Ministro Pistarini International Airport is named after the public works minister who proposed the construction of the airport. After receiving approval from the government to build the airport, 9 years were spent searching for the right location since the airport would have been the largest in the world at the time. It was eventually decided to build the airport in its current location due to lower construction costs than in other locations. They chose to overlook the fact that the area was prone to extreme flooding and dense fog, now a regular cause for delays at the airport. The airport was finally inaugurated in 1949 with 3 runways crossing at 60-degree angles, one of which was closed in 1997 and is now used for long-term aircraft parking.
Today, Ministro Pistarini International Airport (IATA: EZE, ICAO: SAEZ), known as Ezeiza International Airport, is Argentina’s largest international airport, located 22 kilometers southwest of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires. It is a hub for Aerolíneas Argentinas and LATAM Argentina. It is one of three airports serving Buenos Aires metropolitan area, along with Aeroparque Jorge Newbery (IATA: AEP, ICAO: SABE) and El Palomar Airport (IATA: EPA, ICAO: SADP). The airport is is the country’s primary hub for long-haul international flights with flights to every continent, although some domestic flights also operate out of Ezeiza.
The Baires Terminal Maneuvering Area controls a large, mostly circular area with a radius of 55nm centered at the EZE VOR and a large portion of the Río de la Plata (River Plate / La Plata River) which creates the border between Argentina and Uruguay. The TMA controls flights in and out of Buenos Aires as well as other smaller airports in nearby towns.
The procedures in and out of Ezeiza have remained almost identical for the last 30 years, meaning they are a little ‘old-fashioned’. Most SIDs follow a 10nm arc around EZE VOR, allowing aircraft to gain some altitude before heading to their departure fixes. The only exception to this rule is the PTA6B departure for aircraft departing from Runway 11 to the East. All the STARs guide aircraft either to the EZE VOR or the Initial Approach Fix of the corresponding runway, to then be vectored onto the ILS by ATC. Procedures contain no climb or descent instructions or altitude restrictions. ATC is therefore entirely responsible for descending and climbing aircraft in and out of the airport. Special attention must be paid to arrivals from the Northeast who follow routes which take them through restricted airspace overhead Buenos Aires.
Baires Center
The Baires TMA is home to many restricted areas. SAR02 and SAR09, which sit on top of a significant portion of the Buenos Aires metropolitan area between the surface and 2,500 feet. SAR01 covers all of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires goes from the ground up to 9,500ft. There are also two small restricted areas, SAR03 and SAR10, which cover the helipad at the executive mansion and President’s office in Downtown Buenos Aires as well as the President’s official residence in the suburb of Olivos.
There are also several small prohibited areas all around the Terminal Maneuvering Area, most of which surround large power plants.
Aeroparque Jorge Newbery Airport
13,363,000 passengers in 2018
16nm Northeast of SAEZ
Aeroparque Jorge Newbery, located just 2km Northeast of Downtown Buenos Aires on the bank of the Río de la Plata, is a small international airport serving the Buenos Aires metropolitan airport. Despite being significantly smaller, the airport has always handled much more traffic than than Ministro Pistarini International Airport, partly due its proximity to the city and ease of access. Due to increasing demand and lack of space, the government moved all international flights to Ministro Pistarini International Airport in March 2019, with the exception of flights to Uruguay. The airport now serves as the main hub for domestic flights in Argentina.
El Palomar Airport
658,505 passengers in 2018
13nm North of SAEZ
El Palomar Airport was a military airfield located 18km West of Buenos Aires. The airport was temporarily used for commercial flights in 2010 while Aeroparque Jorge Newbery underwent runway maintenance and was converted for permanent commercial use in 2018, although military operations still take place daily. It serves as a hub for low-cost airlines FlyBondi, JetSmart, SKY Airline and Norwegian Air Shuttle, making it the first and only low-cost airport in Latin America.