ANAC Budget Paradox: Record Revenue Fails to Reach Argentina's Airport Fire and Rescue Service

Argentina's ANAC released only ARS 46,372,601,620 of its ARS 70,941,280,000 2026 budget despite collecting ARS 145,145,118,623 in navigation fees, straining airport fire and rescue services.

Original report
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Industry impact

Fee-funded aviation safety infrastructure can stall even amid strong revenue when budget-release mechanisms, not collections, determine how much cash reaches frontline operations.

What happened

Argentina's National Civil Aviation Administration (ANAC) authorized a 2026 budget credit of ARS 70,941,280,000, but funds actually released totaled only ARS 46,372,601,620, a shortfall of more than ARS 24.5 billion. Revenue from navigation fees for the same period reached ARS 145,145,118,623, more than double the allocated credit. For 2027, ANAC's projected budget credit is ARS 80,749,000,000 against estimated revenue of ARS 224,042,519,954.

The union ATE-ANAC has denounced that ANAC lacks vehicles, communications systems and work tools needed to supervise construction underway at Ezeiza International Airport, where airside works began on August 1, 2026, including rehabilitation of secondary runway 17-35, a new Golf apron, and airfield lighting improvements. At San Fernando Airport, one of the airport fire and rescue service's (SSEI) fire trucks was kept out of service for a prolonged period because a worn tire could not be replaced, according to ATE-ANAC.

The National Airports System Strengthening Fund (FFSNA), fed by a concessionaire fee of around US$70 million per year, has its margin committed through 2028. An additional investment plan exceeding US$600 million, prioritizing Ezeiza, Aeroparque, and Mendoza, remains on hold pending renegotiation of the airport concession. Under existing regulations, 50% of the security fee collected by ANAC must go toward strengthening airport security infrastructure, including the SSEI, though ATE-ANAC says the budget quota mechanism prevents those funds from reaching airport fire stations in a timely manner. At smaller interior airports, the shortfall is limiting SSEI stations' ability to fill staffing vacancies and renew equipment such as self-contained breathing apparatus, proximity suits, and vehicles. ATE-ANAC is also demanding the opening of collective bargaining negotiations, citing wage arrears of close to 40%.

Who this affects

• Commercial Airports — Fire and rescue coverage at airports including Ezeiza and smaller interior fields is constrained by unreplaced vehicles and equipment shortfalls tied to delayed budget releases.
• Business Charter Operators — Ezeiza construction supervision gaps and reduced airport fire and rescue readiness are relevant inputs for operators assessing dispatch risk at affected fields.
• Air Traffic Management (ATM) Authorities — The regulator's own budget-release shortfall, not a lack of fee revenue, is what is keeping funds from reaching airport fire and rescue stations.
• Aviation Associations — A union representing ANAC workers is pressing for collective bargaining and highlighting fire-service equipment shortfalls tied to the budget shortfall.