GOVERNOR RUBBISHES ARGENTINE FLIGHT REPORTS
By J. Brock (FINN)
H. E. the Governor Mr. Howard Pearce today rubbished the idea of an Argentine airline with no airframes establishing regular flights to the Falkland Islands. "Anyone thinking they can establish a regularly scheduled air link from Argentina to the Falklands is operating in the realm of fantasy," said the Governor, who went on to say the whole idea was a load of nonsense.
Ditto for the reaction from the British Embassy in Buenos Aires, who explained that there are no current plans for regular flights other than those operated by LanChile and those charter flights approved by the Argentine Civil Aviation Authority.
The airline expressing interest in regularly scheduled flights is Lineas Aereas Federales S.A. Lafsa. Though it has no aircraft to its name but uses airframes provided by other South American Airlines, Lafsa has been awarded internal routes to several destinations within Argentina and a phantom one to the Falklands, according to the Argentine government's gazette.
According to South American press reports, Lapsa was set up last year to absorb redundant staff from two bankrupt airlines.
There is a once a month trip to the Falklands via LanChile from Rio Gallegos. Though the Argentine Civil Aviation Authority curtailed charter flights from South America to the Falklands during the height of the tourist season, negotiations are still underway to resolve the problem.
