Passengers at Buenos Aires Jorge Newbery Airport faced hours of uncertainty and frustration after a wave of operational disruptions led to 35 delayed flights and 5 cancellations, affecting Aerolíneas Argentinas and LATAM services to key regional hubs including Rio de Janeiro, Santiago, Lima, and domestic connections across Argentina. The knock-on effects rippled through Friday evening into Saturday, leaving travelers stranded in terminals, scrambling to rebook, and confronting crowded customer service counters at one of South America’s busiest city airports.
Fresh Disruptions at Buenos Aires’ City Airport
Jorge Newbery Airport, commonly known as Aeroparque, is no stranger to congestion and weather-related hold-ups, but the latest disruption stood out for its scale and timing. According to preliminary tallies from airport and aviation sources on Friday 13 February 2026, 35 flights were delayed and 5 were cancelled at the downtown Buenos Aires hub, affecting a mix of domestic and regional operations. Aerolíneas Argentinas, which uses the airport as a primary hub, bore the brunt of the disruptions alongside LATAM’s regional services.
The disruption unfolded during a peak travel window as travelers moved between Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Peru, and other South American destinations for business, late-summer holidays, and Carnival-related trips. Flights linking Buenos Aires with Rio de Janeiro, Santiago, and other key regional capitals experienced significant schedule changes, with departure boards at Aeroparque gradually filling with the words “demorado” and “cancelado” as the afternoon wore on.
Passengers reported long queues at check-in and customer service counters, with some travelers learning only minutes before boarding that their flights had been pushed back by several hours or, in some cases, scrapped altogether. Families attempting to connect onward from Buenos Aires to Patagonia, the northwest, and international destinations faced particularly complicated rebooking scenarios, with limited same-day seats available.
Impact on Aerolíneas Argentinas and LATAM Routes
Among the most affected services were Aerolíneas Argentinas and LATAM flights from Aeroparque to Rio de Janeiro, Santiago, and Lima, routes that form an essential bridge between Argentina and the broader region. Flights to Brazil’s Galeão International Airport and Santiago’s Arturo Merino Benítez International Airport experienced extended delays, in some cases exceeding an hour, forcing passengers to adjust hotel check-in times, meeting schedules, and onward connections.
Aerolíneas Argentinas, as the country’s flag carrier and dominant domestic operator, saw its network most heavily disrupted. With a substantial share of its short and medium-haul operations running in and out of Jorge Newbery, any local problem quickly cascaded through its timetable. LATAM, which operates a slimmer but strategically important portfolio of regional flights from Aeroparque, including services that feed into Rio, Santiago, and other hubs, also struggled to maintain normal operations as the disruption peaked.
Travel data from recent days already showed stress on punctuality across Argentina’s airports, with an uptick in extended delays and cancellations registered by aviation analysts. The new wave of disruptions at Aeroparque added further strain to airlines still recalibrating their schedules to meet growing passenger demand and evolving regional connectivity patterns.
Passengers Stranded in Terminals and at Boarding Gates
For many travelers, the statistics translated into an exhausting, all-too-familiar scenario: waiting on terminal floor tiles, hunting for scarce power outlets, and relying on intermittent loudspeaker announcements to obtain updates. With 35 flight delays stacking through the day, terminal seating quickly became scarce as passengers settled in for waits of indeterminate length. Parents tried to keep children entertained, business travelers dialed into meetings from noisy gates, and backpackers compared notes on alternative bus and flight options.
Reports from inside the terminal described tense scenes at check-in counters, where lines for Aerolíneas Argentinas and LATAM stretched well beyond their usual queue markings. Some passengers reported being rebooked via the larger Ministro Pistarini International Airport at Ezeiza, located on the outskirts of Buenos Aires, adding a stressful cross-city transfer on top of flight uncertainty. Others were advised to try again the following day, with hotel vouchers offered in a limited number of cases depending on airline policy and the cause of the delay.
At the boarding gates, rolling departure times created further confusion. Screens updated in increments of 30 to 60 minutes, leaving travelers to weigh whether they should stay near the gate or risk walking away for food or a brief rest. For those whose flights were ultimately cancelled, those incremental changes turned into a sudden full stop, often announced just as they expected to board.
Cancellations to and from Rio, Santiago, Lima, and Buenos Aires
The five cancellations reported at Jorge Newbery had disproportionate consequences given the strategic importance of the affected routes. At least some of the cancelled flights linked Buenos Aires with Rio de Janeiro and Santiago, while others involved domestic trunk routes that feed traffic from the interior into the capital. As services fell off the board, aircraft and crew rotations were disrupted, hindering the recovery of later departures and arrivals.
For travelers heading to Rio de Janeiro, particularly those connecting with Carnival festivities or cruise departures, cancellations meant far more than a missed meeting. Some faced the risk of losing prepaid hotel nights or tours, while others weighed purchasing expensive last-minute tickets on alternative airlines just to arrive in time. Similarly, passengers bound for Santiago and Lima worried about missing onward long-haul connections to North America and Europe that depart from those hubs.
