Argentina has halted all commercial flights until 1 September, extending a current travel ban put in place to try to control the spread of Covid-19.
Commercial airlines will not be able to sell tickets for any flights to, from or within Argentina until 1 September, according to a resolution issued by the National Civil Aviation Administration.
The extended ban, the longest in the region, immediately raised protests from the airline industry.
Argentina has been under a strict national lockdown since 20 March and the country's borders have been closed since then. Air traffic has all but ceased except for cargo and extraordinary repatriation flights both to and from Argentina.
The Airports Council International (ACI), the Latin American and Caribbean Air Transport Association (ALTA) and the International Air Transport Association (IATA) issued a joint statement calling on the Argentinian government to "consider the imminent and substantial risk" represented by the extended ban.
"This decision directly affects the future of the entire commercial aviation value chain in Argentina and the region," the industry groups said.
"Unfortunately, many companies in the sector will not be able to survive if this resolution is implemented as planned," they added.
In a separate letter to Argentinian government officials, IATA warned that the measure violates bilateral agreements and puts 329,000 jobs at risk.
The resolution does not explain why the 1 September was chosen, only describing the period as "reasonable" and aligned with social restrictions.
The ban was put in place out of concern that airlines were selling tickets to desperate customers without knowing whether they would be able to provide the service, a government official explained.
Argentina's leading carrier is state-owned Aerolineas Argentinas, which has conducted most of the repatriation flights. Its main competitor is Chile's Latam.
Over the weekend, President Alberto Fernandez extended the national lockdown through 10 May.
