Uruguay, Chile to Sign Agreement on Air Routes

Authorities in Uruguay and Chile inked an agreement in Santiago that provides further opening of air routes between the two capitals, the first pact ever signed by two South American nations, Uruguayan Tourism Minister Pedro Bordaberry informed.

The new agreement will raise the competitiveness of both Uruguayan and Chilean airlines covering international routes and will open bigger opportunities for more domestic flights between the two countries.

According to Mr. Bordaberry, some 19,623 Chilean passengers arrived in Uruguay last summer, up 40.9 percent from the previous vacation season, and a staggering 159.8 percent spike from the summers of 2001 and 2002.

Both airlines are making sellout flights that tally a grand total of 80,000 passengers every year.