Over 40 flights delayed as Ezeiza airport closes briefly for maintenance work

At least 41 flights will be delayed on Friday as Buenos Aires’ Ministro Pistarini international airport better known for its location in Ezeiza is set to shut down for four hours, for scheduled maintenance work.  Argentina’s National Civil Aviation Administration (ANAC) confirmed both landing strips will be shut down from 1:55 p.m. to 5:40 p.m., Argentina time.  The work will be carried out by Aeropuertos Argentina and will be executed immediately and preventively, in order to mitigate any major impacts on airport operations, ensuring the continuity of service under adequate conditions, said ANAC in a statement released through social media channels. The statement goes on to say airlines were consulted on the time frames that would bring the least operational impact, and aimed at reducing impact to passengers. Most flights affected are domestic and short-haul international connections, so some specific operations will be transferred to Jorge Newbery Airport, Buenos Aires main domestic terminal. ANAC recommended passengers check the status of their flights and contact their respective airlines if they have any questions or concerns about possible changes. The announcement of the repairs comes after metropolitan airport Jorge Newbery unexpectedly suspended flights from the terminal for several hours in the last week of December, as temperatures exceeding 35 celsius saw a patch of the landing strip come loose. At the time, over 60 flights were delayed or diverted.