A regional carrier based in Salta, Argentina, now focused on passenger and cargo charters, linking the northern resource regions with Buenos Aires.
Andes Lineas Aereas is a regional airline headquartered in Salta, Argentina, with IATA code OY and ICAO code ANS, in operation since 2006. Its main base is Salta Martin Miguel de Guemes Airport (SLA), with Buenos Aires Jorge Newbery (AEP) as a secondary base, and it built its early business on domestic scheduled passenger routes and tourist charters. Its official site is andesonline.com.
In its operating history Andes Líneas Aéreas flew the McDonnell Douglas MD-80 series for many years before gradually introducing Boeing 737 aircraft. Public information from recent years shows the company has moved its focus to charter work, organizing flights for student tour groups, Caribbean holidays, corporate groups and oil and mining crew movements. Scheduled network launches and changes are flexible, and no long-term fixed timetable is published. Confirm specific routes and timings with the carrier.
For Chinese shippers the value of Andes Líneas Aéreas is not in international trunk routes but in air access to the resource regions of northern Argentina. Oil and gas, mining and agricultural projects are spread around Salta and nearby Jujuy, Neuquén and Rivadavia, concentrating demand for air movement of personnel and supporting supplies. Equipment parts, oilfield supplies and light manufactured goods exported from China to northern Argentina can land at Buenos Aires and connect to the Salta direction on the carrier's domestic charters or regional capacity.
Salta sits in northwestern Argentina near the eastern slopes of the Andes, a long road journey from Buenos Aires, so air transport is the main way to rotate crews and replenish high-value parts. Andes Líneas Aéreas began at a local base and knows the northern routes and airport conditions, which gives it operating experience in the region. Objectively, the carrier is smaller than flag carriers such as Aerolíneas Argentinas and has a limited network; its cargo capacity sits in the belly holds of passenger charters and it has no independent intercontinental freighter capability.
Argentina's domestic aviation market has been highly competitive in recent years, with several low-cost carriers in operation. Andes Líneas Aéreas faces pressure in the scheduled market and has shifted to charters as a distinct niche. That shift has kept a steady base of personnel and group travel business and gives Chinese shippers an additional option for project supplies in the north.
Published sources differ on the carrier's current routes, registered aircraft and operating status, and some aviation data platforms no longer list its scheduled destinations. Details are based on public information available at the time of compilation; actual lift, available aircraft types and slot windows must be confirmed through the carrier's official channels or by Goodhope Logistics (China) Limited on the day of booking, and do not constitute any commitment of flight or capacity.
Andes Líneas Aéreas has no published office of its own in China and does not run scheduled cargo sales in the Chinese market. Shippers moving cargo over its network should contact its local general sales agent in China, or ask Goodhope Logistics (China) Limited to make the connection. Depending on the final destination, Goodhope can judge whether the carrier's charter capacity in northern Argentina is needed and confirm feasibility and space with the carrier on the shipper's behalf.
Because the carrier works mainly on charters, transport has to be planned ahead. Shippers should submit cargo details and timing requirements as early as possible so Goodhope can coordinate with the ground handler and the carrier on aircraft type and slot windows. For charters carrying project equipment or supplies that travel with personnel, the cargo list and loading requirements should be settled at the booking stage.
Charters and scheduled flights run to different rhythms: a scheduled flight can take extra cargo at any time against a fixed timetable, while a charter has to gather cargo and people around a fixed slot, and a missed slot usually means waiting for the next available window. Planning and lead time are therefore the key to using this carrier's capacity. After receiving an enquiry Goodhope confirms the nearest available slot with the carrier and reports the expected connection time, and the shipper arranges production and stock build-up accordingly. For first-time shippers Goodhope explains how charter operations work and where the uncertainty lies before agreeing a transport plan.
The fleet has changed with the business model, starting with the McDonnell Douglas MD-80 series and moving to the Boeing 737 family in recent years. The types below are drawn from public sources; actual numbers on the register and availability are confirmed by the carrier on the day.
| Aircraft type | Cargo mode | Role |
|---|---|---|
| Boeing 737-700 / 737-800 | Belly capacity on passenger aircraft | Single-aisle type introduced in recent years for domestic and regional charters. The lower-deck holds carry accompanying freight and baggage, and this is the main source of charter capacity today. |
| McDonnell Douglas MD-83 | Belly capacity on passenger aircraft | The company's main type in its early years on domestic scheduled and charter routes. Most have been retired, and public sources indicate high airframe hours; listed for historical reference only. |
| Whole-aircraft charter capacity | Whole-aircraft passenger and cargo use | Charters are organized around student groups, corporate groups and oil and mining crew movements, with accompanying equipment and supplies carried in the belly hold. Actual payload depends on aircraft type and loading plan. |
The fleet is small and moves with charter slots. No long-term capacity table is published; confirm with the carrier.
