Monday, December 28, 2020

ROUTE UPDATES: Argentina "Regular" Flights Restart - #4 of 4 - European, US & Worldwide Carriers - Buenos Aires Ezeiza (EZE) Departures - Week of 07-13Dec

The text immediately below this introduction is repeated from previous posting "ROUTE UPDATES: Argentina "Regular" Flights Restart - #1 of 4 - Aerolineas Argentinas - Buenos Aires Ezeiza (EZE) Departures - Week of 07-13Dec" to give context to the information regarding resumption of service by other Latin American carriers (non-Argentine) departing Buenos Aires Ezeiza (EZE) in the second half of this posting: 

Regularly scheduled airline services came to an abrupt halt in Argentina on 20Mar20 with only "special" flights operated, mostly for the repatriation of both Argentines stranded overseas and foreigners marooned in Argentina, until 22Oct20 when "regular" flights were resumed. 

Many special cargo flights were also operated (and continue to be flown), such as at least sixteen Aerolineas Argentinas flights to Shanghai, China that brought back to Argentina massive numbers of masks, gowns and other equipment to be used in the fight against COVID-19.     

The resumption of "regular" flights in October was exclusively out of Buenos Aires Ezeiza (EZE) because the capital's two other airports were and still are closed.  

Buenos Aires Aeroparque (AEP) is not operational due to the airfield's sole runway being resurfaced and extended (work scheduled to be finished in March/April) and the reopening of Buenos Aires El Palomar (EPA) was deemed inefficient costwise, considering that Ezeiza is operating well below capacity, so EPA's two carriers, Flybondi and Jetsmart, have been directed to fly out of EZE, at least for now. 

At first, only about a dozen "regular" flights per day flew out of EZE but this increased significantly to an average of 47 daily departures during the week of 07-13Dec with a total of 332 flights being operated by all airlines from EZE during that period.  

Air Europa A330-200, EC-LNH ? (c/n 551), at Buenos Aires Ezeiza (EZE) on 30Jun15.  The airline has retired nearly all of its A330's in favor of 787-8's and 787-9's.  (Phil Perry Photo)  

Services operated during the week of 07-13Dec:

Europe:

Air Europa - Operated 2 flights to Madrid (MAD) using 787-9 - 4 flights per week fewer than normal  

Air France - Operated 4 flights to Paris - Charles de Gaulle (CDG) using 3 787-9 and 1 777-300 - 3 flights per week fewer than normal

British Airways - 5 flights to London-Heathrow (LHR), all with 787-9 - about 1 or 2 flights per week fewer than normal  

Iberia - 6 flights to Madrid (MAD), 5 with A350-900 and 1 with A330-200 - 9 flights per week fewer than normal  

KLMOperated 5 flights to Amsterdam (AMS) using 777-300 - 1 flight per week fewer than normal  

LevelOperated 2 flights to Barcelona (BCN) using A330-200 - 2 flights per week fewer than normal  

Lufthansa - Operated 3 flights to Frankfurt (FRA) using 747-8 - 4 flights per week fewer than normal  

Lufthansa Cargo - Operated 3 flights to Frankfurt (FRA), sometimes stopping in Sao Paulo Guarulhos (GRU), using MD-11F - 1 flight per week more than normal  

Martinair Holland - Operated 1 flight to Quito (UIO) - Amsterdam (AMS), using 747-400F - 1 flight per week fewer than normal  

Swiss International - Operated 2 flights to Zurich (ZRH) using 777-300 

Turkish - Operated 4 flights to Sao Paulo Guarulhos (GRU) - Istanbul (IST) using 787-9 

United States:

American - Operated 7 flights to Dallas-Ft. Worth (DFW) using 787-8 - same number of flights per week as in the past but with a smaller aircraft than the previous 777-200  

American - Operated 7 flights to Miami (MIA) using 777-200 - 7 flights per week fewer than normal  

United - Operated 3 flights to Houston Intercontinental (IAH) using 787-9 - 4 flights per week fewer than normal and with a smaller aircraft than the previous 777-200   

Worldwide:

Ethiopian - Operated 1 flight to Addis Ababa (ADD) using 787-8 - 6 flights per week fewer than normal  

Qatar Cargo - Operated 4 flights to Doha (DOH), sometimes stopping in Quito (UIO), using 777-200F - 1 flight per week more than normal  

Comments:

* The 787 series of aircraft is increasingly popular on flights to Buenos Aires Ezeiza (EZE) with nine carriers currently operating the -8 and -9 versions to the city's intercontinental airport; Aeromexico, Air Europa, Air France, American, Avianca, British Airways, Ethiopian, Turkish, and United plus possibly two more, Air Canada and Norwegian, if and when they resume service to EZE.  This compares to six airlines flying the 787 to EZE in June 2018.    

