RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Although only a few foreigners will be allowed entry from next month, the bulk of the tourist flow will also be allowed to do so from November, ahead of the 2022 summer vacations.
With restrictions relaxed, Aerolíneas Argentinas is preparing to resume operations with the neighboring country, suspended since the beginning of coronavirus outbreak.
Sources close to the flag carrier said that flights are scheduled to restart on September 14 on the Buenos Aires-Montevideo route, with two weekly departures on Tuesdays and Fridays from Jorge Newbery Airport close to downtown Buenos Aires.
Meanwhile, the Buenos Aires-Punta del Este route will resume operations on September 16, with two weekly departures on Thursdays and Sundays. Flights will be operated in 96-seat EMBRAER aircraft.
Although the Uruguayan Ministry of Tourism has announced them, the schedules have not yet been uploaded to Aerolíneas’ official website. The airline is waiting for the final confirmation of the proposed schedule and the approval of the passenger entry protocols, on which the Argentine and Uruguayan airline authorities are working together. Details will be available in the coming days.
The company had planned to resume flights to the neighboring country by late 2020 for the summer season, and then in March this year, in the run-up to Easter. However, due to border closures, the plan was suspended.
Argentina and Uruguay have had no regular air connection since the start of the quarantine in March last year. “No flights have been operated to Punta del Este since the season prior to the sanitary emergency, while special flights were operated to Montevideo until the interruption was implemented,” Aerolíneas explained.
Similarly, Flybondi intends to start flying to Uruguay in the coming months, although there are still no definitions in this respect. Before the pandemic, the low-cost airline operated the Buenos Aires-Punta del Este route during the summer season.
Uruguay is one of Argentines’ favorite destinations. Due to its geographic and cultural proximity, many spend their vacations and own properties there.
In the months prior to Covid-19, the proportion of Argentines traveling to Uruguay for tourism represented 60% of the total number of visitors, with a marked preference for the coastal areas. Moreover, in the past 10 years, Argentines bought around 1,200 properties in Montevideo’s downtown neighborhoods for a total of approximately US$125 million.
Anyone wishing to enter the country must provide their personal data in a form to be requested at border crossings and prove the property title, by notary public or affidavit.
In addition, a vaccination certificate must be presented, either for a single dose or two doses of vaccination within the last 6 months prior to arrival in the country, and a negative PCR test for Covid-19, which must be repeated on the 7th day of the stay. In both cases, the test costs will be borne by the foreigner.
The Uruguayan government estimated that in this first stage of reopening for foreigners, approximately 10,000 families will enter the country. Uruguay currently has 70% of its population covered with the two vaccine doses, which strongly influenced the decrease in the number of infections recorded in recent weeks.