Aerolíneas Argentinas international flights will resume today, according to airline officials, after having been suspended over the weekend due to strikes by air traffic controllers and aeronautical technical staff.

The government issued a decree yesterday ordering the strikers to comply with a mandatory conciliation effected by the Labour of Ministry last Friday that, during the weekend, the union had chosen to ignore.

Government officials are blaming Ricardo Cirielli, leader of the Association of Aviation Technical Personnel, for the problems that have arisen in recent days and that have led to the cancellation of more than 80 flights since last Thursday.

Cirielli said that the flights were cancelled, not because of worker strikes, but because of expired airplane licenses, problems with landing gear and other technical problems. Furthermore, he claimed that 5 of the ten planes in the international fleet did not meet satisfactory safety standards to fly. Cirielli accused the airline of negligence and of not investing sufficiently in routine technical maintenance.

“They are accusing us of something we didn’t do, we are not on strike,” said Cirielli.

Today, the government also announced plans to transfer control of air traffic control services from the National Administration of Civil Aviation (ANAC) to the military Argentine Air Forces in response to the ongoing dispute.

It is estimated that Aerolíneas Argentina, a national company, has lost between 15 and 20 million dollars because of conflicts between union leaders and airline authorities.

As the ash cloud from the eruption of the Chilean volcano Puyehue approaches Buenos Aires, airlines have cancelled international flights to and from Ezeiza Airport.

The National Meteorological Service (SMN) announced that the ash cloud, which has already reached ten Argentine provinces and the southern region of Greater Buenos Aires, will arrive in the capital today. The SMN added that the ash cloud’s proximity to Buenos Aires is no cause for alarm; much of the ash dispersed as the cloud passed through the South and will be “barely noticeable” in the capital. The ash is suspended at an altitude of five to ten thousand meters.

Still, in addition to the six airports that remain closed of the capital (Bariloche, Viedma, Trelew, Chapelco, Esquel and Bahía Blanca), Ezeiza remains on hold. Last night more than six airlines cancelled incoming flights to Ezeiza (including Delta, LAN, and United Airlines), and a crisis committee has gathered to determine when it will be safe to clear international departures for the airlines that plan to resume flights later this evening.

After shutting down this morning, domestic airport Aeroparque resumed service this afternoon.

Airports closer to the volcano, which is located 90km northeast of Bariloche, will remain closed for the rest of the week. State-owned airlines Aerolíneas Argentinas and Austral suspended flights between Aeroparque and Bariloche and between Chapelco and Esquel until Sunday. Flights from Aeroparque to Trelew, Neuquén, and Videma will resume on Thursday.

Four thousand residents have evacuated their homes since the eruption on Saturday afternoon, escaping strong rains, soot, and flash floods. Patagonia was affected most severely by the cloud. Classes and public events have been cancelled in Bariloche, and ash fell over the region at mid-day.

No fatalities have been reported as caused by the volcano.