* Air New Zealand and Emirates have already announced that they will not resume flights to Argentina, either now or when the pandemic is over.

Sources:

Saturday, December 26, 2020

ROUTE UPDATES: Delta Air Lines restarted Atlanta (ATL) - Buenos Aires Ezeiza (EZE) on 19Dec20

Delta 767-432ER, N838MH (c/n 29711/821), is towed to the gate for its flight from Buenos Aires Ezeiza (EZE) to Atlanta (ATL) on 12Jan19.  (Phil Perry Photo)  

After a nine-month suspension, Delta Air Lines restarted Atlanta (ATL) - Buenos  Aires Ezeiza (EZE) - Atlanta (ATL) service on 19Dec20 using 767-400's on a 3x/weekly basis until February when it plans to increase flights to the same 1x/daily that it operated before the pandemic while also upgrading its equipment to the A330-300 due to its reportedly greater cargo capability, which is very much in demand these days. 

Delta is the only US airline blocking the center seats on its aircraft (as a COVID-19 security measure), at least until 30Mar21.

Source:

https://www.sirchandler.com.ar/2020/12/delta-detalles-del-regreso-a-la-argentina-y-chile/

Thursday, December 24, 2020

ROUTE UPDATES: Argentina "Regular" Flights Restart - #3 of 4 - Other Latin American Carriers - Buenos Aires Ezeiza (EZE) Departures - Week of 07-13Dec

The text immediately below this introduction is repeated from previous posting "ROUTE UPDATES: Argentina "Regular" Flights Restart - #1 of 4 - Aerolineas Argentinas - Buenos Aires Ezeiza (EZE) Departures - Week of 07-13Dec" to give context to the information regarding resumption of service by other Latin American carriers (non-Argentine) departing Buenos Aires Ezeiza (EZE) in the second half of this posting: 

Regularly scheduled airline services came to an abrupt halt in Argentina on 20Mar20 with only "special" flights operated, mostly for the repatriation of both Argentines stranded overseas and foreigners marooned in Argentina, until 22Oct20 when "regular" flights were resumed. 

Many special cargo flights were also operated (and continue to be flown), such as at least sixteen Aerolineas Argentinas flights to Shanghai, China that brought back to Argentina massive numbers of masks, gowns and other equipment to be used in the fight against COVID-19.     

The resumption of "regular" flights in October was exclusively out of Buenos Aires Ezeiza (EZE) because the capital's two other airports were and still are closed.  

Buenos Aires Aeroparque (AEP) is not operational due to the airfield's sole runway being resurfaced and extended (work scheduled to be finished in March/April) and the reopening of Buenos Aires El Palomar (EPA) was deemed inefficient costwise, considering that Ezeiza is operating well below capacity, so EPA's two carriers, Flybondi and Jetsmart, have been directed to fly out of EZE, at least for now. 

At first, only about a dozen "regular" flights per day flew out of EZE but this increased significantly to an average of 47 daily departures during the week of 07-13Dec with a total of 332 flights being operated by all airlines from EZE during that period.  

Avianca Colombia A330-200, N974AV (c/n 1208), at Buenos Aires Ezeiza (EZE) on 10Jan17.  The airline only has three A330-200's in service with a further three parked due to the pandemic.  (Phil Perry Photo)  

Services operated during the week of 07-13Dec:

Aeromexico - Operated 4 flights to Mexico City (MEX) using 787-9 - 3 weekly flights less than normal  

Avianca Colombia - Operated 3 flights to Bogota (BOG) using 787-8 - 3 weekly flights less than normal

Boliviana - 7 flights total (1x/daily) to Santa Cruz de la Sierra (VVI) with 4 737-300 alternating with 3 767-300 - about normal  

COPA Panama - 7 flights total (1x/daily), all with 737-800 to Panama City (PTY) - normally operate 3x/daily 

LATAM Brazil - 7 flights operated with A320 to Sao Paulo Guarulhos (GRU) - normally have about 28x/weekly

LATAM Chile - 11 flights operated with A320 to Santiago (SCL) - normally have about 33x/weekly (including flights that used to be operated by LATAM Argentina) 

LATAM Peru - 9 flights operated with A320 to Lima (LIM) - normally have about 21x/weekly (including flights that used to be operated by LATAM Argentina) 

Paranair - 3 flights flown by CRJ-200 to Asuncion (ASU) - about half of normal 

Sky Airline - 5 flights flown by A320neo to Santiago (SCL) - normally have about 14x/weekly 

Comments:

In normal times without a pandemic and also the economic consequences to the Argentine and world economies: 

* Flights between Buenos Aires and Santiago (SCL) typically totaled 65x/weekly with another 30x/weekly or so flights from other Argentine cities to SCL compared to only 21x/weekly currently being flown collectively between Aerolineas Argentinas, LATAM Chile and Sky Airline.

