Javier Milei’s Administration Pushes Forward with Aerolíneas Argentinas Privatization

The national government reaffirmed its objective to “privatize” Aerolíneas Argentinass and considered that the agreement reached between the company and the unions with which it had been in conflict is “historic.”

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This was made clear by the Secretary of Transportation of the Nation, Franco Mogetta, in a radio interview, where he stated that “for Aerolíneas, the goal remains the same: to remove the State from the role of entrepreneur, privatize it entirely, making it 100% private management.”

He added that in making the decision, union opinions will not be considered because “it is a decision of the sole shareholder of the company, which is the National State, so it is not something we need to consult with the unions.”

Listening to the people

On this matter, he clarified that they try to “listen to the people who work and work responsibly. And the truth is that the majority of workers who perform their tasks professionally and responsibly just want to work. So whether the employer is private or public, it makes no difference to most regular workers.”

Regarding the agreement reached with the unions, he said it is “historic, considering that until now, the only actions taken were the opposite: granting more and more privileges to the unions by previous governments.”

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“For the first time in history, a government stood firm in defense of the State’s coffers and the citizens, the Argentine people. Ultimately, what we are doing is changing the reality so that the air transport industry can finally develop and provide better services at more reasonable and accessible prices for those who need to use this service,” he emphasized.

A clear direction

In this regard, he stated that they acted “with a clear direction. On one hand, the government stood firm and did not yield to those pressures, but not passively. Measures were also taken that had never been taken before.”

“Sanctions were imposed on staff with suspensions, wage deductions for strike days, and dismissals for those who committed the outrageous act of locking people in when, previously, governments would backpedal, reinstate workers, and grant them more benefits,” he remarked.

“We – he said – remained firm from the beginning, and I believe it was a process in which internal discussions within the unions also matured. They realized that they could not bend Javier Milei’s will with traditional methods.”

Milei, a non-traditional president

He stressed that “Milei is not a traditional president. He is a president with a completely unconventional logic, and all of us officials who report to him follow that line. We do not allow ourselves to be intimidated by extortionate methods typical of an Argentina that is now part of the past.”

“We achieved this with coherence, firmness, and the decision to change, once and for all, the environment surrounding the air transport industry. This also relates to a process we began with DNU 70 and its regulatory package, which allows foreign crews, foreign-registered aircraft, deregulated fares, the breakup of Intercargo’s monopoly, and opening markets so that new airlines can start operating. We are authorizing between 4 to 6 new routes per week,” he asserted.

“This is all part of a continuous process, and it remains ongoing. To this day, we are holding very interesting discussions with operators about ramp services, airlines, and more. We believe we are undoubtedly in a historic moment,” he concluded.