JetSMART has also begun promoting its new Posadas–Buenos Aires flights in the Paraguayan market as an air gateway for residents of the Itapúa department. This week, media outlets in that country received press releases to that effect.
Starting November 1, the carrier will connect Aeroparque Jorge Newbery with the airport of the Argentine city, located across the Paraná River from Encarnación, the departmental capital, on a daily basis.
The strategy seeks to capture cross-border traffic given the complete absence of local air services, offering tickets that are already on sale from USD 66.42 per leg, taxes included.
It is certainly nothing new for passengers to cross the border to catch a flight. This has been happening for decades, with residents of northeastern Argentina using Asunción—or even Foz do Iguaçu—as their “Ezeiza” (Buenos Aires’ main international airport). Meanwhile, depending on FX rates, many Paraguayans also travel by land to Formosa, Resistencia, Posadas, or Puerto Iguazú to fly to Buenos Aires. However, it is interesting that JetSMART is explicitly highlighting this benefit.
“Posadas’ return to our network not only benefits northeastern Argentina, but also represents excellent news for thousands of people in southern Paraguay,” said Verónica Marambio Álvarez, Commercial Manager of International Markets at JetSMART. The executive explained that passengers from Itapúa will have a nearby, accessible alternative to fly to Argentina and continue their journey across the company’s network.
Encarnación and Posadas form a thriving binational urban cluster, though its pace is still tied to the delays that can occur at the border crossing.
The route’s schedule includes a daily frequency from Monday to Sunday operated with aircraft from the Airbus A320 and A321 families. Those boarding in Posadas will have connecting flights via Buenos Aires to San Carlos de Bariloche, San Martín de los Andes, Mendoza, Neuquén, Comodoro Rivadavia, El Calafate and Córdoba.
Although Encarnación’s airport underwent improvement works last year, it has still not managed to consolidate regular passenger operations. Last year Argentina’s Flybondi operated a couple of charter flights from Buenos Aires during the World Rally Championship, but although regular services were put on sale, demand did not back them and they never launched.
Beyond Posadas, the other air connectivity options available to residents of Encarnación and its area of influence (one of the wealthiest in Paraguay) are in the Triple Frontier (280 km away), home to the airports of Foz do Iguaçu (Brazil) and Puerto Iguazú (Argentina), or the Paraguayan capital, 360 kilometers away.
Proof of the region’s economic power and its ties to aviation is AguaVista Airport Executive, Paraguay’s first private airfield, inaugurated in June this year, which features first-class infrastructure.
AguaVista Airport on Instagram: “Arrive. Meet. And fly again. ✈️ At AVA, a workday can begin right from the ramp. Coworking and meeting spaces, airport services and an environment designed to combine business, comfort and aviation in one place. Because when everything is close by, time is spent differently. 📍 AVA · AguaVista Airport Executive Operated by SkySur. #aguavista #paraguay #avaairport #aviacionejecutiva #espaciocorporativo”
