El Calafate closed to commercial flights due to downgrade in Fire and Rescue Service category
The National Civil Aviation Administration (ANAC) of Argentina announced today the temporary suspension of commercial flight operations at Comandante Armando Tola International Airport (IATA code: FTE) in El Calafate. The measure, which takes immediate effect and will remain in place "until further notice," is directly related to the assignment of Category 2 status for the airport’s Aircraft Rescue and Fire Fighting (ARFF) service, known locally as SSEI.
The news was confirmed by ANAC itself through a statement on its social media channels this afternoon, stating: "We inform that Comandante Armando Tola International Airport in El Calafate will remain temporarily and until further notice closed to commercial flights. This is due to the assignment of Category 2 in the Aircraft Rescue and Fire Fighting Service."
What does Category 2 mean, and why does it result in closure?
The SSEI category (ARFF internationally) is a critical aviation safety standard. It defines the minimum level of equipment, vehicles, fire extinguishing agents (such as water and foam), and trained personnel that an airport must have available to respond to an air emergency, particularly fires.
This category is not arbitrary; it is determined based on the size (length and fuselage width) of the largest aircraft that regularly operate at the airport. A Category 2, as currently assigned to El Calafate by ANAC, corresponds to a level of protection suitable only for very small aircraft (generally less than 12 meters in length), such as general aviation aircraft or helicopters.
However, El Calafate is a destination that routinely receives larger commercial passenger aircraft, including Boeing 737s and Airbus A320s operated by Aerolíneas Argentinas, Flybondi, LADE, and JetSMART. These aircraft, according to both national and international operational safety regulations, require a significantly higher SSEI category (typically Category 6 or 7) to ensure an adequate emergency response capability.
Operating commercial flights at an airport with an active Category 2 would mean failing to comply with safety regulations, as the available firefighting resources would be insufficient to manage an emergency involving a larger aircraft.
Flights at El Calafate
According to scheduling data published in Cirium, these are the regular flights operating at El Calafate during March:
- Buenos Aires/Aeroparque: 29 weekly flights by Aerolíneas Argentinas, 1 weekly flight by Flybondi, and 5 weekly flights by JetSMART.
- Buenos Aires/Ezeiza: 16 weekly flights by Aerolíneas Argentinas and 3 weekly by Flybondi.
- Bariloche: 6 weekly flights by Aerolíneas Argentinas.
- Córdoba: 2 weekly flights by Aerolíneas Argentinas.
- Trelew: 1 weekly flight by Aerolíneas Argentinas.
- Ushuaia: 16 weekly flights by Aerolíneas Argentinas and 2 weekly by Flybondi.
This is complemented by LADE’s stopover in El Calafate twice per week as part of its route Comodoro Rivadavia–Perito Moreno–El Calafate–Río Gallegos–Ushuaia.
Comentarios
Para comentar, debés estar registrado
Por favor, iniciá sesión