DL Expands South America EZE, GRU Routes

Delta Air Lines has confirmed two long-haul additions from New York John F Kennedy (JFK) with the launch of flights to Argentina’s capital Buenos Aires and the resumption of service to Rio de Janeiro in Brazil after an absence of more than three years.
The airline applied to the U.S. Transportation Department (DOT) in January for broad authority to serve the U.S.-Argentina market to complement its long-standing year-round flights from Atlanta.


The SkyTeam alliance member said approval would give it the “flexibility to potentially add additional new flights as market conditions warrant,” starting with a new route from New York. The DOT approved the request on Jan. 25.


Service between New York JFK and Buenos Aires Ezeiza will begin on Oct. 28, subject to government approval. The 8,528-km (4,605-nm) sector will be served daily on a seasonal basis using Boeing 767-400 aircraft.


The New York-Buenos Aires city pair is served nonstop by two carriers at the present time, offering a combined 5,454 two-way weekly seats. For the week commencing Feb. 6, American Airlines provides daily JFK-EZE service using 777-200/200ERs, while Aerolineas Argentinas operates 3X-weekly Airbus A330 flights. American has a 70% capacity share of the market.
Alongside the Buenos Aires route, Delta intends to restart flying from New York JFK to Rio de Janeiro Galeão (GIG). The airline previously served the cities during the northern winter seasons in 2017, 2018 and 2019, providing flights until the onset of the pandemic in March 2020.