Argentina has authorized JetSmart Airlines SpA, the Chilean airline of the JetSmart group, to operate domestic passenger and cargo flights in the country under ninth-freedom traffic rights.
The authorization was granted by Argentina's Subsecretaría de Transporte Aéreo through Disposición 27/2026, dated October 7 and published in the country's official gazette on October 14.
The measure grants JetSmart Chile traffic rights ranging from the third through the ninth freedoms of the air for scheduled passenger and cargo services.
Ninth-freedom rights, also known as stand-alone cabotage, allow a foreign airline to carry passengers between two points within another country without the flight being connected to a service originating or terminating in the carrier's home country.
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This means JetSmart Chile could, for example, operate a Buenos Aires-Córdoba flight independently, rather than as an extension of a service from Santiago.
JetSmart already has Argentine subsidiary
The authorization is unusual in JetSmart's case because the airline already operates domestic services through JetSmart Airlines S.A., its locally registered Argentine subsidiary.
The new approval potentially gives the group greater flexibility to deploy aircraft from its Chilean operation on domestic Argentine routes. However, JetSmart has not announced routes or a date for beginning services under the new authorization.
The regulatory approval alone does not mean that Chilean-registered aircraft will immediately replace or supplement aircraft operated by the Argentine subsidiary.
JetSmart has been expanding rapidly in Argentina. The airline carried 442,347 domestic passengers in September and accounted for around 31% of the country's domestic market.
The company previously announced plans to increase the number of aircraft based in Argentina to 23 by the 2027 summer season.
Flybondi problems reduce domestic capacity
The approval comes amid problems at rival low-cost carrier Flybondi, which has sharply reduced the supply of domestic flights in Argentina and has not operated commercial services since August.
Flybondi filed for creditor protection earlier this month after returning most of its aircraft to lessors. Court documents subsequently revealed liabilities of ARS 609.6 billion (US$396 million), compared with assets of ARS 176.1 billion (US$114 million).
The carrier's retreat has opened additional space in a domestic market dominated by Aerolíneas Argentinas and increasingly contested by JetSmart.
Argentina opens domestic market to foreign airlines
Argentina has gradually expanded traffic rights for foreign airlines as part of changes to its commercial aviation regulatory framework.
LATAM Airlines Group previously received authorization covering traffic rights through the ninth freedom, allowing its foreign operators to perform domestic services in Argentina. Ethiopian Airlines has also received ninth-freedom authorization for cargo operations.
The distinction between eighth- and ninth-freedom rights is significant. Eighth-freedom cabotage allows a foreign airline to carry domestic traffic as part of an international service, while ninth freedom permits a completely independent domestic operation.
