Aeropuertos Argentina Targets 2030 Opening for Ezeiza Arrivals Terminal, CEO Says
Why It MattersA larger Ezeiza terminal, lower regional fees and airlines already weighing new routes point to Buenos Aires building capacity for more international frequencies, while the rehabilitation closures temporarily constrain access.
Aeropuertos Argentina expects to open the new international arrivals terminal at Ezeiza in 2030, a year before the 2031 deadline set by its concession extension agreement, CEO Daniel Ketchibachian said in an interview in Mexico City, where the ALTA Airline Leaders Forum is being held. The project is still at the design stage, with only a preliminary design and no executive project, and its financing remains under negotiation. Ketchibachian said financing could close this week; otherwise the company has until mid-2027 under the agreement with the government.
The agreement extended the concession of 35 airports until 2049, with an option to extend it for a further seven years. The company, part of the Corporación América Airports group, committed to investing US$600 million of its own funds before December 31, 2031, within a US$1.5 billion plan for 2027-2031 that will also be financed through the Trust Fund for the Strengthening of the National Airports System (FFSNA). Ezeiza accounts for about US$794 million, Aeroparque Jorge Newbery around US$200 million, and more than US$500 million goes to airports in the interior. The centerpiece at Ezeiza is a 35,000 m² arrivals terminal that will complement the Departures Terminal opened in 2023, with a baggage hall of 14 belts and new Immigration and Customs areas with biometric controls. Terminal A will be converted into a 10,000 m² domestic facility.
The domestic airport use fee will be set at US$9 per passenger, charged in pesos at the exchange rate of the day, and the fee for international flights of up to 1,000 kilometers will fall from US$57 to US$25.16. Several airlines are already evaluating routes under the new regional fee. At Aeroparque, an expansion already under construction is expected to open in about two months, including restaurants and a new VIP lounge; later stages include an additional boarding area next to gates 1 to 5 and a redone check-in area.
Ezeiza will operate with restrictions between October 25 and November 11 for a US$110 million rehabilitation of the secondary runway and its intersection with the main runway. American Airlines, Lufthansa, SWISS, Air France and KLM, among others, will temporarily suspend services. El Al will start twice-weekly Boeing 787-9 flights between Tel Aviv and Buenos Aires on November 30, with the inaugural flight from Israel on November 29. Ketchibachian said the company is in talks with TAP Air Portugal, Qatar Airways and Azul, but that none of those conversations has produced concrete announcements; his main bet is on more frequencies from airlines already operating to Argentina. His dream route is Buenos Aires-Orlando.
