ACI-LAC and IATA successfully held Aviation Day Argentina

The event brought together over 450 participants from across the aviation industry, the tourism sector, other stakeholders in the value chain, along with national and provincial authorities, regulators, international organisations, suppliers, representatives of the diplomatic corps and the media.

In addition to Peter Cerdá, IATA Regional Vice President for the Americas and Dr. Rafael Echevarne, Director General of ACI-LAC as representatives of the host associations, the following were present: Secretary of Transportation of the Nation, Franco Mogetta; Secretary of Tourism of the Nation, Daniel Scioli; the Intervenor of ANAC, María Julia Cordero; the Governor of Misiones, Hugo Passalacqua; the President of Aerolíneas Argentina, Fabián Lombardo; the CEO of Copa Airlines, Pedro Heilbron; the CEO of Abra Group, Adrian Neuhauser; the CEO of LATAM Brazil, Jerome Cadier; the CEO of JetSMART Airlines, Estuardo Ortiz; the CEO of Flybondi, Mauricio Sana; the Regional Director of the ICAO South American Office, Fabio Rabbani; the CEO of Aeropuertos Argentina, Daniel Ketchibachian; the General Manager of Ezeiza International Airport, Martín Eurnekian; the CEO of Corporacion America Airports, Alfredo Cornejo; the Regional Director for the Americas of UN Tourism, Gustavo Santos, among many others.

The meeting was a space to analyze the challenges and opportunities of the sector at a time of “historic changes,” as described by most participants, following the opening and deregulation provided by the Argentine government in recent times.

Also to highlight the importance of public-private work so that aviation becomes a strategic partner of the economy, facilitating social connection and being a driving force for the development of tourism, trade and investment, even in a challenging economic context.

As Peter Cerdá stated during his speech, "When industry works together and when governments support the conditions for a prosperous industry, the economic benefits are felt by everyone."

Along these lines, Rafael Echevarne indicated that the opening and deregulation measures of the Argentine government will result in benefits for all passengers.

The agenda included a wide variety of relevant topics that covered the challenges and priorities of air transport in Argentina, the operational needs to grow aviation, an effective regulatory framework to boost the sector and the connectivity and competitiveness necessary for the country's development. In addition, the perspectives of the new Argentine aeronautical code and how to better serve today's passenger were discussed, as well as the importance of collaboration between governments and industry to boost tourism and the entire value chain of the sector, sustainability and distribution.

Meanwhile, Argentina's Secretary of Tourism, Daniel Scioli, said that given the geographic characteristics of the country and the region, air transport is essential and added that "we must work in this way, both the public and private sectors.

The Secretary of Transportation, Franco Mogetta, indicated that the current administration's desire is to "let the private sector do what it knows best" and, therefore, that the State "interferes less in the authorizations to operate" and facilitates the procedures as much as possible.

The discussion panels were as follows:

Improving Argentina's air connectivity for its progress
Government Vision: Air transport as a driver of Argentina's economic and social development.
Strategies to maximize domestic operations in Argentina.
Perspectives on the new regulatory framework for aviation in Argentina.
Government and Industry Roundtable: Flying over Argentina's regulatory landscape and investing in air transport infrastructure to improve its connectivity.
The role of regional air connectivity and tourism in introducing the world to Argentina's treasures.
CEO Focus What does the future hold for aviation in Argentina?
How to better serve today's passenger?

Sustainability Perspectives: Aviation's path to NetZero by 2050 for Argentina, which addressed the challenges and opportunities of the commercial aviation sector, was attended by national and provincial authorities and representatives of the sector.

In addition, an agreement on air safety was signed between IATA and the National Civil Aviation Administration, ANAC, with the aim of jointly identifying areas for improvement, including the incorporation of general best practices and those described in IATA's safety programs. These measures will support aviation's number one goal of remaining the safest and most efficient mode of transport.