Yes, open-air smoking outside the terminal building, landside, is permitted at Martín Miguel de Güemes International Airport (SLA) in Salta, under Ley 26.687, Argentina’s nationwide ban on smoking in enclosed public spaces. The airport publishes no designated smoking area of its own, and no smoking facility after security is confirmed.
Also known as El Aybal, SLA sits about 7 kilometres southwest of the city centre. It is the main air hub of the Argentine Andes — Wikipedia’s cited 2023 figure puts it at roughly 1.46 million passengers, the busiest airport in northern Argentina — on routes to Buenos Aires, regional cities, and international connections including Lima.
Where to Smoke
Ley 26.687 keeps every enclosed public space in Argentina smoke-free, so no airport terminal in the country keeps an indoor smoking room, and SLA is no exception. Beyond that national baseline, SLA’s own website names no smoking area, marked spot or signage of its own — the open air outside the terminal building, on the landside, is the option the law leaves open.
After Security
SLA’s own service and facilities listings do not name an airside smoking room anywhere in the terminal, whether you’re travelling domestically or on the international route to Lima. Smoke landside, before the checkpoint, since nothing past security is confirmed; our guide to smoking during layovers covers general planning for a tight connection.
Lounge
The Priority Pass listing for the Salta by AMAE Lounge, checked September 2026, gives its opening hours as 06:30 to 22:00 daily and names no smoking room among the lounge’s facilities. LoungePair, a separate lounge-booking site, places it landside — before passport control and security — on the ground floor of the main terminal.
Vaping
SLA publishes no separate rule for e-cigarettes, so the open-air landside area is the option for vapes as well as cigarettes, under the same Ley 26.687 that keeps the terminal smoke-free.
For onward international connections, Ezeiza International’s outdoor smoking area follows the same landside pattern.
Summary
| Area | Smoking | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Indoor terminal | No | Smoke-free nationwide under Ley 26.687 |
| After security / airside | No | No smoking facility confirmed in SLA’s own listings |
| Salta by AMAE Lounge | No | Priority Pass listing (Sept 2026): no smoking room among facilities |
| Outdoor landside | Yes | Permitted under Ley 26.687; no marked spot published |
| Vaping | Landside open air only | No separate airport rule; follows the same national law as cigarettes |
For Argentina’s airport smoking rules and vaping law, see our Argentina airport guide.