Buenos Aires-bound travelers originating in neighboring countries also found themselves unexpectedly grounded. Delays and cancellations on flights from Rio, Santiago, and Lima to Aeroparque left inbound passengers stuck in overseas terminals, where they were forced to negotiate with airline staff for accommodation, meal vouchers, and rebookings onto later flights or, where possible, aircraft connecting through Ezeiza rather than Buenos Aires’ city airport.
Operational and Weather Factors Behind the Disruption
While precise details about the immediate trigger for this particular series of delays and cancellations were still emerging, the disruption came against a backdrop of mounting pressure on Argentina’s aviation infrastructure. Earlier episodes at Aeroparque have been linked to high temperatures, runway maintenance, and air traffic control restrictions, all of which can force ground stops or sharply limit arrival and departure rates for safety reasons.
Recent data and reports highlight a general deterioration in punctuality across the country’s airports, with a sharp rise in prolonged delays and cancellations in the months leading up to this incident. Analysts point to a combination of heavy demand, tight fleet utilization, weather volatility, and staffing constraints across airlines, ground handling providers, and air navigation services. When any one of these elements falters, the closely choreographed schedule at a compact, high-intensity airport like Jorge Newbery can unravel quickly.
For Aerolíneas Argentinas and LATAM, the operational challenge is particularly acute. Both carriers must juggle dense short-haul rotations and narrow turnaround times with seasonal peaks and the need to maintain reliability on key international links. A relatively minor initial disruption, such as a temporary runway inspection or a sudden storm cell over the River Plate, can set off a chain reaction when there is little slack in the system to absorb it.
How Airlines Responded and What Assistance Passengers Received
As delays mounted, airline staff attempted to manage expectations and reroute travelers, though the high volume of affected passengers stretched resources at check-in desks and call centers. Aerolíneas Argentinas and LATAM activated contingency responses that included waiving change fees for certain disrupted flights, arranging hotel accommodation in limited cases, and shifting some operations to alternative time slots to ease congestion.
Not all passengers, however, reported a smooth experience. Some customers said they were unable to access timely information through airline apps or hotlines, with systems overwhelmed by the sudden spike in queries. Others expressed confusion over their rights, particularly in cross-border situations where consumer protections vary between Argentina, Brazil, Chile, and Peru. In several cases, travelers turned to social media to seek guidance on compensation policies and to publicly press airlines for clearer explanations.
Within the airport, ground staff and cabin crews found themselves at the front line of frustration, balancing the need to maintain safety and procedural integrity with the understandable impatience of passengers facing missed events, lost nights of accommodation, and extra costs. While many travelers acknowledged that individual staff members were doing their best under pressure, they also voiced concern that systemic issues in scheduling and infrastructure made such episodes more frequent than they should be.
Advice for Travelers Using Jorge Newbery and Regional Hubs
For future travelers planning flights to or from Buenos Aires’ city airport and the wider region, the latest disruption underscores the importance of building flexibility into itineraries, particularly during busy periods and around major events. Allowing generous connection time for flights that link through Rio de Janeiro, Santiago, or Lima can provide a critical buffer if operations at Aeroparque are temporarily curtailed by weather or technical issues.
Passengers are also encouraged to monitor flight status through multiple channels, including airline apps and airport information screens, while registering for notification services where available. In the event of significant delays or cancellations, knowing the basics of compensation and rebooking policies in both the departure and destination countries can help travelers advocate for themselves more effectively at the counter.
For those with time-sensitive commitments or onward long-haul connections, considering alternative routings via Ezeiza or through other regional hubs may sometimes provide extra resilience, even if it involves a longer ground transfer or a slightly higher fare. While Aeroparque’s central location and busy schedule make it immensely convenient under normal conditions, the same high intensity can magnify disruption when things go wrong.
Broader Implications for Argentina’s Air Travel Network
The episode at Jorge Newbery Airport comes as Argentina’s aviation market is undergoing a period of transition, with rising passenger numbers, growing international connectivity, and competitive pressure among full-service and low-cost carriers. Record volumes of travelers in recent months have tested the capacity of airports and airlines alike, sometimes exposing the limits of infrastructure, staffing, and scheduling flexibility.
Policy makers and industry stakeholders have highlighted the need for continued investment in runways, terminals, and air traffic management systems, as well as improved coordination between operators to better manage peak periods and unexpected disruptions. The vulnerabilities exposed at Aeroparque, where even a few hours of interruption can create a backlog felt across the country and region, illustrate how critical resilient operations at key hubs have become.
For travelers, the immediate priority is simply to reach their destinations. Yet for the broader travel ecosystem in Argentina and its neighbors, each episode of widespread delays and cancellations raises bigger questions about how to balance booming demand with reliable performance. As airlines like Aerolíneas Argentinas and LATAM continue to expand and refine their regional networks, the experience of passengers stranded at Jorge Newbery due to 35 delays and 5 cancellations will serve as a reminder that connectivity is only as good as the systems that keep flights running on time.