The La Libertad Avanza bloc of the Chamber of Deputies has obtained a favorable committee report to advance with its project for the privatization of Aerolíneas Argentinas. This means that the project can now be debated in the chamber, although the ruling party still needs to negotiate with other blocs to secure a majority during the debate.
The decision to advance the privatization of Aerolíneas Argentinas was made in a plenary session of the Transportation and Budget and Finance committees, chaired by Pamela Verasay and José Luis Espert, respectively. A report was signed, supported by several parties, based on the projects of Hernán Lombardi from the PRO and Juan Manuel López from the Civic Coalition. Another report, promoted by Encuentro Federal and dissident radicals, proposes the incorporation of private capital but on the condition that the state maintains the majority. On the other hand, Unión por la Patria opposes privatization entirely.
During the debate in the Chamber of Deputies, former Transport Minister Diego Giuliano stated that the issue cannot be addressed in this parliamentary period as it was previously discarded by the Senate. From the PRO, Silvana Guidici countered this argument by saying it was not debated by Congress.
The head of Aerolíneas Argentinas, Gabriel del Pla, highlighted the investment made in the airline in recent years and its positioning at the global level. Meanwhile, Matías Bagnetto expressed his concern about the ideological debate instead of relying on solid arguments and concrete data.
The debate on privatization is occurring amidst conflicts with aviation sector unions, which have led to wild strikes and affected flights. Despite the previous failure of the privatization proposal in the Senate, the ruling party is confident that the current situation is more favorable, as they believe the strikes have generated backlash from users who were affected.
