The Regulatory Authority of Airport Systems (ORSNA, for its acronym in Spanish) aims to "verify compliance with the obligations of the concessionaire or the airport manager." According to the Auditor General's Office (AGN, for its acronym in Spanish), there were shortcomings and lack of control on runways, control towers, and fire prevention from one of the dealers of the Trelew, El Calafate, and Ushuaia airports: the company ¨ London Supply SA ¨ and ORSNA.

"The airport in Trelew is unprotected against possible fires." This is the situation that was observed in one of three airports evaluated by the AGN up to August of last year, the date on which the audit’s work ended. According to the auditors, "the provision of airport fire water was interrupted due to a break in the water located near the main reserve tank." The most disturbing fact is that the auditors found that they "were not performing repairs" and "had not contracted the workers to fix it", thus prolonging the vulnerability of the terminal.

On the control towers, the AGN remarked that the inspections ORSNA performs in those locations “focus –only- on checking whether or not they have a Jacob’s ladder". The three terminals "there isn’t much signage and signaling of fire extinguishers and hydrants." It also explained that in Trelew and Ushuaia, the airport "control tower has misplaced fire extinguishers and signage, alarm buttons, and missing smoke and fire detectors", among other items that they have to have.

With regard to infrastructure projects and analysis of their records the AGN detected "deficiencies." On file with the expansion and remodeling project from the Trelew airport there is no documentation proving the relocation or removal of a fuel dispenser -of YPF- that has been misplaced or has had an environmental study performed. In the records of the reform of the airport of El Calafate "between October 2005 and August 2010 there was no movement or documentation regarding the final design."

The runway: In relation to them, in Trelew “concrete slabs present Structural Failure and require repair or repaving surface irregularities" were detected. In addition, the report notes shortfalls in maintenance and the "existence of environmental contamination with the rubber the impact of the aircrafts wheels produces" causing a "risk" and a "decrease in adhesion occurs especially when the runway is wet."

Emergencies: In this regard the Audit stated that the Emergency and Evacuation plans are not updated (the Trelew and Ushuaia airports were restructured) but they have not been approved. On evacuation drills, although it is advisable to perform a general drill once every two years, the AGN said that "there is no record of the concessionaire London Supply having trained staff in this field." The last simulations were in April 2003 in El Calafate, in November 2009 in Trelew and in February 2007 to Ushuaia. In the latter they also said it "lacks an emergency signaling system and means of escape."

Health: airport health services include medical care and first aid. In the particular case of the terminal Ushuaia, it should be provided by the province except for the provision of ambulances which is in charge of London Supply. But not only did the dealership fail to fulfill its part, because "there is no permanent ambulance" but "the health care facilities are not available and the equipment and the minimum elements of emergency care, such as wheel chairs are not provided."

Reports: None of the evaluated airports "writes reports on their administration including the amount of passengers in the terminal, revenues, and expenditures, economic or financial documents, among others. For example in Trelew, "this situation is more serious because "it is an obligation arising from the contract."

Inspections: The auditors found some flaws in ORSNA’s audits. Not only did they "not perform them as frequently as was required" (in 2009, for example, it wasn’t done in any airports), but they do a "regular monitoring to determine compliance with the conditions required by regulation." It was further suggested that planning supervisions 2010 and 2011 were in Excel spreadsheets, but these files "cannot be regarded as a database or part of it."

What Happened To The Ashes Of The Peyehue Volcano?

The AGN argued that before the eruption of the volcano "this was already an important issue" because the ashes accumulate in the tracks of the terminal and "the wind doesn’t drag them easily". However, the three flight schools evaluated that they "did not have a Management Plan for the ashes". After the natural phenomenon that occurred in July 2011, "the Trelew airport had to be closed 66 days and made it clear that "it was significant the flaws these projects had because of the company, and the lack of demands by the ORSNA."