...and are people (Argentinians/foreign tourists, tourism industry) pressuring the government to lower these any time soon?

U$79 for one way is certainly the highest in the Americas, and probably the highest in the world (Heathrow probably takes the cake @U$130 one way for long haul).

Officials in Argentina should study basic economic concepts: the country needs tourists to bring in hard currency, especially during hard times like right now. While the high taxes might not deter the occasional tourist who will visit the country once or twice during their lifetimes, it is a powerful deterrent for tourists of neighbouring countries. There are 370mn people living in South America (excluding Argentina, and Venezuela whose citizens aren't going on holiday abroad anytime soon) which Argentina is successfully alienating by keeping high airport taxes high.

I, for one, live in Brazil often don't bother going to Buenos Aires (3h flight) for a long weekend on account of the taxes which can be 1/3 of the total cost of the ticket, sometimes more. Millions of middle-class Brazilians living in in Southeastern Brazil would love to spend their reais in Argentina, but decide against it due to comparatively high airfares.

There is a lower tax for regional international departures, under 300 kms (U$25). That only covers Montevideo, and not even Punta del Este. Meanwhile, Heathrow's definition for short-haul is under 2,000 miles. This distance would cover as far as Lima and Salvador (Brazil), so if the Argentinian authorities objective is to fleece its citizens travelling to the US/Europe, they can rest assured they wouldn't miss out on that cash cow.

Chile just announced that they will gradually lower their airport taxes... will Argentina follow suit?

Rant over...