Aerolíneas Argentinas Grounds Eight 737-800s After In-Flight Engine Failure

A short hop from Buenos Aires to Córdoba turned into a safety drill this week when a Boeing 737-800 lost power in one engine shortly after takeoff.

The crew diverted to Ezeiza and landed without injuries. Within hours, Aerolíneas Argentinas pulled eight 737-800s from service as a precaution.

The issue centers on CFM56-7B engines, a workhorse powerplant used worldwide. The airline says maintenance followed the manufacturer’s bulletins, but this was the fourth engine event of a similar type in the past year.

Management chose to exceed the recommended checks and is waiting for fresh technical guidance from the engine maker before returning the jets to service. Argentina’s safety authority has opened investigations and is coordinating with international counterparts.

Unions have pressed for tighter oversight: pilots argue the pattern is not “bad luck,” while technical staff point to a known problem affecting certain turbine blades and suggest earlier-than-usual part replacements until new guidance arrives.

What this means on the ground: expect some schedule shuffling, aircraft swaps, and occasional delays on domestic routes while inspections proceed.

Grounded Jets Highlight Aviation’s Safety Reflex

The grounded aircraft represent a meaningful slice of the 737-800 sub-fleet, and several engines share similar part lots. The average airframe age is roughly a decade—mature, but not unusual for global fleets.

The story behind the story is how modern aviation manages risk. When a specific component shows trouble signs, the system moves fast: isolate the risk (ground aircraft), investigate with independent authorities, tighten inspection intervals if needed, and only then restore normal flying.

That feedback loop—between airline, unions, regulators, and manufacturer—is what keeps rare mechanical failures from becoming safety events.

Why readers outside Argentina should care: the 737-800 and CFM56-7B power thousands of flights across the Americas. Any change in inspection thresholds or part-replacement timing can ripple through schedules and costs region-wide.

The next inflection point is the manufacturer’s technical bulletin and the regulator’s findings. All details here are drawn from official statements, union communications, and the airline’s disclosures; nothing has been added beyond the facts.