* Flights between Buenos Aires and Brazil typically totaled 145x/weekly to 14 airports with another 40x/weekly or so flights from other Argentine cities to Brazil compared to only 20x/weekly currently being flown collectively between Aerolineas Argentinas and LATAM Brazil.  Normally there would also be flights by Azul and Gol.  The sharp reduction in flights reflects the lack of Argentines traveling to Brazilian beach areas.  

* Flights between Buenos Aires and Lima (LIM) totaled 42x/weekly with another 14x/weekly or so flights from other Argentine cities to LIM compared to only 9x/weekly currently being flown by only LATAM Peru (Aerolineas Argentinas normally also flies the route).  

Sources:

Tuesday, December 22, 2020

Aerolineas Argentinas A330-200 departs Buenos Aires Ezeiza (EZE) to Moscow Sheremetyevo (SVO) to bring back Sputnik V Vaccine

Aerolineas Argentinas A330-200, LV-GIF (c/n 1748), took off from Buenos Aires Ezeiza (EZE) at 19:56 this evening operating flight AR1060 bound for Moscow's Sheremetyevo (SVO) Airport to pick up 300,000 doses of the Russian Sputnik V vaccine, which will be the first COVID-19 vaccine to be administered in Argentina. 

The aircraft is due back at Ezeiza at 10:12am on 24Dec20 after a 40-hour journey comprised of the outbound flight, which will take seventeen hours and the return eighteen hours, nonstop in both directions, with 4-6 hours on the ground in between while the cargo is loaded.  The vaccines will be packed in DHL's "Thermobox" packaging that will maintain the -18C / 0F temperature required to maintain the vaccine's viability.  The flight personnel consisting of three flight deck crews of ten pilots and two mechanics plus cargo loaders and flight attendants totaling twenty people, will travel the entire round-trip with the aircraft without any layover in Moscow.       

Sources:

https://www.aviacionline.com/2020/12/hoy-partira-hacia-moscu-el-vuelo-de-aerolineas-argentinas-que-traera-las-vacunas-contra-el-covid-19/

Monday, December 21, 2020

ROUTE UPDATES: Argentina "Regular" Flights Restart - #2 of 4 - Flybondi & Jetsmart Argentina - Buenos Aires Ezeiza (EZE) Departures - Week of 07-13Dec

The text immediately below this introduction is repeated from previous posting "ROUTE UPDATES: Argentina "Regular" Flights Restart - #1 of 4 - Aerolineas Argentinas - Buenos Aires Ezeiza (EZE) Departures - Week of 07-13Dec" to give context to the information regarding Flybondi, Jetsmart Argentina and American Jet in the second half of this posting: 

Regularly scheduled airline services came to an abrupt halt in Argentina on 20Mar20 with only "special" flights operated, mostly for the repatriation of both Argentines stranded overseas and foreigners marooned in Argentina, until  22Oct20 when "regular" flights were resumed. 

Many special cargo flights were also operated (and continue to be flown), such as at least sixteen Aerolineas Argentinas flights to Shanghai, China that brought back to Argentina massive numbers of masks, gowns and other equipment to be used in the fight against COVID-19.     

The resumption of "regular" flights in October was exclusively out of Buenos Aires Ezeiza (EZE) because the capital's two other airports were and still are closed.  

Buenos Aires Aeroparque (AEP) is not operational due to the airfield's sole runway being resurfaced and extended (work scheduled to be finished in March/April) and the reopening of Buenos Aires El Palomar (EPA) was deemed inefficient costwise, considering that Ezeiza is operating well below capacity, so EPA's two carriers, Flybondi and Jetsmart, have been directed to fly out of EZE, at least for now. 

At first, only about a dozen "regular" flights per day flew out of EZE but this increased significantly to an average of 47 daily departures during the week of 07-13Dec with a total of 332 flights being operated by all airlines from EZE during that period.  

