The United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) arrives in Argentina to carry out the final stage of the evaluation of the International Aviation Safety Assessment (IASA) Program. The objective is to determine if the country is in a position to maintain Category 1, the highest operational safety rating granted by the FAA.
Argentina has held Category 1 since 2005, but in recent years, it has faced significant challenges in its aeronautical system, partly due to the management of previous administrations of the National Civil Aviation Administration (ANAC), according to a statement from the Secretary of Transportation.
In 2022, an audit conducted by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) revealed that Argentina complied with only 60.47% of international standards, below the regional average. The most affected areas were the Civil Aviation Organization, with 41.67% compliance, and Operations, with 37.29%, related to the control and oversight of aircraft operations, according to the same source.
As a result of these findings, the FAA requested to conduct its own inspection, which was postponed until April of this year. During this inspection, 82 findings requiring correction were identified, primarily in the areas of airworthiness, operations, and licensing.
To address this situation, the government intervened in ANAC in July 2024, appointing María Julia Cordero as the overseer to address the operational problems detected. Since then, ANAC has initiated a reorganization process, designing a corrective action plan with the technical advice of experts from the South American Regional Office of ICAO. This plan includes updating procedure manuals, training airworthiness inspectors, and certifying air operators, among other measures.
To date, according to ANAC, 85% progress has been made in implementing the corrective actions, which will be presented to the FAA delegation during their visit.
Nevertheless, the government issued a caution, stating that «despite the fast-paced work carried out by the current administration to reverse this situation caused by years of mismanagement at the National Civil Aviation Administration, there is still a possibility that the national aviation system could lose its category.»
«Losing the category would cause reputational damage to Argentine aviation and prevent the addition of destinations and frequencies for flights to the United States. Furthermore, it would hinder the replacement of aircraft models flying to that country, as well as the establishment of new code-share agreements with U.S. airlines, directly impacting collaboration between Argentine and U.S. companies,» the agency’s statement continued.
The loss of the category would also subject Argentine airlines to greater scrutiny by U.S. authorities, which could increase operational costs and cause delays in operations.
«In this way, the consequences of the poor administration in past administrations would negatively impact the international reputation of Argentine civil aviation, despite the successful policies of air commercial liberalization that have been implemented by the Secretary of Transportation of the Ministry of Economy, seeking greater freedoms and development in the aviation sector,» the statement continued, concluding that despite this, they will continue «working quickly and professionally to regularize the inherited mismanagement and strengthen the operational safety of the Argentine aviation system.»
The International Aviation Safety Assessment (IASA) Program was established by the FAA in 1992, following the crash of Avianca Flight 52. The program’s goal is to evaluate adherence to safety standards and practices established by ICAO and other international organizations. The program has two categories, based on whether a country meets the imposed requirements.
Flights between Argentina and the United States – October 2024
- American Airlines
- 7 weekly flights between New York/JFK and Buenos Aires/Ezeiza.
- 14 weekly flights between Miami and Buenos Aires/Ezeiza.
- Aerolíneas Argentinas:
- 13 weekly flights between Buenos Aires/Ezeiza and Miami
- Delta Air Lines
- 7 weekly flights between Atlanta and Buenos Aires/Ezeiza
- United Airlines
- 7 weekly flights between Houston/Intercontinental and Buenos Aires/Ezeiza
