LATAM Airlines Argentina
Former Argentine airline subsidiary of LATAM Airlines Group that operated domestic and international scheduled services until 2020.
Last updated August 24, 2026
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Overview
LATAM Airlines Argentina was the Argentine subsidiary of LATAM Airlines Group and one of the country’s principal scheduled carriers before its closure in 2020. The business operated under the legal name Aero 2000 S.A. and was initially known commercially as LAN Argentina, following its acquisition and development within the LAN Airlines system. It was headquartered in Buenos Aires and based its operations at Jorge Newbery Airport for domestic and regional services, with Ministro Pistarini International Airport serving its longer-haul international network. The airline connected Buenos Aires with a broad group of Argentine destinations, including Bariloche, Córdoba, Comodoro Rivadavia, El Calafate, Mendoza, Puerto Iguazú, Neuquén, Río Gallegos, Salta, San Juan, Tucumán and Ushuaia. Its international schedule included Lima, Miami, Punta del Este, Santiago and São Paulo. This network made it an important competitor to Aerolíneas Argentinas, particularly in the domestic market. In 2019, it accounted for approximately 16% of flights in Argentina and was described as the country’s second-largest airline at the time of its dissolution. LAN Argentina joined the Oneworld alliance as an affiliate member on April 1, 2007. It left the alliance on May 1, 2020, shortly before its parent group’s wider restructuring and the termination of the Argentine operation. The company’s position in the Argentine market was also affected by a dispute over its long-term hangar lease at Jorge Newbery Airport. In August 2013, an Argentine judge blocked a government plan to terminate that lease, preserving facilities considered important to the carrier’s operations. The brand changed from LAN Argentina to LATAM Argentina after LAN Airlines combined with TAM Linhas Aéreas and adopted the LATAM identity. The rebranding aligned the Argentine subsidiary with the new multinational group while retaining its role as a local operator. In 2016, LATAM agreed to pay more than $22 million in combined civil and criminal penalties connected with an older Argentine bribery matter involving alleged improper payments during a dispute with union employees. The U.S. authorities characterized the conduct as involving a consultant arrangement and inadequate accounting controls. The COVID-19 pandemic sharply reduced air travel in Argentina and across Latin America. In May 2020, LATAM Airlines Group sought Chapter 11 protection in the United States, although the Argentine and Paraguayan subsidiaries were not included in that filing. On June 17, 2020, the group announced that LATAM Argentina would cease operating. Its aircraft were returned to lessors and its employees were laid off immediately. The airline subsequently ended its remaining activity in November 2020. Its closure removed one of Aerolíneas Argentinas’ most significant competitors from the Argentine market and marked the end of the LAN/LATAM-branded airline’s independent operation in the country.
History
The airline’s operating history was tied to Aero 2000 S.A., the legal entity that became known commercially as LAN Argentina. After its acquisition and integration into the LAN Airlines system, the carrier developed a scheduled passenger network centered on Buenos Aires. Its domestic services linked the capital with major tourism, business and provincial destinations, while international routes connected Argentina with important South American gateways and Miami. The LAN Argentina identity placed the carrier within the broader LAN network. On April 1, 2007, it joined Oneworld as an affiliate member. This relationship supported international connectivity while the Argentine airline continued to operate its own local schedule. Its principal domestic base was Jorge Newbery Airport, while Ministro Pistarini International Airport handled long-haul operations. The company faced a significant infrastructure and regulatory dispute in 2013. The Argentine government sought to terminate a long-term lease for LAN’s hangar facilities at Jorge Newbery. An Argentine judge blocked that plan on August 28, 2013. The ruling was important because the hangar was considered central to the airline’s maintenance and operating arrangements. LAN Argentina adopted the LATAM Argentina name after LAN Airlines merged with TAM Linhas Aéreas and the combined group introduced the LATAM brand. The change connected the Argentine subsidiary to the new multinational identity without changing its fundamental role as an Argentine scheduled carrier. The airline remained a major competitor to the state-associated Aerolíneas Argentinas and was the second-largest airline in Argentina before its closure. The business also became involved in a corruption and accounting-control case concerning alleged improper payments made during a dispute with Argentine union employees. According to the referenced account, a consultant was used under a sham contract to channel payments to corrupt union officials. LATAM agreed to pay more than $22 million in combined penalties, including a criminal penalty and a separate settlement with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission over accounting controls. The final phase of the airline’s history came during the COVID-19 crisis. LATAM Airlines Group filed for Chapter 11 protection in May 2020, but the Argentine and Paraguayan subsidiaries were excluded from that restructuring filing. Travel restrictions, the collapse in passenger demand and the difficult operating environment in Latin America nevertheless placed the Argentine unit under severe pressure. On June 17, 2020, the parent announced that LATAM Argentina would cease operations. Aircraft were returned to lessors and employees were laid off immediately. The airline’s activity ended in November 2020, closing the history of the LAN/LATAM-branded Argentine carrier.
