Argentina Extends Travel Ban till September
Argentina announced this week one of the strictest travel bans in the world. The country closed its borders to non-residents in March, and imposed tough quarantine measures. But the new travel ban goes even further, sparking an outcry from citizens and the travel industry.
The National Civil Aviation Administration issued a decree banning the sale and purchase of commercial flights to, from or within Argentina until September 1, 2020. Only cargo flights and those involved in the repatriation of citizens will be allowed to continue to operate.
Argentina currently has 4,000 confirmed coronavirus infections, with 192 deaths.
Some other countries in South America such as Ecuador, Peru and Colombia, have temporarily suspended commercial flights, but Argentina’s ban goes much farther. Meanwhile, neighbors Brazil, and United States and Canada have imposed restrictions, but not outright bans or commercial flights.
LATAM Airlines Group is probably the airline that will feel most of the pain from the ban. They have a significant presence in Argentina. Aerolineas Argentinas is the largest carrier, but they are state owned. Other smaller ultra low-cost carriers will be impacted as well.
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) said in a letter to the Argentine government that the ban puts more than 300,000 jobs in the country at risk. ALTA, which lobbies on behalf of Latin American airlines, also warned that the decree represented “imminent and substantial risk” to jobs in the country.
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