Photo: Flybondi.
Let’s take a look at Argentina’s recovery so far in 2022 by using the latest data released by the country’s National Civil Aviation Agency (ANAC). Domestically, Argentina has bounced quite nicely from the COVID-19 pandemic, but internationally the country is still heavily impacted by the crisis.
Domestic recovery in Argentina
This year has provided new strong tailwinds for the Argentinian airline industry. Unlike 2020 and 2021, 2022 is looking to be a pivotal year for the recovery of the local carriers.
Using data provided by Argentina’s ANAC, we see that Argentina has received 3.9 million passengers in 2022, a 147.8% growth compared to 2021. Moreover, this number is only 13.8% below pre-pandemic traffic levels.
Argentina’s domestic market is bouncing back, and in April, the country averaged over 37,000 domestic passengers per day.
A few airports across Argentina have fully bounced back domestically. For instance, Bariloche, Argentina’s second most important domestic destination (after Buenos Aires’ Jorge Newbery Airfield), has already grown by 20% compared to 2019 levels.
Ezeiza (Buenos Aires’ main international hub) has also grown domestically (19%), as well as Ushuaia, Catamarca, San Juan, Chapelco, and Esquel; most of these are regional airports.
Nonetheless, the Jorge Newbery Airfield still remains well below pre-pandemic traffic levels. It has had 3.0 million passengers so far, still 20% below 2019 levels. It is critical that Argentina fully recovers the domestic traveler levels at Jorge Newbery Airfield since it represents 39.7% of the domestic market share.
Aerolíneas Argentinas has a 73% control of the domestic market share. JetSMART and Flybondi, two ultra-low-cost carriers, have 13% each. The remaining percentage is divided among American Jet and L.A.D.E.
International recovery in Argentina
Despite the solid domestic numbers, Argentina’s international recovery has not been good so far in 2022.
This year, Argentina has had 1.89 million international travelers, a 601.7% growth compared to 2021 (last year, the country had 1.98 million international travelers overall). Still, Argentina’s international levels remain 50.9% below 2019.
The country averaged approximately 18,500 international passengers per day in April, onboard the 124 flights on average.
Buenos Aires Ezeiza International Airport remained the main port of entry into Argentina. This airport has nearly 60% of the international market share in the country, followed by Jorge Newbery Airfield (33.1%), Córdoba (3.6%), and Mendoza (2.9).
Aerolíneas Argentinas is the main operator in the country, holding nearly 30% of the international market share. LATAM is in the second spot with 12.02% of the share; American Airlines possesses 7% of the international share. Copa Airlines and Iberia complete the top five with 6.45% and 4.75%.