In payload terms the belly hold of a single-aisle passenger aircraft is limited, which suits small equipment, samples and household supplies travelling with personnel rather than full pallet loads. The MD-80 series, as an early type, differs from the modern Boeing 737 in hold design and available payload, and most airframes have left service, so it is covered for background only. Any current movement should be planned around the Boeing 737 aircraft the carrier actually assigns to charters, with payload and ULD conditions confirmed shipment by shipment.
Andes Líneas Aéreas operates no flights into China and runs no international route between Argentina and China. Cargo from China that needs its Salta base first leaves a Chinese airport, lands at Buenos Aires on an international carrier and then connects to Andes domestic charter capacity. The routings in the table are connection examples; times are local, schedules change with the season, and confirmation rests with the carrier on the day of booking.
| Chinese origin cities | Connection path | Arrival point | Indicative schedule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shanghai PVG | Via a European or North American hub to Buenos Aires EZE, then a domestic leg | Salta SLA | No fixed published schedule; charter slots confirmed per shipment |
| Beijing PEK | Via Buenos Aires AEP onto a charter to the north | Salta SLA | No fixed schedule publicly listed |
| Guangzhou CAN | Via Buenos Aires onto a resource-region charter | Northern resource region | No fixed schedule publicly listed |
Because the carrier works mainly on charters it publishes no regular timetable. The table shows connection directions only and is not a schedule commitment.
The table does not represent a published flight program. Departure dates, aircraft type and payload for charters must be confirmed shipment by shipment after the booking is placed. Shippers with firm deadlines should raise the request at least several weeks ahead to secure space within an existing charter program; where time is short, road distribution after landing at Buenos Aires is the better option.
Andes Líneas Aéreas does not itself carry cargo from China to Argentina. Chinese shippers use its capacity as the domestic link inside Argentina: the chain runs from an international trunk service out of China, through customs clearance and distribution at Buenos Aires, to an Andes charter inside the country. Goodhope coordinates all three legs as one job.
Northwestern Argentina around Salta adjoins oil and gas and agricultural projects, with steady demand for crew rotation and supporting supplies. Oilfield parts, engineering equipment and household supplies exported from China can land at Buenos Aires and reach the Salta direction on Andes domestic charters. For Chinese companies with project teams on site, this channel delivers urgent parts and supplies on the same rotation as personnel.
Andes uses Jorge Newbery airport as a secondary base, a short distance from Ezeiza international airport, so inbound international cargo can be cleared and distributed in greater Buenos Aires before entering the domestic charter network. Shippers do not need a separate long road leg to northern destinations, and the air connection shortens transit time.
For corporate groups, student travel and supplies travelling with project crews, Andes can operate a whole-aircraft charter, so exhibition stands, event materials and project cargo exported from China can fly with the charter on its slot. This works well where cargo and people have to move on the same dates.
Andes does not fly long-haul international routes itself. The trunk leg from China to Buenos Aires is flown by other international carriers, and the carrier's role is the domestic connection inside Argentina. Shippers planning the whole journey should hand trunk and domestic legs to Goodhope as one booking.
Andes Líneas Aéreas is not an international cargo carrier aimed at the Chinese market; its value to Chinese shippers is as a supplementary domestic link in northern Argentina. Four points describe how the carrier actually works and where it fits.
First, regional access is distinctive. The Salta base covers markets in northwestern Argentina that mainstream international carriers rarely serve nonstop, giving Chinese shippers a domestic capacity option for cargo bound for the northern resource regions. Second, charters are flexible: for crew rotations or concentrated project shipments, flying can be arranged around the shipper's or group's dates rather than a fixed timetable.
Third, belly hold and baggage cargo are combined. A charter carries people and, in the lower-deck hold, the equipment and supplies that travel with them, which suits project and engineering teams. Fourth, access is straightforward: the carrier is small and charter work is concentrated, so booking through Goodhope avoids the difficulty of reaching the airline directly, with Goodhope coordinating slots and ground handling. Note that capacity is limited and schedules are irregular, so the carrier suits planned project and group cargo rather than regular trade freight with tight deadlines.
