Argentines Leery of Looming Travel Crisis

Impresarios and entrepreneurs assembled at the Travel Agency & Tourism Association of Argentina (AAAVYT is the Spanish acronym) are getting increasingly wary of the future of short-haul flights, lack of guaranties for passengers and the potential ripple effects this situation could bring onto the local leisure industry.

Delegates noted preoccupations are now gnawing at people other than civil aviation workers who are concerned with the ongoing SW crisis and LAN’s arrival in Argentina, local newspaper La Nacion published this week.

“There are no serious civil aviation policies in our country. We keep on putting out fires without coming up with in-depth solutions. SW is not the first company to present its own preventive plan. The LAPA antecedent is still fresh in our memory. Will authorities wait for one more case to revamp its strategies?” AAAVYT Chairman Tomas Ryan wondered.

As the Holy Week celebrations were approaching, Mr. Ryan demanded concrete actions by the State in the face of a threat that was looming over air operations during that date.

Mr. Ryan remembered “Holy Week travelers bring home the bacon not only for the tourist sector (hotel workers, travel agents and restaurant employees), but also for cabdrivers and kiosk people.”

AAAVYT are also urging State officials to reveal who makes up the 51 percent of national private stockholders that, according to the Transportation Department, belong to LAN Argentina.

“We give away Argentinean skies, but we don’t know to whom,” Mr. Ryan concluded.