San Luis and Formosa airports face fire safety service failures

Airports in the Argentine provinces of San Luis and Formosa are experiencing critical failures in their Firefighting and Rescue Services (SSEI), leading to significant operational disruptions. In San Luis, the ‘Brigadier Mayor César Raúl Ojeda’ airport has been forced to suspend all flights, including scheduled services from Buenos Aires, due to technical failures in its two fire trucks.

To mitigate the impact, the provincial government offered the Valle del Conlara airport as an alternative landing site for Aerolíneas Argentinas, though the airline has yet to respond to the proposal. The Valle del Conlara airport remains fully operational with the necessary safety certifications.

The labor union ATE has denounced the degradation of these services, alleging that the National Civil Aviation Administration (ANAC) has failed to address demands for increased investment in supplies, maintenance, and personnel wages. ATE claims that while ANAC generates approximately 220 billion pesos annually in fees, less than 10% is reinvested into the SSEI, exacerbating a structural crisis in civil aviation safety.