Patagonia Photography
Patagonia Airport: How to get to Patagonia
2020 second COVID update:
Because of the COVID pandemic this information has been changing in a weekly basis. Civilian flights are schedule to return to Argentina in October 11, 2020. Unfortunately, due to 7 consecutive months of quarantine, the aviation sector has seen massive losses and many discontinued routes. Some companies have left the Argentinian market altogether which made competition and access limited.
2020 COVID update:
Many airports remain closed due to the pandemic in the region. Argentina has no available flights until September of 2020. Some of the low cost airlines are having a lot of trouble to stay in business. We hope an improvement in the availability of flights for next year.
It’s important to organize your itinerary properly ahead of your Patagonia photo tour. Patagonia is a vast and large section of South America where the regional airports are small and have limited connection service. Patagonia’s airport options are a crucial part of your trip since ticket availability might fluctuate during different parts of the year.
Most of the Patagonia airports don’t receive international routes. Most of them behave as regional community hubs. International travelers first arrive to Chile and Argentina’s international airports prior to their connecting flight to a Patagonia airport.
Argentina’s capital, Buenos Aires, has three airports with daily connection flights to most of Patagonia; these are: Ezeiza – Ministro Pistarini (international), Aeroparque – Jorge Newbery (domestic), El Palomar (The low cost domestic airport has been shut down for commercial flights). Chile’s capital, Santiago, has also daily flights to many Patagonia airports from Comodoro Arturo Merino Benítez airport.
Patagonia Airports:
Bariloche, Rio Negro, Argentina
Teniente Luis Candelaria Airport (Patagonia Airport Code: BRC)
This is perhaps the biggest Patagonia airport in the region due to the importance of San Carlos de Bariloche as a tourist destination inside Argentina. The Airport is served by all the major airlines: Aerolineas Argentinas, LATAM, Flybondi (low cost airline that only flies from El Palomar airport), Jetsmart (another low cost airline that flies from El Palomar airport), Andes and Austral.
2020 update:
LATAM has left the domestic Argentinian market. It’s not possible to travel non-stop from the USA to Argentina with this carrier.
Austral’s union is merging with Aerolinas Argentinas and it’s supposed to be absorbed by the national airline. Low cost airlines have been grounded for weeks and their future is uncertain.
A round trip from Buenos Aires might cost an average of $250 to $300 american dollars depending on season’s demand and the time of year. Read more “Patagonia Airport: How to get to Patagonia”