Tourists Fall Ill After Flight from Ushuaia, Triggering Health Response in Ezeiza

A massive sanitary operation was deployed between late Saturday and early Sunday at the Ministro Pistarini International Airport in Ezeiza, Buenos Aires, after a group of foreign tourists fell seriously ill during a domestic flight. The passengers, who had recently disembarked from a cruise ship in Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego, presented with severe vomiting and other gastrointestinal symptoms while traveling.

The emergency response began when the pilot of flight AR1953 contacted ground control before landing to request urgent medical assistance for several sick passengers. The advance warning allowed airport health teams, including Sanity Care personnel stationed inside the terminal, to prepare for the arrival and triage the travelers immediately after touchdown.

According to information provided by Aerolíneas Argentinas, the affected group consisted of 15 foreign nationals, primarily French tourists, alongside travelers from Germany, Australia, and Norway. Twelve individuals received direct medical attention at the airport's health post, with eight requiring medication in addition to hydration and medical monitoring. While initial reports indicated no hospitalizations, authorities later confirmed that two patients were transferred to the Ezeiza Interzonal General Hospital for further observation.

Aerolíneas Argentinas formally ruled out the flight catering as the source of the illness, clarifying that the passengers were part of a larger travel cohort that had consumed a shared meal on land in Ushuaia. Company representatives noted that some members of the same tour group never boarded their flights because they were already displaying symptoms while still at the Fuegian airport.

Investigators are currently examining various hypotheses regarding the origin of the foodborne illness, pointing toward pre-trip boxed meals containing tuna and chicken or hamburgers that may have been consumed prior to departure. Authorities have sought to identify the specific cruise ship the tourists arrived on, noting that two vessels—one Norwegian and one Chilean—had recently docked in Ushuaia. Some sources indicated the tourists may have come from the Norwegian vessel Fridtjof Nansen.

The incident has also brought renewed scrutiny to the management of the Port of Ushuaia, which has been under federal intervention since January 2026. Local officials noted that communication channels with the port authority have been limited, complicating efforts by provincial agencies to investigate safety protocols and trace the origin of the suspected contaminated food.

Tierra del Fuego Health Minister Judit Di Giglio stated that the provincial government did not intervene directly in the medical operation because the symptoms manifested during the voyage and the flight, and noted that Border Health authorities did not notify the local administration. Furthermore, the director of the Ushuaia Regional Hospital confirmed that no severe intoxication cases had been reported locally prior to the flight's arrival in Buenos Aires.