Yesterday, Wednesday (18), at 7:26 p.m. local time, the inaugural flight of SKY Airline landed in El Calafate. This new service from Santiago (SCL), Chile, aims to meet demand during the southern summer of 2024/25, with flights scheduled until March 16, 2025.
SKY will offer two weekly flights to the Patagonian city, marking the first time the Chilean airline operates regular flights to this destination. This new connection will also provide links to Brazil.
“With the opening of this new route, we expect to offer more than 6,100 passengers the opportunity to access this fascinating Patagonian destination quickly and directly, with a nonstop flight lasting only three hours and very affordable fares. At SKY, we aim to foster connectivity and tourism by offering low prices and guaranteeing the highest safety standards, as the best low-cost airline in the region,” said Franco Chaparro, SKY’s Sales Manager.
The flights are operated with Airbus A320neo aircraft, with a capacity of 186 seats, providing a weekly offer of 744 seats.
- Santiago – El Calafate flight H2 649 SCL 4:05 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. FTE / Wednesdays and Sundays.
- El Calafate – Santiago flight H2 650 FTE 8:10 p.m. – 11:05 p.m. SCL / Wednesdays and Sundays.
With this new addition, El Calafate’s Comandante Armando Tola International Airport will once again have direct international flights after six years. Between 2017 and 2018, Aerovías DAP operated flights between Punta Arenas (PUQ) and El Calafate, with a stopover in Puerto Natales (PNT), to capitalize on the high tourist demand in the Patagonian region.
«This is a historic day for El Calafate. The direct connection with Santiago de Chile will allow us to continue strengthening our destination and opening the Pacific route to new points,» said Julieta Saita, El Calafate’s Secretary of Tourism. «We are confident that this new route will be a success and will contribute to the economic growth of our region,» she added.
Growth of El Calafate as a tourist destination
In 2021, the National Civil Aviation Administration (ANAC) of Argentina elevated El Calafate’s airport to «International» status through Resolution 77/2021.
El Calafate has experienced significant growth over the last two decades. In 2023, the airport reached a record of 892,438 passengers, representing a 32% increase compared to 2019. Currently, the airport handles domestic operations through four airlines:
- Aerolíneas Argentinas
- Buenos Aires (Aeroparque and Ezeiza); four daily flights, increasing to between 6 and 7 daily flights from October to April.
- Córdoba (COR); 2 weekly flights. Seasonal route, from October to April.
- Rosario (ROS); 2 weekly flights. Seasonal route, from October to April.
- San Carlos de Bariloche (BRC); 7 weekly flights. Seasonal route, from October to April.
- Trelew (REL); 3 weekly flights. Seasonal route, from October to April.
- Ushuaia (USH); 6 weekly flights, increasing to triple daily from October to April.
- Flybondi
- Buenos Aires/Ezeiza (EZE), 12 weekly flights.
- Ushuaia; 6 weekly flights.
- JetSMART
- Buenos Aires, 6 weekly flights.
- LADE
- Comodoro Rivadavia (CRD), 3 weekly flights.
- Perito Moreno (PMQ), 3 weekly flights.
- Río Gallegos (RGL), 4 weekly flights.
- Ushuaia (USH), 2 weekly flights.
With the addition of El Calafate, SKY Airline continues to strengthen its presence in the Argentine market, adding to its current routes, which include flights from Santiago and Lima to Buenos Aires with 28 and 7 weekly flights, respectively, as well as connections from Santiago to Mendoza with 9 weekly flights and to Bariloche with 3 flights per week.
