On Thursday, Aerolíneas Argentinas confirmed it will employ its Airbus A330 fleet to operate long-haul flights from the Jorge Newbery Airfield (AEP) in Buenos Aires. In a statement, the flag carrier announced the destinations it will serve from this airfield starting August 7, 2023.

The new destinations served

Today, Aerolíneas Argentinas announced it will start flying from the Jorge Newbery Airfield to Miami (MIA), New York John F. Kennedy (JFK), El Calafate (FTE), Iguazú (IGR), and Ushuaia (USH) airports using its Airbus A330 fleet. The flights to these destinations will begin on August 7.

The airline already flies to New York and Miami with the Airbus A330-200 but does it from Buenos Aires’ main international hub, Ezeiza International Airport (EZE). Meanwhile, it already flies to Calafate, Iguazú, and Ushuaia from AEP, but it does it by operating narrowbody jets, not widebodies.

A closeup of An Aerolineas Argentinas Airbus 330 flying in the sky.
Photo: HMBSoFL Photography/Shutterstock.

In the case of the new Miami flights, Aerolíneas Argentinas will operate them on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays. They will depart at 23:30 local time. The airline will operate three weekly return flights (Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Sundays) departing at 10:05 local time.

The new service between AEP and JFK will have three flights per week on Mondays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, departing at 23:55. Return flights will be on Tuesdays, Fridays, and Sundays, departing from JFK at 15:25.

Pablo Ceriani, Chief Executive Officer at Aerolíneas Argentinas said,

“In this way, we improve our products, being more efficient with our accounts, and simultaneously, we enhance our role by bringing more tourists from the United States who can connect with all the domestic flights of our network and with minimum connection times.”

Why is it controversial?

Nonetheless, opening long-haul flights from the Jorge Newbery Airfield has been seen as controversial. Aerolíneas Argentinas is seemingly getting an unfair advantage by being able to operate long-haul services from this hub, located near Buenos Aires downtown.

Aerolineas Argentinas Airbus-330 landing at Miami International airport.
Photo: Carlos Yudica/Shutterstock.

Historically, the Jorge Newbery Airfield has only been authorized for domestic services. Only recently it was approved for some regional services across South America. For the most of its history, the runway’s length was insufficient to receive long-haul widebody jets. Nonetheless, two years ago, the runway was extended by 590 meters, growing from 2,100 to nearly 2,600 meters in length. It was also extended by 20 meters in width.

With this expansion, it is now capable of receiving the A330-200, of which Aerolíneas Argentinas operates nine. Still, it is not long enough to receive other widebody jets such as the Boeing 767, 777, and 787s. Only the Boeing 777-2000 has a Maximum Take off Weight (MTOW) of 2,530 meters, being able to depart from AEP’s runway.

As of June 2023, four airlines operate long-haul flights from the United States to Buenos Aires.

They all land at Ezeiza at the moment. These airlines are American Airlines (flying from Dallas, New York, and Miami), Aerolíneas Argentinas, Delta (Atlanta), and United Airlines (Houston).

Find the latest South American aviation news here.

American Airlines employs the Boeing 787-8 for its services from Dallas and Miami and the Boeing 777-200 from New York and Miami. Delta employs its Boeing 767-400 fleet from Atlanta and United Airlines the Boeing 777 from Houston. None of these airlines has confirmed it would be interested (or could be able to) fly to AEP instead of EZE.

In theory, all these three airlines could fly to AEP, since United and American operate Boeing 777s, and Delta has a small and declining A330-200 fleet. Nonetheless, relocating would mean additional costs for these airlines that have not shown interest in making such a move.

Would you like to fly onboard Aerolíneas Argentinas A330 to the Jorge Newbery Airfield? Do you think US carriers should begin flying to AEP? Let us know in the comments below.

  • Aerolineas Argentinas Tile
    Aerolíneas Argentinas
    IATA/ICAO Code:
    AR/ARG
    Airline Type:
    Full Service Carrier
    Hub(s):
    Ezeiza International Airport, Aeroparque Jorge Newbery
    Year Founded:
    1949
    Alliance:
    SkyTeam
    CEO:
    Pablo Ceriani
    Country:
    Argentina
    Region:
    South America