Flybondi 737-800, LV-HFR (c/n 28017/133), at Buenos Aires El Palomar (EPA) on 17Dec19.  This is the only aircraft currently operating flights for Flybondi.  (Phil Perry (Photo)  

Flybondi

The nearly three-year old Argentine Low-Cost Carrier (LCC) was holding out to restart service out of the Buenos Aires El Palomar (EPA) airport that it shared with Jetsmart Argentina but agreed to fly from EZE when it became clear that EPA would not open anytime soon.

Flybondi's sole 737-800, LV-HFR (c/n 28017/133), returned to Argentina from maintenance in Mexico on 11Dec20, just in time to resume service on Saturday, 12Dec20 with a total of 6 flights to Bariloche (BRC), Puerto Iguazu (IGR), Posadas (PSS), Salta (SLA) and Tucuman (TUC) in its first two days of service, followed by the addition of flights to Corrientes (CNQ), Jujuy (JUJ), Santiago del Estero (SDE) and Neuquen (NQN) since then.

Jetsmart Argentina 

The other important Argentine LCC, Jetsmart Argentina, reportedly restarted service on 19Nov20 with flights from Buenos Aires Ezeiza (EZE) to Bariloche (BRC) and Neuquen (NQN) using its A320 fleet.  More recently, the carrier flew 16 fights to 9 destinations during the week of 07-13Dec, Bariloche (BRC), Cordoba (COR), Mendoza (MDZ), Puerto Iguazu (IGR), Neuquen (NQN), Rio Grande (RGA), Salta (SLA), Tucuman (TUC) and Ushuaia (USH).  

The carrier has also added flights directly linking points in Argentina's "interior" to each other without connecting through Buenos Aires, such as Salta (SLA) to Neuquen (NQN) and Cordoba (COR) to Bariloche (BRC).

American Jet

One other Argentine carrier has been flying out of EZE occasionally recently, such as to San Rafael (AFA) and Bariloche (BRC) on 08Dec20 with its ERJ-145's, though they might have been "special" or even charter flights.     

Sources:

Saturday, December 19, 2020

ROUTE UPDATES: Argentina "Regular" Flights Restart - #1 of 4 - Aerolineas Argentinas - Buenos Aires Ezeiza (EZE) Departures - Week of 07-13Dec

Regularly scheduled airline services came to an abrupt halt in Argentina on 20Mar20 with only "special" flights operated, mostly for the repatriation of both Argentines stranded overseas and foreigners marooned in Argentina, until 22Oct20 when "regular" flights were resumed. 

Many special cargo flights were also operated (and continue to be flown), such as at least sixteen Aerolineas Argentinas flights to Shanghai, China that brought back to Argentina massive numbers of masks, gowns and other equipment to be used in the fight against COVID-19.     

The resumption of "regular" flights in October was exclusively out of Buenos Aires Ezeiza (EZE) because the capital's two other airports were and still are closed.  

Buenos Aires Aeroparque (AEP) is not operational due to the airfield's sole runway being resurfaced and extended (work scheduled to be finished in March/April) and the reopening of Buenos Aires El Palomar (EPA) was deemed inefficient costwise, considering that Ezeiza is operating well below capacity, so EPA's two carriers, Flybondi and Jetsmart, have been directed to fly out of EZE, at least for now. 

At first, only about a dozen "regular" flights per day flew out of EZE but this increased significantly to an average of 47 daily departures during the week of 07-13Dec with a total of 332 flights being operated by all airlines from EZE during that period.  

Aerolineas Argentinas 737-700, LV-BZA (c/n 32674/1952), taxis at Buenos Aires Aeroparque (AEP) on 19Dec18 in special "Skyteam" colors.  This aircraft is one of four 737-700's currently being flown by Aerolineas with the carrier having four more parked out of service since March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.  (Phil Perry Photo)    

Aerolineas Argentinas

Aerolineas operated 192 of the flights out of EZE that week with 157 being domestic and 35 being international. 

Domestic Destinations - By Most Number of Flights - Week of 07-13Dec

With Buenos Aires Aeroparque (AEP) out of use for a few months, Argentine domestic flights are being operated out of EZE.  Being the national flag carrier, Aerolineas Argentinas is naturally flying most of these:

* Cordoba (COR) - Argentina's second-largest city received the most flights from EZE with 19 departures from the airport during the week in question with most of the flights being operated by 737-800's complemented by a few E-190's and even one 737-700 (AR is operating four out eight 737-700's in its fleet, LV-BZA, LV-CAP, LV-BYY and LV-GOO with the others parked since March 2020).

