Officials from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) have arrived in Argentina to complete the final stage of an International Aviation Safety Assessment (IASA) Program audit. The country’s Category 1 status is under threat, and any potential downgrade would have significant implications for its aviation industry.
Argentina could lose Category 1 IASA status
Argentina has maintained its top-tier Category 1 status since 2005 but is now in danger of losing it following years of declining aviation safety standards. An International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) audit conducted in 2022 found that the country’s compliance with international standards was only at 60.47%, below other countries in South America.
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Of the IASA Program’s eight critical elements (CE), the country’s worst-performing areas were in ‘(CE-2) Specific Operating Regulations’ at 37.29%, and ‘(CE-3) State Civil Aviation System and Safety Oversight Functions’ at 41.67%. The FAA then conducted its own evaluation in early 2024 and found 82 areas of concern.
Another Latin American country to face a downgrade to its Category 1 status was Mexico, which suffered exactly this fate in 2021. However, the country managed to reclaim its coveted safety status two years later by implementing the necessary improvements.
Are improvements too little, too late?
Argentina inaugurated a new administration last year and claims to have been engaged in a “race against time” to improve its civil aviation infrastructure. As reported by Aviacionline, the Argentine government recently issued Decree 941/2024 to bring about sweeping changes to its civil aviation sector.
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Most notably, this includes enhancing the powers of its aviation regulator – the National Civil Aviation Administration (ANAC) – to take actions such as fines, ground stops, inspections and license revocations. It will also have the power to designate certain responsibilities, like air navigation and airport operating services, to private companies.
A statement from the Secretariat of Transport of Argentina said,
“Despite the current administration’s race against time to reverse this situation caused by years of mismanagement at the National Civil Aviation Administration, there remains the possibility of a category downgrade for the national aviation system.”
ANAC claims that it has made roughly 85% progress towards addressing issues identified in the FAA evaluation earlier this year, and will present this to FAA officials during their visit.
What will Category 1 removal mean?
Countries with Category 2 status are unable to launch new routes, increase frequencies or deploy new aircraft on services to the United States, hindering their ability to expand their networks. Additionally, they would not be allowed to enter new codeshare agreements with US carriers, and their operations would come under enhanced scrutiny by the FAA.
Photo: Claudio Santisteban | Shutterstock
The only Argentinian airline currently flying to the US is flag carrier Aerolíneas Argentinas, which operates 13 weekly flights between Buenos Aires (EZE) and Miami (MIA). The airline also holds a codeshare agreement with US carrier Delta Air Lines launched over a decade ago.
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According to Cirium data, three American carriers are operating direct flights between the two countries this October – American Airlines, Delta and United Airlines.
AA has three routes – New York JFK (JFK), Miami and Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW) to Buenos Aires. Delta has two routes – Atlanta (ATL) and New York JFK to Buenos Aires. United has just the one – Houston Intercontinental (IAH) to Buenos Aires.
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Publish date : 2024-10-24 01:19:00
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