- 2020
Rebranding and alliance departure
[1]The former LAN Argentina business operated under the LATAM Argentina name and left Oneworld on May 1.
- 2020
Parent restructuring and subsidiary closure
[1]LATAM Airlines Group entered Chapter 11 protection in May, announced the closure of LATAM Argentina on June 17, and the airline ended operations later that year.
- 2016
LATAM resolves Argentine bribery case
[1]LATAM agreed to civil and criminal penalties related to alleged improper payments during an Argentine labor dispute and inadequate accounting controls.
- 2013
Hangar lease ruling
[1]An Argentine judge blocked the proposed termination of LAN’s long-term hangar lease at Jorge Newbery Airport.
- 2007
Affiliate membership in Oneworld
[1]LAN Argentina became an affiliate member of the Oneworld airline alliance on April 1.
- 2005
LAN Argentina established within the LAN system
[1]Aero 2000 S.A. operated under the LAN Argentina identity after becoming part of the LAN Airlines system.
Products and positioning
Full-service scheduled airline and major competitor in Argentina’s domestic and regional passenger market.
Scheduled passenger aviation
Domestic passenger services
LATAM Argentina operated scheduled services from Buenos Aires to destinations across Argentina, including Córdoba, Mendoza, Bariloche, El Calafate, Salta, Tucumán, Ushuaia and other provincial and tourism centers. These routes formed the core of its competitive position against Aerolíneas Argentinas.
International scheduled passenger aviation
International passenger services
The airline connected Argentina with regional destinations such as Santiago, Lima, São Paulo and Punta del Este, as well as Miami. International operations were centered on Buenos Aires’ Ministro Pistarini International Airport and complemented the domestic network based at Jorge Newbery.
Controversies
2016
Argentine union-dispute bribery and accounting case
LATAM agreed to pay more than $22 million in civil and criminal penalties relating to alleged improper payments authorized during a dispute with Argentine union employees. The case involved an Argentine consultant arrangement that authorities said was used to channel payments to corrupt union officials, as well as inadequate accounting controls.
Brand decisions
2020
Withdraw from the Argentine marketStrategyBackground
The COVID-19 pandemic caused an unprecedented collapse in air travel, while travel restrictions and limited government support intensified pressure on Latin American airlines.
Action taken
LATAM Airlines Group announced on June 17 that LATAM Argentina would cease operations, return its aircraft to lessors and lay off its employees.
Aftermath
The airline ended operations in November 2020, removing a major competitor from Argentina’s domestic aviation market.
2016
Settle corruption and accounting allegationsOtherBackground
U.S. authorities investigated payments associated with a labor dispute involving the airline’s Argentine operations.
Action taken
LATAM agreed to civil and criminal settlements totaling more than $22 million.
Aftermath
The matter concluded with penalties for the alleged conduct and accounting-control deficiencies.
2013
Defend Jorge Newbery hangar leaseOtherBackground
A government plan to terminate LAN’s long-term hangar lease at Buenos Aires’ Jorge Newbery Airport threatened facilities regarded as important to the airline’s operations.
Action taken
The matter was challenged in court, and an Argentine judge blocked the proposed lease termination.
Aftermath
The ruling preserved the lease arrangement described as vital to the carrier’s operation at its principal domestic base.
Recent events
- 2020
LAN Argentina leaves Oneworld[1]
Other
The Argentine airline ceased its Oneworld affiliate membership shortly before the end of its operations.
- 2020
LATAM Airlines Group announces closure of Argentine subsidiary[1]
Bankruptcy
On June 17, LATAM Airlines Group announced that LATAM Argentina would cease operations, return its aircraft to lessors and dismiss its employees. The decision followed the severe disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
- 2020
LATAM Argentina ends operations[1]
Other
The former LAN Argentina operation was ultimately discontinued in November 2020 after the group’s decision to withdraw from the Argentine market.
- 2013
Argentine court blocks termination of LAN hangar lease[1]
Lawsuit · Regulation
An Argentine judge prevented the government from breaking LAN Argentina’s long-term lease for hangar space at Jorge Newbery Airport, a facility regarded as important to the airline’s operations.
- 2007
LAN Argentina joins Oneworld as an affiliate member[1]
Other
LAN Argentina became an affiliate member of the Oneworld airline alliance, expanding its connection with the international LAN network.
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