* Bariloche (BRC) - 18 flights all operated with 737-800

* Mendoza (MDZ) - 15 flights with 12 operated by 737-800 and 3 with E-190

* Tucuman (TUC) - 11 flights flown by a combination of 737-700 and E-190

* Neuquen (NQN) - 10 flights with nearly all of them flown by 737-800

* Salta (SLA) - 8 flights, also with nearly all of them flown by 737-800  

* Ushuaia (USH) - 8 flights, also with nearly all of them flown by 737-800  

* Trelew (REL) - 6 flights, all with E-190

* Jujuy (JUJ) - 5 flights, all with E-190                                                        

* Posadas (PSS) - 5 flights, all with E-190                                                    

* Resistencia (RES) - 5 flights, all with E-190         

* Corrientes (CNQ) - 4 flights, all with E-190                                                

* Comodoro Rivadavia (CRD) - 4 flights, all with 737-800                           

* Mar del Plata (MDQ) - 4 flights, all with E-190

* Puerto Iguazu (IGR) - 3 flights, all with 737-800      

* Rio Gallegos (RGL) - 3 flights, all with 737-800       

* Bahia Blanca (BHI) - 3 flights, all with E-190

Rosario (ROS) - 3 flights, all with E-190

Santiago del Estero (SDE) - 3 flights, all with E-190

San Juan (UAQ) - 3 flights, all with E-190

* El Calafate (FTE) - 2 flights operated by a 737-800 and 737-700 

* La Rioja (IRJ) / Catamarca (CTC) - 2 flights, both with E-190   

* San Luis (LUQ) - 2 flights, both with E-190

Santa Fe (SFN) - 2 flights, both with E-190    

* San Rafael (AFA) - 1 flight with E-190

* Catamarca (CTC) 1 flight with E-190

Esquel (EQS) 1 flight with E-190

Parana (PRA) 1 flight with E-190

Rio Grande (RGA) 1 flight with 737-800

Santa Rosa (RSA) 1 flight with E-190

Viedma (VDM) - 1 flight with E-190

Aerolineas Argentinas

International Destinations - Week of 07-13Dec

Latin America

* Sao Paulo Guarulhos (GRU) - 7 flights, all with 737-800

* Rio de Janeiro Galeao (GIG) - 6 flights, nearly all with 737-800

* Asuncion (ASU) - 5 flights, all with 737-800

* Santiago (SCL)5 flights, all with 737-800

* Santa Cruz de la Sierra (VVI) - 2 flights, both with 737-800

* Bogota (BOG) - 1 flight with A330-200

* Salvador de Bahia (SSA) - 1 flight, probably by 737-800 (appears to have been a "special" flight)

Intercontnental

* Miami (MIA) - 5 flights, all with A300-200

* Paris - Charles de Gaulle (CDG) -  1 flight, probably by A330-200 (appears to have been "a special" flight)

* Madrid (MAD) - 1 flight with A330-200  

Presumably more flights will be added during the course of 2021 until a full flight schedule has been resumed, although that might take a couple of years depending on the economic and pandemic situations. 

Sources:

Thursday, December 10, 2020

Aerolineas Argentinas & Austral Merger finalized on 30Nov20

Background

Aerolineas Argentinas and Austral Lineas Aereas completed their long-anticipated merger on 30Nov20.  The carriers had been effectively owned by the same parties since 1990, when Iberia Spanish Airlines bought them both from the Argentine state, from which they passed into the hands of the Grupo Marsans Spanish tourism consortium in 2001 and finally renationalized by the Argentine national government in 2008.  

Throughout these years, there was often talk of formally merging Aerolineas and Austral but differences between the labor unions of the two carriers kept this from happening, leading to the inefficiencies of effectively one airline being run by duplicate corporate and operating structures.   

Full Merger Go-Ahead

Finally, on 05May20, taking advantage of the almost total suspension of operations by the two carriers due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the government of Argentine president Alberto Fernandez started the process of formally merging the two carriers, opening the way to a complete merger of their operations. 

The legal restructuring of the two companies so that they could be merged took several months to complete with the formal complete merger of Austral into Aerolineas Argentinas being completed on 30Nov20.

With the merger, the Austral brand has disappeared with all company operations and marketing taking place under the Aerolineas Argentinas name.  

Financial Benefits of Merger
  
The main benefit of the merger is expected to be improved efficiencies leading to an initial savings of US$ 100 million per year in the following areas:    

* Pilot and cabin crew union mergers allowing for one operation and presumably crews being qualified to operate the entire fleet of the newly-merged carrier, whereas previously only Aerolineas crews could fly the Airbus / Boeing aircraft and the Austral crews the Embraers.

