Days after Qantas launched its inaugural flight from Sydney to Santiago, Aerolíneas Argentinas has announced new non-stop direct flights between Sydney and Buenos Aires.

Effective 1 July 2012, the airline will operate three weekly frequencies between Australia and South America with two additional frequencies commencing in December of this year.

The carrier said it made the decision to commission these direct flights after careful assessment of their long-haul network, and according to the airline’s president Mariano Recalde, the new routes will play an important role in the airline’s engagement in the South Pacific.

“Aerolíneas Argentinas is committed to continue serving the South Pacific, becoming the best option for passengers flying to Argentina and other South American destinations, focusing our main efforts in increasing nonstop frequencies,” the carrier’s head said.

Aerolíneas is also seeking to capitalise by reallocating capacity to markets that have been garnering immense traffic figure increases in recent years, such as the Latin American markets.

Qantas Airlines Group executive commercial Rob Gurney said Santiago is one of the region’s most dynamic business centres and acts as a perfect hub for connecting Australians to the rest of the continent.

“There are strong ties between Australia and South America, with growing visitor numbers, mutual investment and an Australia-Chile free trade agreement in place,” Mr Gurney said.