there are drugs, medical equipment, some vaccines, equipment, in shortage that are not produced in the country and depend on air transport.

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