Argentina airport strike on Friday, November 6: ATE stoppage at 27 airports including Ezeiza and Aeroparque, two days before Pope Leo's visit
Argentina's ATE union will stop work at 27 airports on Friday, November 6, at the start of a long weekend and two days before Pope Leo XIV arrives.
At a glance
- Argentina's state workers' union ATE said on Monday, November 2, that its members will hold a work stoppage at 27 airports on Friday, November 6.
- At Ezeiza and Aeroparque, Buenos Aires' two main airports, the union will also carry out strict, slow inspections of aircraft, ramp equipment and runways, which can delay departures.
- Only medical, humanitarian, organ-transport and official flights are guaranteed. The union has not given the hours of the action.
- The stoppage falls at the start of a long weekend: Monday, November 9 is a national holiday for Pope Leo XIV's visit, which runs from November 8 to 11.
Passengers flying in or out of Argentina on Friday, November 6, face possible delays and cancellations after the state workers' union ATE announced a work stoppage at 27 airports across the country. The action, announced on Monday, November 2, hits Ezeiza and Aeroparque in Buenos Aires hardest and lands on the first day of a long weekend, two days before Pope Leo XIV arrives for his first visit to his predecessor's homeland as pontiff.
ATE leader Rodolfo Aguiar said the protest is aimed at the government of President Javier Milei, not at travellers, and that the union gave legal notice in advance. The hours of the stoppage have not been announced.
What the union is planning
The action is a retención de tareas: union members at the 27 airports will stop their normal duties for the day. ATE represents staff of the national civil aviation authority, ANAC, whose employer is the federal government.
At Ezeiza, the main international gateway, and Aeroparque, the city airport for domestic and regional flights, ATE is adding a second tactic. Members will carry out strict, by-the-book checks of aircraft, ramp equipment, building works and runways. Inspections done that slowly do not close an airport, but they can hold up departures and push back schedules through the day.
Only medical, humanitarian, organ-transport and official flights are guaranteed to operate normally.
Fire extinguishers, ambulances and airport fees
ATE says the dispute is about safety as much as pay. It lists missing fire extinguishers and protective equipment, ambulances in poor condition and a shortage of medical supplies at airports. The union also says that less than 10% of the roughly 220 billion pesos (about $143 million) collected each year in airport fees goes back into operations and wages, a figure that comes from the union and has not been independently checked.
The union has filed a complaint with the national Labour Secretariat asking for full health and safety inspections at the airports concerned. No response from the government, ANAC or the airlines had been published by early Tuesday.
What happened last time
ATE called a similar action at the same 27 airports on September 3 and 4, in two daily time slots. The government ordered 75% of operations to keep running; the union rejected the order, then postponed the first morning's action while going ahead in the afternoon. A minimum-service order for November 6 is possible again, which would limit the disruption.
The Pope's visit and the long weekend
| Date | What is happening |
|---|---|
| Friday, November 6 | ATE stoppage at 27 airports; strict checks at Ezeiza and Aeroparque |
| Sunday, November 8 | Pope Leo XIV arrives in Argentina, after Uruguay |
| Monday, November 9 | National holiday declared for the visit |
| Tuesday, November 10 | Papal trip to Córdoba |
| Wednesday, November 11 | Farewell ceremony and departure for Peru |
The government declared Monday a public holiday, turning the visit into a four-day weekend, and large numbers of people are expected to travel between provinces to see the Pope. That makes Friday one of the busiest travel days of the month. The stoppage does not mean airports will close, and nothing announced so far puts the papal programme in doubt.
If you are flying on Friday
- Check your flight status with the airline before leaving for the airport, and again on Friday morning.
- Allow extra time at Ezeiza and Aeroparque, where slow inspections are planned.
- If your trip is flexible, moving it to Thursday or Saturday avoids the action altogether.
- Watch for a government minimum-service order or a last-minute change of plan by the union before Friday.
Questions people are asking
Will flights be cancelled in Argentina on November 6?
Delays and cancellations are possible at 27 airports, including Ezeiza and Aeroparque, but none had been announced by Tuesday. Passengers should check their flight status with the airline before leaving for the airport.
Why is ATE striking at Argentina's airports?
The union says airports lack fire extinguishers, protective gear, working ambulances and medical supplies, and that little of the money from airport fees goes back into operations and wages.
