Particle.news
Download on the App Store

Mercado Libre Launches Air Deliveries in Argentina Starting in Patagonia

The rollout uses airline belly space and dedicated freighters to cut southern delivery times to under two days.

Overview

  • Mercado Libre, in a Thursday announcement, said it began flying parcels to four Patagonian cities with five weekly flights and capacity for about 15,000 to 16,000 packages per day.
  • The network uses two setups: reserved cargo space on Aerolíneas Argentinas passenger flights for Ushuaia and Bariloche, and dedicated cargo flights operated by Innova Logistic of Mirgor for Neuquén and Trelew.
  • The goal is to shrink typical delivery windows in Patagonia from roughly a week to less than 48 hours, which means buyers get goods faster and sellers can reach remote customers more reliably.
  • Argentina’s air push is a validation phase that follows a late‑2025 pilot and sits within a US$3.4 billion local investment plan, with any expansion to the NOA or NEA regions depending on volume, costs, and flight schedules.
  • The launch coincides with Hot Sale activity, as the company processed more than three million items in the first two days, and it complements new storage and last‑mile capacity including a large Escobar facility.