MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Coronavirus keeps airline crews quarantined, passengers stranded

Things can get more complicated in the coming days, according to Aerolineas Argentinas sources

Multiple cases of COVID-19 are leaving companies understaffed but when it comes down to airline services it becomes far more notorious because scores of angry passengers fill airports everywhere.

In Brazil, Guarulhos International Airport, in Greater São Paulo, registered at least five domestic flights and one regional service, bound for Buenos Aires, canceled. Meanwhile, at Congonhas airport, 19 Latam flights were rescheduled. This airline alone has already canceled 52 flights at São Paulo airports, 19 of them international.

In total, 121 flights have been canceled since last Saturday.

In Buenos Aires, five departures needed to be canceled in addition to a return flight from Cancún, all of them due to the same reason: crews infected with COVID-19.

Sources close to the company said these cancellations were only for Monday and that the wave of infections may affect “other flights” during the rest of the week.

During January, Aerolíneas is making 230 daily departures, from Aeroparque, Ezeiza and Córdoba. But the wave of coronavirus infections, is currently keeping 1,000 of the company's almost 11,000 employees unavailable.

Passengers stranded at Punta Cana will be picked up by a flight returning from Miami on Tuesday, company sources said.

“We are working to relocate as many passengers as possible. We ask you to check your emails where we will inform you of any news about your flight itineraries and the different alternatives,” Aerolineas CEO Pablo Ceriani said. “This new wave of covid is strongly affecting the commercial aviation operation around the world. The contagions of airline personnel are massive causing delays and cancellations,” he added.