Merger of the maintenance operations that were previously run separately.

* Reduced maintenance time of aircraft due to increased efficiencies, allowing planes to fly more hours generating increased revenues and the opening up of hangar slots for more third-party maintenance and the additional income resulting from that. 

* Elimination of many duplicate head office and field management functions.
 
* Merger of administrative and financial processes. 

Sources:

Sunday, December 6, 2020

Norwegian Air Argentina - Developments from May 2018 to purchase by Jetsmart Argentina in late 2019

08Dec20 Update

The Sir Chandler blog noted that all three remaining ex-Norwegian Air Argentina 737-800's, LV-HQH, LV-IQZ, an LV-ITK, were parked remotely at Buenos Aires Ezeiza (EZE) on 08Dec20, apparently in disuse by Jetsmart Argentina and presumably to return to the parent Norwegian Air in Europe at some point.
Photo:



This blog posting covers developments at Norwegian Air Argentina between May 2018 and its acquisition by Jetsmart Argentina in December 2019.  For information on NAA prior to May 2018, please see the postings in this blog for the carrier prior to that date.  

By early September 2018, Norwegian Air Argentina was ready to start service.

Start-Up Routes:

NAA announced its first six routes and started selling tickets for them on 04Sep18.  The carrier had indicated at one point that it would fly out of all three Buenos Aires airports - Aeroparque (AEP), El Palomar (EPA) and Ezeiza (EZE) - but in the end it started flying only out of Aeroparque (AEP) and it never added service from another of the capital's airfields.  Cordoba (COR) and Mendoza (MDZ) were slated for the inaugural flights on 16Oct18. 

* Buenos Aires Aeroparque (AEP) – Cordoba (COR)  eff 16Oct18  2x/daily  (5x/daily from 12Dec18) 

* Buenos Aires Aeroparque (AEP) – Mendoza (MDZ)  eff 16Oct18  1x/daily  (3x/daily from 19Nov18) 

* Buenos Aires Aeroparque (AEP) – Puerto Iguazu (IGR)  eff 19Nov18   1x/daily  (2x/daily from 07Jan19)  

* Buenos Aires Aeroparque (AEP) – Neuquen (NQN)  eff 19Nov18  1x/daily 

* Buenos Aires Aeroparque (AEP) – Bariloche (BRC)  eff 12Dec18  1x/daily 

* Buenos Aires Aeroparque (AEP) – Salta (SLA)  eff 07Jan19  1x/daily

All of the routes started on the dates and with the frequencies as announced above.

By early 2019, the carrier was operating 14 daily departures out of Buenos Aires Aeroparque (AEP) to Cordoba (5), Mendoza (4), Puerto Iguazu (2) and one each to Neuquen (NQN), Bariloche (BRC) and Salta (SLA).       

Start-Up Fleet:

Norwegian Air Argentina 737-800, LV-HQH (c/n 42278/6347), "Astor Piazzolla" taxis at Buenos Aires Aeroparque (AEP) on 19Dec18.  (Phil Perry Photo) 

NAA started operations with only one aircraft; 737-800, LV-HQH  (c/n 42278/6347), which was delivered to the airline on 15Jan18, being transferred from Norwegian Air International.  This aircraft sported the image of famous Argentine tango composer Astor Piazzolla on its tail.  LV-HQH returned to Europe for the northern hemisphere summer to help bolster capacity at Norwegian during the peak season there but it returned to Argentina on 06Oct18, only ten days before NAA's inaugural flights from Buenos Aires Aeroparque (AEP) to Cordoba (COR) and Mendoza (MDZ).   

With four more cities added to the route network in the first three months of service, NAA needed more lift, which it got from the addition of three more 737-800's to the fleet, all transferred from Norwegian Air International, as detailed below.  All four of the aircraft were equipped with 189 economy class seats with no premium class cabins.  

Norwegian Air Argentina 737-800, LV-IQZ (c/n 42086/6365), "Santiago Ramon y Cajal" taxis at Buenos Aires Aeroparque (AEP) on 19Dec18.  (Phil Perry Photo)  

737-800, LV-IQZ (c/n 42086/6365), was delivered to NAA on 09Nov18 carrying the image of Spanish neuroscientist Santiago Ramón y Cajal on the tail.  Though it was expected that a famous Argentine would replace Ramon y Cajal, the Spaniard remained on the tail of LV-IQZ for its entire time with NAA.

