INFRASTRUCTURE · ARGENTINA
Key Facts
—The country Argentina, South America’s second-largest economy, where one private company, Aeropuertos Argentina, runs 35 airports including Ezeiza and Aeroparque in Buenos Aires.
—Why it matters Ezeiza is the country’s main gateway for long-haul flights. The operator’s parent, Corporación América Airports, trades on the New York Stock Exchange as CAAP.
—Why now The government extended the concession in late September and the regulator dollarised the domestic airport fee on Friday. The works plan is the company’s side of that deal.
—What happened On Friday 9 October the company presented works worth more than US$1.5 billion for 2027 to 2031, the largest programme in its history.
—The numbers US$794 million for Ezeiza, US$506 million for 33 provincial airports and about US$200 million for Aeroparque. The company’s own money is US$600 million.
—What it means for you Visitors can expect a new international arrivals hall at Ezeiza and building work at both Buenos Aires airports for years, alongside a higher, dollar-based domestic fee from 8 December.
—Still open The year-by-year timetable, the share to be borrowed and how much of the bill passengers end up paying through fees.
Aeropuertos Argentina, the private operator of 35 Argentine airports, unveiled a works plan on Friday 9 October. It is worth more than US$1.5 billion for 2027 to 2031. The centrepiece is a new international arrivals terminal at Ezeiza, the Buenos Aires airport where nonstop flights from the United States land. This Argentina airport investment is also the first big test of a concession that President Javier Milei’s government extended last month.
For US investors, it concerns the Argentine arm of Corporación América Airports, listed in New York as CAAP. For travellers, it means years of building work at the country’s two main gateways. Critics in Argentina say passengers will carry part of the cost through a fee now set in dollars.
What the Company Announced
Senior executives presented the programme at a press meeting, according to the business site iProfesional. The Argentine news site Infobae reported it as the biggest investment in the company’s history.
Latin America Power Index · October 2026 edition
Argentina ranks 4th of 14 with 61.2 points. Strongest pillar: future resources (68); weakest: economic relationships (23). Alignment group: Closer to Washington.
WatchRating below investment grade (B-); inflation of 42%; public debt at 80% of GDP.
See the full index, the business lens and the data →
Aeropuertos Argentina belongs to Corporación América, the group founded by businessman Eduardo Eurnekian. It has held the concession for the national airport system since 1998. Its chief executive is Daniel Ketchibachian.
According to the figures the company gave Infobae, the money divides into three blocks. Ezeiza takes US$794 million and the 33 airports in the provinces take US$506 million. Aeroparque, the city airport for domestic and regional flights, takes about US$200 million.
Aeropuertos Argentina’s 2027 to 2031 works plan: US$794 million for Ezeiza, US$506 million for 33 provincial airports, about US$200 million for Aeroparque. Source: company figures via Infobae, 9 Oct 2026.
At Ezeiza, the plan adds a 35,000 square metre arrivals terminal next to the departures building opened in 2023. A separate 10,000 square metre terminal for domestic flights is also planned. The international boarding pier will grow to 15,000 square metres with six more gates.
The company also plans to rebuild and widen Ezeiza’s runways, taxiways and aircraft stands. iProfesional reported that work on the main runway is due in 2027, after the secondary runway now under repair.
At Aeroparque, a new pier at the southern end would add about 16,000 square metres and six jet bridges, iProfesional reported. The international area, check-in and baggage halls would also grow. Together, the two Buenos Aires airports would gain more than 60,000 square metres of terminal space.
In the provinces, terminals in 14 cities are to be enlarged, including Bariloche, Córdoba, Iguazú, Mendoza and Puerto Madryn. Runways at Córdoba, Iguazú and Malargüe are to be rebuilt.
Follow this story
Get an email when there’s news on Argentina markets
Who Pays for the Works
The headline figure is not all company money. Infobae reported that the extension deal commits Aeropuertos Argentina to US$600 million of its own funds over the next four years.
The rest is to come from a trust fund inside the national airport system, known by its Spanish initials FFSNA. iProfesional added that the company will also seek loans from Argentine and foreign banks and issue bonds.
The deal behind the plan is Administrative Decision 27/2026, published in the Official Gazette on Monday 28 September. It extended the concession to 13 February 2049. It can run to 2056 if conditions tied to an extra US$600 million for Ezeiza are met. The Rio Times covered those terms in Argentina Airport Concession Extended to 2049, or 2056 for US$600m.
On Friday the regulator, ORSNA, also published Resolution 69/2026. It caps the domestic passenger fee at US$9 from 8 December, as covered in Argentina Raises Domestic Airport Fee to US$9.
The political outlet La Política Online quoted an unnamed airport-sector executive who said the “own contribution committed is 600 million”. In the executive’s view, the rest of the risk shifts towards passengers. La Política Online also recalled that Milei worked as chief economist for the Eurnekian group before entering politics. Milei leads La Libertad Avanza, a libertarian party that favours privatisation and deregulation.
What It Means for You
If you fly to Buenos Aires from the United States, you almost certainly land at Ezeiza. A new arrivals terminal should ease the queues at immigration and baggage reclaim, but not before the end of the decade. Expect construction zones at both airports in the meantime.
Domestic tickets will get dearer from 8 December, when the US$9 cap on the domestic fee takes effect. There is a partial offset for regional trips. Ketchibachian told Infobae that international flights of up to 1,000 kilometres will pay a regional fee of US$25.16, not US$57.
He said the change could support more than 130 routes that do not exist today. That is the company’s forecast, not a schedule airlines have announced.
For investors in CAAP, the Argentina airport investment trades heavy spending for a longer, more dollar-based revenue stream. The company projects that passenger traffic could grow 114% over the coming decades. If traffic falls short, the debt raised for the works would weigh on returns.
What Is Not Known
The company has not published a yearly schedule for the main works or an opening date for the new Ezeiza terminal. It has not said how much it will borrow, or on what terms. Nor has it said whether the US$600 million for Ezeiza is part of the US$794 million or on top of it.
It is also unclear how much money the FFSNA trust can supply, since that fund depends on airport revenue. Whether ORSNA will audit the US$600 million commitment publicly, and when, has not been announced.
Finally, the 114% traffic forecast is the company’s own projection. Argentina’s air market has swung sharply with its economy before.
Frequently Asked Questions
How big is the Argentina airport investment plan?
More than US$1.5 billion between 2027 and 2031, split into US$794 million for Ezeiza, US$506 million for 33 provincial airports and about US$200 million for Aeroparque.
Is Aeropuertos Argentina paying for all of it?
No. Its own committed contribution is US$600 million. The rest is to come from a national airport trust fund and from bank loans and bonds.
Will flying in Argentina cost more?
Domestic flights will. From 8 December the domestic airport fee is capped at US$9 per passenger, while international flights of up to 1,000 kilometres get a regional fee of US$25.16 instead of US$57.
Sources: Boletín Oficial, Administrative Decision 27/2026; Infobae; iProfesional; La Política Online.
Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief · Editorial standards · Report an error
LatAm Markets: Live Signals → — real-time movers, turnover leaders and FX across Latin America.
Ask Rio Times
Latin American markets, currencies and companies.
Answers are generated from Rio Times reporting only — every claim links to its source article.