Javier Milei has added El Salvador, and there are now 27 countries in the 'Open Skies' plan.

The Government of Javier Milei continues to advance its ambitious air transport liberalization strategy. In recent hours, Argentina and El Salvador have signed a memorandum of understanding that incorporates the Central American country into the "Open Skies" policy. With this step, 27 countries have already joined this initiative since the President took office, reflecting the international community's confidence in and support for the libertarian economic direction.

The signing of the agreement was carried out by the Secretary of Transportation, Luis Pierrini, and the Director of Civil Aviation of El Salvador, Homero Francisco Morales Herrera, who established the foundations for a regime of unlimited frequencies in regular and non-regular passenger and cargo flights. In addition, the possibility was enabled to enter into codeshare agreements with airlines from third countries, which further expands connectivity and competitiveness in the sector.

This understanding, which becomes the first agreement of its kind between the two countries, also contemplates the signing of technical cooperation agreements in operational safety, ensuring international standards in civil aviation. It adds to the agreements recently signed with Türkiye, United Arab Emirates, Cyprus, Luxembourg, Czech Republic, Germany, and Honduras, among others.

The Secretariat of Transportation emphasized that the Open Skies policy  "not only promotes the development of the aviation sector and the opening of the air transport market in order to foster regional and global connectivity, but also boosts tourism and attracts investment in the sector". In this regard, they highlighted that, since the beginning of the administration, 38 new international connections have already been established, creating a scenario of greater competition, route diversity, and opportunities for passengers and companies.

The background of this transformation dates back to the Decree of Necessity and Urgency (DNU) of Open Skies, presented in mid-2024, which repealed Law 19,030 of 1971, a regulation that for more than five decades conditioned the aviation sector by requiring that domestic flights be covered exclusively by national airlines, also granting Aerolíneas Argentinas a minimum of 50% of operations. This scheme, plagued by rigidities and exceptions, hindered the growth of competition and the modernization of the system.

With the new regulatory framework, the libertarian Government opened the possibility for foreign companies to operate in the country under reciprocity agreements, creating free market conditions.  "With this measure, archaic regulations that have existed for decades in Argentina are being reformed. This is a very important step for the modernization and liberalization of airspace," stated presidential spokesperson Manuel Adorni at the time.

Milei managed to add 27 countries from four continents —including Brazil, Chile, Peru, Ecuador, Canada, Mexico, Colombia, Qatar, Iceland, Rwanda, and Türkiye— to a deregulation process that is already transforming civil aviation, tourism, and investment in the country.