LADE - Líneas Aéreas del Estado (Buenos Aires Jorge Newbery) risks collapse unless it is accorded sufficient financial assistance by the Argentine government local media have reported. Founded by Fuerza Aérea Argentina (FAG, Buenos Aires El Palomar) in 1945, LADE is mandated with providing air connectivity to the country's more isolated locations using a fleet of four Saab 340Bs as well as smaller turboprop aircraft.

However, Argentina's La Nacion newspaper says the carrier has been forced to cut 17 destinations from its network and lost nearly a third of its clientèle over the last seven years as a result of inadequate funding - government subsidies for unprofitable, yet necessary, routes in particular.

In October, LADE informed authorities in Patagonia that for a period of eight weeks, services there would be severely curtailed but did not provide any justification.

LADE's status-quo has been juxtaposed with that of sister carrier, Aerolíneas Argentinas (AR, Buenos Aires Jorge Newbery), whose daily operational shortfall of almost USD13million is covered by the country's treasury.