Río Mayo Airport: From Abandonment to Military Hub

The Argentine Army has refurbished the Río Mayo Airport in Chubut, after finding it in a state of abandonment and having been a victim of looting within the premises and the terminal building. The municipality is awaiting to sign an agreement between the National Civil Aviation Administration (ANAC) of Argentina and the army.

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The airport will fall under the responsibility of the IX Mechanized Engineers Battalion, led by Lieutenant Colonel Martin Sakámoto, who also serves as the Chief of the Joint Antarctic Base Petrel. The terminal’s recovery was prompted by a request from Commodore (R) Luis Altamirano, ANAC’s Regional South Chief.

Military personnel worked on restoring the building’s condition (exterior and interior); services (gas, electricity, water) were reestablished; repairs were made to the housing, passenger terminal, control tower, pumps, and sheds. Additionally, painting and general cleaning tasks were performed. The work on the aerostation is in its final stage, and in the short term, security cameras will be installed.

The purpose of this agreement would be the military use of the airfield, for training and/or operational exercises, considering Río Mayo’s location, more than two hours away from Comodoro Rivadavia. The airport spans 600 hectares, has a 1,500-meter runway, and is located along National Route 40 at the southern access to the town.

LADE’s history in Río Mayo

Líneas Aéreas del Estado (LADE), the development airline under the Argentine Air Force, operated flights between 2018 and 2019 in Río Mayo, after an eleven-year absence in the town of 3,000 residents.

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According to ANAC Argentina, the airline carried between 5 and 10 passengers per flight, with a 50% load factor on Twin Otter DHC 6-300 aircraft. Despite the airport’s refurbishment, it is unclear whether LADE will resume commercial flights there.

 

From the second half of the past decade, LADE saw its network significantly reduced, which until then covered around 30 destinations in Patagonia. With improvements in the region’s road network, LADE has become less relevant for connecting the various remote localities in Patagonia. However, during the winter season, the airline’s services become essential due to snowstorms that make road travel impossible.

Currently, LADE maintains operations in Patagonia, connecting the region’s most remote and populated urban centers, such as Comodoro Rivadavia, Perito Moreno, El Calafate, Río Gallegos, Río Grande, and Ushuaia.