The company Humming Airways will begin operating flights connecting Tandil with the City of Buenos Aires (CABA) starting in February, as confirmed by the Secretary of Sports, Tourism, and Environment, Daniel Scioli, during a press conference. The route will include a stopover in Olavarría and marks the return of the mountainous city to commercial air transport after several failed attempts in previous years. The information was ratified by Francisco Simón Errecart, CEO of the company, in an interview with the newspaper El Eco de Tandil: “That’s right, we are very happy.”
The presale of tickets, announced on social media and confirmed by the company, offers tiered prices based on the number of tickets purchased. Those buying more than 150 tickets will pay 150 dollars per leg, while those acquiring between 100 and 150 tickets will pay 175 dollars. For packages between 40 and 100 tickets, the leg will cost 200 dollars.
This already reflects the profile of the passenger being targeted, which aligns with Tandil being located in one of the wealthiest regions of the country.
For comparison, a bus ticket (taking between five and six hours to cover 400 kilometers) costs from 40,000 per leg (about 37 dollars). A search on one of the main ticket-selling platforms shows eleven daily services between Tandil and Retiro Terminal in Buenos Aires.
To access the presale, passengers must complete a form that inquires about routes of interest (mentioning Olavarría and Tandil, and Venado Tuerto and Villa María).
A route with expectations and challenges
The reactivation of flights between Tandil and the national capital was initially announced in October by the Minister of Deregulation and State Transformation, Federico Sturzenegger, who highlighted the creation of a triangular route between Olavarría, Tandil, and Aeroparque. However, the CEO of Humming Airways indicated that the announcement was premature and pointed to February as the definitive start date for operations, as ratified by Scioli during his recent visit.
The airline would operate with Fairchild Swearingen Metroliner aircraft with a capacity for 19 passengers leased from another company. A post on their social media shows the aircraft registration LV-ZXA, listed under Servicios Aéreos Patagónicos S. A. (part of the Vía Bariloche group).
The «Héroes de Malvinas» Airport, which will serve as the base for the flights, shares its runway with the VI Air Brigade, currently undergoing renovations due to the arrival of the F-16 aircraft acquired by the national government from Denmark. The works include the complete repair of the 2,550-meter runway, although sources consulted by El Eco de Tandil assure that temporary alternatives such as grass runways at the Aeroclub or the Glider Club are being considered.
The last time Tandil had commercial flights was between 2017 and 2018, when the company Broker Air began offering two weekly operations connecting the city with Buenos Aires using Piper PA-31 Chieftain aircraft with 8 seats. However, as is often the case with such services in Argentina, the offer was not consistent enough for demand to respond.
The “Héroes de Malvinas” Airport in Tandil has a runway measuring 2,550 meters in length and 48 meters in width.