Norwegian Air Argentina 737-800, LV-ISQ (c/n 42280/6402), taxis at Buenos Aires Aeroparque (AEP) on 11Jan19.  (Phil Perry Photo)  

737-800, LV-ISQ (c/n 42280/6402), was delivered to NAA on 02Dec18 with an all-white tail.  The aircraft previously carried the image of English footballer Bobby Moore but given the intense international football / soccer rivalry, it was decided that it would be better to not have this image flying on an Argentine airline, especially given the experience between the two countries in the 1982 South Atlantic War and 1986 World Cup.   

Norwegian Air Argentina 737-800, LV-ITK (c/n 42087/6389), "Benito Pérez Galdóz" taxis at Buenos Aires Aeroparque (AEP) on 11Jan19.  (Phil Perry Photo)  

737-800, LV-ITK (c/n 42087/6389), was delivered to NAA on 03Jan19 with the image of Spanish author Benito Pérez Galdóz on the tail. This Spaniard also remained on the tail for LV-ITK's entire time with NAA.

It was not known at the time but the four aircraft above would be the only ones to operate with Norwegian Air Argentina, far short of the 10-15 planes that were expected to be in service with the carrier by the end of 2019 and up to 70 total airframes by 2024-27.      

It was originally thought that all of the aircraft would have famous Argentines painted on their tails (with the condition that no living figures or political / controversial personalities would be considered).  The most likely individuals to feature on NAA tails were thought to be Rene Favoloro, the pioneering cardiologist of international renown and Juan Manuel Fangio, multiple Formula 1 champion race car driver.    

Ticket Pricing:

The carrier's domestic flights had three fare classes, as follows:

LowFare including: 

* One carry-on with 10kg / 22 lb. max weight

* USD 70 change fee plus any difference in fare 

* Non-refundable

LowFare+ including: 

* One carry-on with 10kg / 22 lb. max weight

* One piece of checked baggage with 20kg / 44 lb. max weight 

* Reserved seat  

* USD 70 change fee plus any difference in fare 

* Non-refundable

Flex including: 

* One carry-on with 15kg / 33 lb. max weight

* Two pieces of checked baggage with 20kg / 44 lb. max weight each

* Reserved seat  

* Priority Boarding 

* No change fee

* Refundable

High-demand seat selection (first row, emergency exit, etc.), extra baggage and food service were available for additional fees.  

An example of a typical LowFare on the inaugural flight from Buenos Aires Aeroparque (AEP) to Cordoba (COR) round-trip was ARS 998 / USD 40.  Average fares were said to be about USD 100-150 round-trip. 

Fleet Reduction

NAA's fleet took a reduction on 27Apr19 when LV-ISQ returned to Norwegian Air International, resuming its Irish registration of EI-FVT, to add more lift to the parent carrier's fleet for the European summer, especially in light of the grounding of NIA's 18 737 MAX 8 aircraft.  

The reduction of its fleet by 25% from four to three aircraft forced NAA to reduce its flight schedule.  The number of daily flights out of Buenos Aires Aeroparque (AEP) to Cordoba (COR) went from five to three, to Mendoza (MDZ) from four to three, but with Puerto Iguazu (IGR), Salta (SLA) and Neuquen (NQN) all maintaining  their one daily round-trip.  Bariloche (BRC) is a year-round outdoor recreational area, featuring a ski resort in winter, so the number of flights going there actually increased for the June to September period.

LV-ISQ was expected to return to NAA in September 2019 along with the addition of another 737-800 to help build the carrier's fleet but the Argentine economy was worsening and NAA never grew to have more than a three-aircraft fleet again.    

Beginning of the End

In May 2019, the financial director of Norwegian Air, Geir Kalsen, speaking at a press conference in Oslo, Norway, was asked about rumors that the airline was not doing well financially to which he replied that the outlook for June and July was not favorable and if NAA did not show signs of a turnaround by August, it would be shut down.  

Another alarming sign was that reservations could not be made on the NAA website for flights beyond September. 

The delicate situation prompted Norwegian's director general Bjorn Kos to state that Norwegian was committed to Norwegian Air Argentina.  This was followed by a press release indicating that NAA would double the destinations that it flew to by September, with one of the new ones to be Ushuaia (USH).  Tickets for the new destinations were to go on sale shortly.  These new flights would be made possible by the return of LV-ISQ to Argentina and the addition of several more aircraft by the end of the year.  Furthermore, given the projections at the time, the carrier expected to be profitable by August. 

NAA proceeded to announce in June that it would add flights from Buenos Aires Aeroparque (AEP) to five new destinations in September - Comodoro Rivadavia (CRD), Trelew (REL), Puerto Madryn (PMY), Jujuy (JUJ) and Ushuaia (USH) - but only JUJ and USH were actually started, on 20Sep19 and 21Sep19, respectively.  The airline did not add aircraft to its fleet and continued to operate with only three 737-800's. 