On cost, charters can be economic in specific cases: when project supplies and accompanying cargo fill an aircraft, the unit cost of a whole-aircraft charter can be lower than several small shipments. If volumes are small and time is short, landing at Buenos Aires and distributing with another scheduled domestic carrier, then road to the northern destination, is the better option. Goodhope compares both options against volume, deadline and budget and gives a straight recommendation.
On risk, small charter operators bring capacity swings. Public sources show the airline has moved between scheduled and charter models several times in recent years, and its program is less stable than that of a large carrier. After booking, Goodhope tracks slot changes, tells the shipper as soon as an adjustment appears, and switches to an alternative domestic distribution plan where needed to keep cargo from sitting. Anticipating that risk and holding a fallback is the practical reason to route the work through a forwarder.
Chinese shippers cannot book international cargo with Andes directly; the whole job has to be placed through a company licensed as an international freight forwarder. Goodhope Logistics (China) Limited takes the shipper's instruction, arranges the international trunk leg from a Chinese airport to Buenos Aires, then decides whether Andes domestic charter capacity is needed for the Salta direction and confirms slot and loading plan with the carrier. Goodhope acts as a single point of contact between the trunk carrier, the local customs broker and the airline.
The process: the shipper submits a shipping instruction and cargo details stating the final destination and deadlines; Goodhope prices the trunk leg and assesses whether a domestic charter is feasible; once a slot is confirmed the cargo is dispatched; the local agent clears it on arrival; and the domestic leg carries it to Salta or another northern point. Charter planning needs lead time, so requests should come early enough for Goodhope to hold a capacity window.
On documents, the shipper provides product names in Chinese and English, pieces, weight and dimensions, consignor and consignee details, HS codes and any project notes. Where cargo flies with a personnel charter, basic details of the group or project are also needed so the carrier can check the load list. Goodhope turns the file into a booking request, confirms available belly payload and loading conditions with the carrier, and reports the air waybill and estimated arrival once confirmed.
Andes cargo capacity depends on charter movements. It suits the following kinds of demand tied to personnel travel, and each arrangement is confirmed per shipment against the charter slot.
When oil, mining and agricultural project crews rotate, tools, samples and household supplies can fly in the charter belly hold, avoiding the delay of separate shipments. Such cargo must be on the load list at booking and declared together with the personnel manifest.
Materials for student tours, corporate events and exhibitions can be declared with the charter and loaded to the overall slot. This cargo usually travels with a fixed itinerary, so shippers should declare it to Goodhope as soon as the group is confirmed.
Where a project site needs parts urgently, replenishment can be fitted to a charter slot, subject to the carrier's program and loading confirmation. For time-critical cargo, contact Goodhope immediately so space can be sought on an existing charter rotation first.
Public information in recent years shows the carrier has moved its focus to charters, flying for student travel, Caribbean holidays, corporate groups and oil and mining crew movements. The scheduled network is flexible and no long-term timetable is published. Routes and times rest with the carrier's official information, and Goodhope can verify the latest slots on request.
No. The airline operates no international route between China and Argentina and works within Argentina and neighbouring markets. Cargo from China must first reach Buenos Aires on another international carrier, then connect to Andes domestic charter capacity for Salta and other northern cities.
The carrier mainly uses passenger belly holds, with Boeing 737 aircraft in recent years and McDonnell Douglas MD-83 aircraft in the past. The fleet is small and follows charter slots, so available types and payload are confirmed per shipment at booking; no long-term capacity data is published.
Mainly project supplies, engineering parts, group supplies and event cargo for the resource regions of northern Argentina. Regular bulk trade freight is better landed at Buenos Aires and distributed by another domestic carrier. Shippers can describe the final destination and cargo profile to Goodhope, which will judge whether the carrier is needed.
The airline has no published office of its own in China. Contact its local agent in China, or ask Goodhope to make the connection. The shipper only needs to send a shipping instruction and cargo details; Goodhope handles the trunk connection, charter slot confirmation and distribution on arrival.
The journey combines an international trunk leg from China to Buenos Aires with a domestic charter, so total transit is long and depends heavily on charter slots. The trunk leg usually takes one to two weeks; the domestic leg depends on the nearest available charter window. Planned project cargo can lock a slot early, and Goodhope reports the overall lead time once the booking is placed.
Information compiled by Goodhope Logistics (China) Limited. Flight times are local; schedules change with the season and with the carrier's charter program and are confirmed by the carrier on the day of booking. The Andes Líneas Aéreas name and marks belong to the airline and are used only to describe cargo connections.
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