Argentine political party Coalición Cívica has called on the country's justice system to investigate a possible smuggling scheme wherein 14 former public employees, 18 private firms, and ten private citizens are alleged to have bought aircraft at inflated prices, thus benefiting from their access to US dollars at the official Argentine peso/US dollar rate, which is far below that of the black market. The scheme is estimated to have raked in USD252 million, with 203 aircraft (worth USD131.1 million) never being registered in Argentina.

According to a report by La Nación, the purchases occurred between 2020 and 2023, during the administration of former president Alberto Fernández, which allowed plane and helicopter imports at the official dollar rate. Coalición Cívica claims the imports were a front “to access official dollars, violating customs regulations by omitting or simulating requirements to facilitate access to foreign currency.”

The party specifically named several companies including Aerotec Argentinas S.A., Aaxod S.A., Flexfly S.A.S., Fame Fábrica Argentina de Máquinas y Equipos S.A., Helitours S.A., Kube Aviación S.A., Phoroneus S.R.L., Alas del Beagle S.A.S., Baires Fly S.A., Atx Logistics S.A., AL!JF0-o S.A., Lácteos Puyehue S.R.L., Servicios Helicenter S.A., Terminales y Servicios S.A., Servicios Aeronáuticos del Nea S.R.L., A Fondo Group S.A., Aceitera General Deheza S.A., and Currince S.A.

Additionally, it implicated 14 former public employees: Sergio Tomás Massa (former economy minister), Paula Español, Roberto Feletti, Guillermo Hang, Martín Pollera, Matías Tombolini, Martín Guzmán (former economy minister), Matias Sebastian Kulfas, Mercedes Marcó del Pont (former head of the tax policy implementation agency - AFIP), Carlos Castagneto, Silvia Brunilda Traverso, Guillermo Michel, Paola Tamburelli (former head of Argentina’s civil aviation regulator - ANAC), and Miguel Ángel Pesce (former president of Argentina’s central bank), and ten private individuals.

Per La Nación’s report, Aerotec Argentina was found to have imported 65 aircraft that were never registered in Argentina, paying USD15.6 million, the largest number of planes among all the companies involved. Aerotec told La Nación that they repair and ensemble aircraft and later sell them on to aeroclubs and schools.

The other companies involved in the scheme:

  • A Fondo Group – USD1.39 million for two aircraft
  • Aaxod S.A. – USD7.5 million for five non-registered aircraft
  • Aceitera General Deheza S.A. – USD460,000 for one aircraft
  • Baires Fly – USD8.1 million for one unregistered aircraft
  • Churrince S.A. (a real stator) – USD872,000 for one plane
  • Emes Air – USD13 million for one aircraft
  • Fame (a household appliances and agricultural machinery firm) – USD20,628 for two planes
  • Flexfly – USD6.5 million for nine aircraft
  • Helitours S.A. – USD4.89 million for two jets
  • Just Flight S.A. – USD2.57 million for two unregistered aircraft
  • Kube Aviación S.A. – USD17.1 million for unregistered imports
  • Patagonian Air – Two aircraft and one helicopter (registered) benefiting from currency gaps
  • Phoroneus SRL. (a pharmaceutical company) – USD182,900 for nine unregistered aircraft
  • Servicios Aéreos Sudamericanos S.A. – USD2.5 million for one aircraft
  • Servicios Helicenter – USD3.36 million for four unregistered aircraft
  • Terminales y Servicios S.A. – USD10.46 million for helicopters and airframes

Coalición Cívica outlined three key strategies used in the scheme: firms unrelated to the aeronautical industry making suspicious imports, massive aircraft imports exceeding reasonable market demand, and companies previously investigated for customs violations importing airframes.

Two years ago, federal judge Ariel Lijo opened a criminal investigation into these accusations, but no updates or prosecutions have been made public since. Coalición Cívica is now calling for a separate investigation to be handled by a financial crimes court.