A nationwide strike action will shut down much of Argentina’s air travel capabilities Sept. 25, as aviation-sector employees are expected to join the country’s public transportation and port workers in a full-day protest called by Argentina’s major labor unions.
As of 6 p.m. EST Sept. 24, at least 440 flights have been preemptively canceled, with Aerolineas Argentinas and its domestic subsidiary Austral Lineas Aereas bearing the brunt of the work stoppage, according to flight tracking site FlightAware.
The general strike is in response to Argentinian president Mauricio Macri’s Aug. 29 announcement that the country had entered into a $50 billion loan agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), a relief package intended to help the country’s recessionary problems, but is expected to come with the price of severe austerity measures.
An assessment of the Argentine peso versus the US dollar reveals that the currency has depreciated by 53.4% of its value a year ago, and by 46% of its value six months ago. The crisis intensified in September; compared to a month ago, Aug. 24, the currency’s value has slipped another 18.7%.
The strike is only expected to last one day, but will significantly curtail operations at Buenos Aires’ domestic-regional hub Aeroparque Jorge Newbery (AEP), with 76% of its outgoing flights and 80% of its incoming flights cancelled…