Deteriorating Economic / Political / Financial Circumstances

Norwegian Air Argentina's overall operating environment declined during the course of 2019 due to the following factors:  

Devaluation & Recession

As 2019 wore on, the Argentine economy went into recession and the Argentine peso was devalued against the US Dollar for the second time in as many years, going from 20:1 pesos to the USD in early 2018 to approx. 60:1 by late 2019, making the carrier's USD-denominated expenses, such as fuel and aircraft leases, three times more expensive while the peso salaries of its predominantly Argentine customers went up far less quickly than that, making it impossible for NAA (and other Argentine carriers) to increase fares enough to cover rising costs.

Presidential Elections

Argentina had presidential elections in October 2019 with the incumbent, Mauricio Macri, whose administration had pursued the policy of "The Revolution of the Airplanes" opening Argentine skies to Low-Cost Carriers, losing to Alberto Fernandez who represented the political party that was in power between 2003 and 2015, which previously opposed a liberalized Argentine air transportation market and presumably would do so again.  This did not bode well for the future of Norwegian Air Argentina and the other Argentine LCC's . 

Norwegian Air Debt

Finally, NAA's parent carrier had assumed much debt in recent years with the company looking to improve its finances.      

Sale to Jetsmart Argentina

A sign that Norwegian Air Argentina's future was in serious doubt came in late November 2019 when it became apparent that the carrier was not selling tickets beyond 28Mar20 while Norwegian Air International's flights between Buenos Aires Ezeiza (EZE) and London-Gatwick (LGW) were available for sale through October 2020.   

On 04Dec19, Jetsmart Argentina (JA) announced that it had agreed to buy Norwegian Air Argentina thus becoming part of the American-owned Indigo Partners airline group consisting of JA, Jetsmart Chile, Frontier Airlines of the US, Volaris of Mexico, and Wizz Air of Hungary.      

Jetsmart Argentina's plans for Norwegian Air Argentina included the following:

* JA to absorb NAA's employees

* Jetsmart Argentina to continue operating NAA's flights out of Buenos Aires Aeroparque (AEP).  Note that JA operates out of El Palomar (EPA), Buenos Aires' Low-Cost Carrier (LCC) airport

* NAA's three 737-800's would leave the combined JA / NAA fleet being replaced with additional A320's

* JA / NAA routes overlapped with the only destination out of AEP operated by NAA that was not also flown by JA being Jujuy (JUJ) so covering the lightly expanded route network with at least a few flights to each city would not be overly challenging

* JA already had plans to add a fourth A320 to its fleet with a fifth to come in early 2020, allowing for increased coverage of the combined route network

* Flights to/from Buenos Aires Aeroparque (AEP) through 28Mar20 would be booked on the NAA website with all flights, whether to/from El Palomar (EPA) or Aeroparque (AEP), after that date being booked on the Jetsmart Argentina website.     

Soon thereafter, on 14Dec19, at least two Norwegian Air Argentina 737-800's were noted at Buenos Aires Aeroparque (AEP), LV-ITK and LV-IQZ, without Norwegian titles or logos although still retaining the images of Spaniards Benito Pérez Galdóz and Santiago Ramón y Cajal, respectively, on their tails.  

Problems with Acquisition

Jetsmart Argentina apparently assumed that purchasing NAA would allow it to access the latter's highly-prized slots at Buenos Aires Aeroparque (AEP) but the ANAC Argentine aviation authority did not necessarily agree.  This was apparently thrown into further doubt because of the potential political repercussions of the ex-NAA employees reluctance to accept the labor agreements of Jetsmart Argentina's labor unions, which were less generous than they had worked under at NAA.  This disagreement was reportedly resolved in March 2020 but the issue of continuing to operate from Buenos Aires Aeroparque (AEP) appeared to still be unresolved when all regularly scheduled flying stopped in Argentina on 20Mar20 due to COVID-19.

Norwegian Air Argentina's exit from the Argentine air transportation market after only operating a maximum of four aircraft came as a big surprise in Argentina given Norwegian's initial ambitious plans for the country and its position as one of Europe's largest LCC's.             

Many assumed that it would brush aside smaller competitors, such as Flybondi and Jetsmart Argentina but that never came to pass.    

Sources:

https://www.sirchandler.com.ar/2019/12/la-oficializacion-del-acuerdo-entre-jetsmart-y-norwegian-argentina/