Most arrivals at Ezeiza are international flights, and the airport lies outside the city of Buenos Aires. If you are collecting someone or want to know whether a flight has landed, the key is to follow it by its flight number and to expect the passenger to come out well after touchdown. This page does not show live flight data: it explains where to find it and how to read it.
How to check Ezeiza arrivals
Ask the passenger for the flight number: the airline code followed by a number. With it, check:
- the airline’s app or website, which is the most direct source;
- the official website or app of the airport operator, with its arrivals list;
- the screens in the terminal, if you are already there.
Always search by number rather than by city of origin, as several flights from the same place may arrive at about the same time. Check the arrival terminal as well.
What the statuses mean
Wording varies between sources, but in general:
- On time or scheduled: the flight keeps its planned time, though this can change at the last minute.
- Estimated: the time calculated at that moment, updated during the flight.
- Delayed: it will arrive later; look at the new estimated time.
- Landed: the aircraft has touched down. It still has to reach its stand and let passengers off.
- Cancelled or diverted: the airline informs its passengers; message the person you are waiting for.
Why the passenger takes a while to appear
After an international flight, the passenger goes through several stages:
- Leaving the aircraft and walking to immigration.
- Immigration control, with queues that depend on how many flights land together.
- Baggage reclaim at the belt.
- Customs, where bags may be put through a scanner.
There is no fixed time between landing and the exit. The practical approach is for the passenger to message you once they have their bags. Some domestic flights also use Ezeiza, and those passengers skip immigration and customs.
Where to wait
The public cannot enter the immigration, baggage and customs area. You wait in the arrivals hall, facing the customs exit. At present all arrivals, international and domestic, come out through Terminal A, although the layout has changed several times, so check the screens. How the terminals are laid out is covered in our guide to Ezeiza terminals and the meeting point.
If you are driving, leave with time to spare: the airport is a long way out and motorway traffic varies. Stopping at the kerb outside the terminal is controlled, so the usual approach is to leave the car in the official car park while you wait.
If you cannot collect them yourself
You can book a transfer from Ezeiza. The driver follows the flight by its number and waits in the hall with a sign bearing the passenger’s name. Before the trip we send the driver and vehicle details, so both you and the passenger know whom to look for.