ARGENTINA · TRAVEL
Key Facts
- Who Argentina’s civil aviation authority, ANAC, limits air traffic for Pope Leo XIV’s visit, 8 to 11 November 2026.
- Where Aeroparque, Buenos Aires’ downtown airport; Córdoba; and Ezeiza, the main international gateway.
- When Windows run from Sunday 8 to Wednesday 11 November, in Argentine time, two hours ahead of New York.
- Airline Aerolíneas Argentinas, the flag carrier, warns that some flights may change and asks passengers to check bookings.
- Power Index Argentina ranks 4th of 14 in The Rio Times Latin America Power Index, with 60.2 points (November 2026 edition).
Argentina will bar flights at three airports during set two-hour windows between Sunday 8 and Wednesday 11 November 2026, so Pope Leo XIV can travel safely. The limits come from the country’s civil aviation authority, ANAC (the National Civil Aviation Administration), and Aerolíneas Argentinas, the flag carrier, has warned passengers to expect changes.
For US readers, the windows matter to anyone flying to or from Buenos Aires that week, including travelers coming from the United States. Our guide to the security operation covers street closures on the ground.
What Happened
ANAC dated Supplement A 255/2026 to its Aeronautical Information Publication on Sunday 1 November 2026. A supplement is the official notice that tells pilots and airlines about temporary rules, and this one covers 8 to 11 November.
It limits air traffic at the three airports: Aeroparque, Ezeiza and Córdoba, and its measures also reach San Fernando, Morón and smaller airfields and helipads around Buenos Aires and Córdoba. Any scheduled flight that falls inside a window has to be moved, so airlines are expected to announce changes.
Aerolíneas Argentinas warned that the pope’s visit may change its flight programme, and it opened a flight-status page for passengers. It asked travelers to check their booking there before leaving for the airport.
The Flight Windows in Detail
Aeroparque Jorge Newbery is the downtown airport used for domestic and regional flights, while Ezeiza handles most long-haul routes. The windows below are in Argentine time, with US Eastern time in brackets.
- Aeroparque, Sunday 8 November 3:50 pm to 5:50 pm local (1:50 pm to 3:50 pm Eastern).
- Aeroparque, Monday 9 November 11:15 am to 1:15 pm local (9:15 am to 11:15 am Eastern).
- Aeroparque, Tuesday 10 November 6:30 am to 8:30 am and 5:10 pm to 7:10 pm local (4:30 am to 6:30 am and 3:10 pm to 5:10 pm Eastern).
- Córdoba, Tuesday 10 November 7:30 am to 9:30 am and 3:55 pm to 5:55 pm local (5:30 am to 7:30 am and 1:55 pm to 3:55 pm Eastern).
- Ezeiza, Wednesday 11 November 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm local (11:00 am to 1:00 pm Eastern).
Argentina is two hours ahead of New York since US clocks changed on 1 November. The airports are not shut for four days, because flights run as planned outside these windows.
Why the Sky Is Cleared
When a head of state or the pope moves by air, aviation authorities clear the airspace around the airports so no other aircraft is near. Controllers hold arrivals and departures on the ground, which is why airlines must move any flight inside a window.
The windows line up with the pope’s published trip, in our reading. He arrives at Aeroparque from Montevideo, Uruguay, on Sunday 8 November, flies to Córdoba on Tuesday 10 November and leaves Buenos Aires for Lima, Peru, on Wednesday 11 November, and the Ezeiza window suggests he departs from there.
Monday 9 November is also a national holiday under Decree 1103/2026, an emergency decree published in the official gazette, the Boletín Oficial, on 28 September 2026. Tuesday 10 November is a holiday only in Córdoba and Buenos Aires city, so many Argentines are traveling that weekend.
What It Means for You
If you fly to or from Buenos Aires between 8 and 11 November, check your booking status with your airline before you leave for the airport. A flight that falls inside a window must be moved, so a delay or a new departure time is possible even when nothing is cancelled.
Allow extra time if you connect between Ezeiza and Aeroparque, especially on Tuesday 10 November, when Aeroparque has two windows. Airline apps usually update faster than airport screens, so use them first.
The windows end on Wednesday 11 November, and nothing we found extends them. Travelers arriving after 3:00 pm local time that day at Ezeiza should see normal operations.
What Is Not Known
Neither ANAC nor Aerolíneas Argentinas has published a list of cancelled flights, so the number of affected passengers is not known. The airline says some flights could change, which is not the same as a cancellation.
We could not open the supplement itself on ANAC’s publications site on Friday 6 November 2026, so the times above are those published for airlines and passengers, and every report we found gives the same windows. ANAC does not say which activity each window covers, so the link to the pope’s schedule is our reading.
This list covers scheduled airline flights only. Smaller airfields, helipads and private aviation face separate limits that we do not detail here.
More: Argentina news in English, every day from The Rio Times.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are Argentine Airports Closed During the Pope’s Visit?
No, flights are not stopped for the whole period. They are barred only in windows of about two hours at Aeroparque, Córdoba and Ezeiza between 8 and 11 November 2026.
When Can’t Flights Use Ezeiza?
Ezeiza has one window for scheduled flights, on Wednesday 11 November from 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm Argentine time, or 11:00 am to 1:00 pm US Eastern time. That is the day the pope is set to leave Argentina for Lima, Peru.
What Is the Time Difference With the US?
Argentina uses UTC-3 all year and has no daylight saving time. After US clocks changed on 1 November 2026, Argentina is two hours ahead of US Eastern time.
What Should Travelers Do?
Check your booking status on your airline’s website or app before you leave for the airport. Aerolíneas Argentinas asks passengers to do this through its booking-status page.
Sources: National Civil Aviation Administration (ANAC), Supplement A 255/2026 to the Aeronautical Information Publication, 1 November 2026; ANAC aeronautical information service, supplements; Aerolíneas Argentinas, passenger notice on the pope’s visit, November 2026; Argentine presidency, Decree 1103/2026, Boletín Oficial, 28 September 2026.
This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated newsroom system. How we use AI · Report an error · Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief