Through resolution 326/2024 published this Wednesday in the Official Gazette, the National Civil Aviation Administration of Argentina approved the new «Regulation for Obtaining the Ground Handling Certificate». These services include the provision of stairs for passenger boarding and disembarking, equipment for loading and unloading luggage, goods, and other objects, aircraft maneuvering on the ground, cabin cleaning and waste removal, pushback equipment, and the operation of jet bridges, among others.
This follows the Argentine government’s decision to advance on the deregulation of ground handling services at Argentine airports, which until now was restricted to the state-owned Intercargo, or allowed each airline to self-handle with its own equipment (valid when there is a significant scale of operations, which is not the case for most airlines operating in Argentina), as done by Aerolíneas Argentinas, American Airlines, and Flybondi.
Now, more companies will be able to offer their services to other airlines, including the three mentioned in the previous paragraph. Just two days ago, Flybondi announced it was authorized to do so.
The resolution states that «the current needs of the aerocommercial market and the new commercial aviation policy framework, aimed at the proper functioning of the market, free competition, market access freedom, and greater efficiency, require a review of the legal framework» and that «an open skies policy was established based on principles of market access freedom, fair trade, fare deregulation, strict operational safety protection, aviation security, continuous operational oversight of authorized services, the principle of state unity, contractual freedom, speed, direct communication, dynamism, comprehensiveness, and efficiency, among others.»
Anticipating the publication of the regulation, yesterday the Secretary of Transportation of the Nation, Franco Mogetta, said that this measure will facilitate «that in cities with small airports or low levels of air traffic, small operators can provide the necessary service to boost the deep interior regions of Argentina.»
Download document: Regulation for Obtaining the Ground Handling Certificate
