Spanish
Buenos Aires.- The state-owned Aerolíneas Argentinas, the main airline of the South American country, will invest 65 million dollars to incorporate 18 new aircraft to its fleet, the company reported this Thursday.
The investment plan, which will be financed with the company's own funds, foresees the incorporation of 18 Boeing and Airbus aircraft under the 'leasing' (rental with option to buy) operational figure.
"The objective is to modernize the fleet, improve the travel experience of its passengers, and consolidate its profitability and market positioning strategy in the domestic and international markets," the company indicated in a statement.
The plan foresees the incorporation of four Airbus A330 Neo aircraft and fourteen Boeing 737 MAX -of which two will be the MAX8 model, four MAX9 and eight MAX10-.
"These new additions will be accompanied by an update of the cabin interiors of the A330ceo aircraft that the company is already operating, so the complete plan will culminate in a more modern and efficient fleet, with more comfort for passengers and an improvement in the company's profitability," the statement indicates.
In a second stage, the installation of wifi connectivity throughout the fleet is contemplated. The start of this service is scheduled for 2027.
"With this milestone, Aerolíneas Argentinas confirms that it has become a company with investment and projection capacity with its own resources. We are going to grow in total seat offer and we are going to consolidate a modern, efficient and highly profitable fleet," said Fabián Lombardo, president and CEO of Aerolíneas Argentinas.
The company currently has a fleet of 83 aircraft, consisting of ten Airbus A330-200 CEOs, fifteen Boeing 737 MAX 8s, 28 Boeing 737-800s, four Boeing 737-700s, 24 Embraer E190s, and two Boeing 737-800 freighters.
This figure contemplates the entry of a MAX8 in the coming days.
The company, a member of the SkyTeam Alliance, operates flights to 37 destinations in Argentina and, internationally, connects 22 destinations in Latin America, the Caribbean, the United States, and Europe.
Javier Milei's government maintains its intention to privatize Aerolíneas Argentinas, where 10,043 people currently work.
Created in 1950, Aerolíneas Argentinas was privatized in 1990 and sold to the Spanish Iberia, which, eight years later, ceded management to the American airline American Airlines.
The company's operation passed in 2000 to the Sociedad Estatal de Participaciones Industriales (SEPI) of Spain, which in October 2001 transferred Aerolíneas to the Spanish private group Marsans.
In 2009, the Argentine State expropriated Marsans' flag airline, which had been managed by the Argentine Government since mid-2008 after entering a severe financial crisis.
