Argentine state-owned carrier Aerolineas Argentinas has named its chief commercial officer Fabian Lombardo as its new president and chief executive, succeeding Pablo Ceriani.
The Buenos Aires-based airline said its board approved the promotion on 26 December. Lombardo has already assumed the CEO role.
Lombardo began his professional career at now-defunct Varig, where he held multiple executive positions, including those involving revenue and route management. He also worked at Brazil’s Gol and Azul, as well as TAP Portugal, and arrived at Aerolineas in 2013, the company says.
Aerolineas also said on 29 December that it carried about 13.8 million passengers in 2023, a record, exceeding even pre-pandemic levels. In 2019, the airline carried just less than 13 million customers.
“In the domestic market, almost 11,000,000 passengers were transported, while the regional flight network contributed 1,800,000 passengers,” the company says. Most flights were conducted to Brazil – traditionally a favourite vacation destination for Argentines. The airline’s load factor last year was 84%.
“We worked hard to reach this figure: From the commercial side, increasing offers where we saw that there are business opportunities, and from the operational side, being efficient and providing high-quality service,” Lombardo says.
On the New Year’s weekend, Aerolíneas Argentinas said it would transport about 191,000 customers, with the most popular destinations being Bariloche, Ushuaia, El Calafate, Iguazu, Cordoba, Mendoza, Salta, Rio de Janeiro, Tucuman and Sao Paulo.
