
The landing in Ushuaia of a U.S. Air Force aircraft carrying a bipartisan delegation of U.S. lawmakers has reignited political controversy in Argentina’s Tierra del Fuego province and sharpened attention on the country’s strategic footprint in the South Atlantic and Antarctica, amid deepening ties between President Javier Milei and U.S. President Donald Trump.

A U.S. Air Force Boeing C-40 Clipper landed around midday Sunday at Ushuaia’s international airport — officially named “Ushuaia–‘Malvinas’ Argentinas” — an unusual arrival that drew immediate attention from local media and political observers in Tierra del Fuego.

Argentina’s government under President Javier Milei has intervened in the port of Ushuaia—the country’s southernmost port and a major gateway to Antarctica—taking control of operations for one year in a move that has reignited tensions with the Tierra del Fuego provincial administration and opened a wider dispute over federal authority.

LATAM Airlines' removal of Ushuaia's International Airport's name (Malvinas Argentinas - Spanish for Argentine Falklands) regarding its stopover between Punta Arenas (Chile) and Mount Pleasant sparked criticism on the Argentine side.

The Falkland Islands Government (FIG) has announced that Ushuaia Airport will temporarily replace Rio Gallegos as the Argentine stopover for the weekly LATAM flight between Chile and the Falklands, due to runway repairs in Rio Gallegos from 1 September to 23 December 2025.

A busy week for Ushuaia, extreme south of Argentina with some fourteen cruise vessels, mostly heading for Antarctica calling at the capital of Tierra del Fuego province, and involving 4,500 passengers.

A mechanical issue onboard a Swan Hellenic vessel led to the difficult decision to abandon Antarctica on a cruise whose very point was to visit Antarctica. When full refunds were not offered, hunger strikes began onboard, according to abundant cruise industry media.

Argentina's Coast Guard (Prefectura Naval Argentina - PNA) alerted all sailing ships this week of three icebergs near Ushuaia and advised them to avoid all unnecessary approaching these ice floes, of which only 10% is visible on the surface. The first detection was reported last Saturday by the Argentine-flagged fishing vessel Echizen Maru and the latest spotting came through on Monday at the Beagle Channel exit into the open sea.

With the cruise 2023/24 season technically over in Tierra del Fuego, the head of provincial ports, Roberto Murcia said it had been a very positive year and anticipated an even more promising season 2024/25 for Ushuaia with more vessels interested in the Antarctica tours.

Mayor Claudio Radonich of the southern Chilean city of Punta Arenas insisted this week that his country had “deantarticulated” over the past 30 years and urged the political leadership to be much more “intense” in matters concerning Antarctica given Argentine President Javier Milei's recent actions regarding the area when a United States base in Ushuaia was announced during US Southern Command Chief General Laura Richardson's visit.