MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

LADE makes maiden flight for Comodoro Rivadavia-Puerto Madryn route

Twin Otters will handle the new route but larger faster aircraft are needed to reach Buenos Aires as planned

A De Havilland Canada DHC-6-200 Twin Otter of Argentina's Líneas Aéreas del Estado (LADE) took off from Comodoro Rivadavia airport Tuesday morning and landed at Puerto Madryn at 10.10 am in what became the new route's maiden flight.

LADE is a state-owned airline operated by the Argentine Air Force which focuses chiefly on domestic scheduled services within Patagonia.

After discontinuing the service for several years, the company Tuesday reopened the route with two weekly frequencies on Twin Otters, Tuesdays and Thursdays. The flight lasts around one hour and 50 minutes each way.

Other larger, faster aircraft might be used in the future, it was announced. Round-trip tockets sell for about AR$ 6,600 (roughly 70 US dollars at the offricial exchange rate), but prices may vary depending on demand and dates.

It has been more than a year since Puerto Madryn has not had a regular flights as a result of the Coronavirus pandemic, since Andes lifted its serivice from Buenos Aires and it is yet unknown whether it will ever be resumed.

Aviation industry sources have leaked LADE also plans to stretch the new route all the way to Buenos Aires but there is no official information on when and with which type of aircraft.