The illegitimate British government, which has usurped the Malvina Islands from Argentina —an archipelago that is part of the Argentine province of Tierra del Fuego, Antarctica and the South Atlantic Islands— announced that the weekly LATAM airline flight that serves as an air bridge to the continent will begin making its monthly stopover at Ushuaia Airport . The measure, they argue, is due to scheduled repair work on the runway at the Río Gallegos terminal, a regular stopover point.

The modification, reported by the British media outlet Mercopress based on statements from the colonial government , will extend from September 1 to December 23, 2025. During this period, eight flights in total—four outbound and four inbound—will stop in Ushuaia, the capital city of the province and therefore of the Malvina Islands.

To date, the authorities of the Tierra del Fuego, Antarctica, and the South Atlantic Islands province, led by Governor Gustavo Melella, have not issued an official statement regarding this decision, which directly links the capital of Tierra del Fuego to the seized territory. The lack of a public statement is more than surprising, given the sensitive nature of the air connection.

The service, which falls under the 1999 diplomatic agreement between Argentina and the United Kingdom, had Río Gallegos as its only Argentine stopover . This route change, while presented as a technical measure, takes on special political significance as it directly involves the city that symbolizes Argentine sovereignty over the archipelago. Even more so is the silence of the Tierra del Fuego government, which has not indicated whether or not it was aware of the decision of the British colonial government and the airline .

LATAM has reported that this route change will not affect schedules or fares, and passengers with a final destination in Punta Arenas (Chile) or, in the opposite direction, Mount Pleasant/Monte Agradable (Islands Airport) will be able to remain on board. However, passengers wishing to disembark in Ushuaia must comply with the applicable immigration requirements. Once the work on the Río Gallegos runway is completed, the monthly stopover is expected to return to that airport.

The change in scale can already be seen in the Chilean-Brazilian company's flight schedule, which currently has frequencies with a stopover in Ushuaia, starting Saturday, October 11 .