ΔΙΕΘΝΗΣ ΕΛΛΗΝΙΚΗ ΗΛΕΚΤΡΟΝΙΚΗ ΕΦΗΜΕΡΙΔΑ ΠΟΙΚΙΛΗΣ ΥΛΗΣ - ΕΔΡΑ: ΑΘΗΝΑ

Ει βούλει καλώς ακούειν, μάθε καλώς λέγειν, μαθών δε καλώς λέγειν, πειρώ καλώς πράττειν, και ούτω καρπώση το καλώς ακούειν. (Επίκτητος)

(Αν θέλεις να σε επαινούν, μάθε πρώτα να λες καλά λόγια, και αφού μάθεις να λες καλά λόγια, να κάνεις καλές πράξεις, και τότε θα ακούς καλά λόγια για εσένα).

Δευτέρα 11 Αυγούστου 2025

Air traffic in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) grew 3.4% in June

 

In June 2025, air traffic in Latin America and the Caribbean reached 38.3 million passengers, marking a 3.4% year-over-year increase, equivalent to 1.3 million additional travelers. This represents an acceleration of 0.8 percentage points compared to the growth recorded in May. The region’s overall performance was largely driven by LAC-based airlines, which, according to IATA’s latest report, posted the highest traffic growth globally in June (+7.9%)[1].

Trend holds: Brazil, Argentina and Peru continue to drive growth

Brazil recorded its fourth consecutive month of all-time high domestic traffic. In June, 8.22 million passengers flew within the country, an increase of 11.2% compared to June 2024. Air travel remains the service category with the highest year-to-date deflation (–28% vs. 2024)[2]. Domestic connectivity continues to expand: in June 2025, 43 domestic routes were operated that did not exist in June 2024, including Viracopos–Porto Alegre, Belo Horizonte–Rio de Janeiro (RRJ), and Aracaju–Salvador[3]. On the international segment, Brazil saw a 12.8% year-over-year increase in passenger traffic, boosted by a 35% rise in international tourist arrivals by air[4].

Argentina recorded the highest year-over-year growth rate of the region in June, with domestic traffic up 12% and international traffic up 14%. Total passenger numbers reached a new all-time high, surpassing the previous record set in June 2019 by 3%. Key contributors included international routes such as Argentina–Brazil (+28%) and Argentina–Colombia (+36%), as well as strong growth on domestic routes like Buenos Aires–Iguazú (+40%) and Buenos Aires–Neuquén (+37%).

Peru posted one of the strongest performances in the region. In June, domestic traffic reached a record high for the month, with 1.3 million passengers (+5.2%), while international traffic grew 8.3%, supported by solid results in key markets such as Colombia (+22%), Brazil (+13%) and Mexico (+7.6%). This growth was accompanied by a year-over-year decline in air transport service prices, both domestic (–1.2%) and international (–2.1%)[5].

Mexico sees slight decline driven by weaker international performance

Mexico handled 9.8 million passengers in June, a slight 0.4% decrease compared to June 2024, amid a dip in consumer confidence, which fell 1.1 points from May[6]. Domestic traffic edged up by 0.2%, while international traffic, which accounts for 47% of the total, declined by 1%. The U.S. accounted for 73% of Mexico’s international passenger traffic and posted a 2.1% drop, largely driven by a 3.6% decrease in passengers carried by U.S. carriers. Growth in traffic with Canada (+12.4%) helped offset some of that decline. Total capacity offered by Mexican airlines (ASK) remained relatively stable (+1.5%), but a greater share was allocated to international routes in June 2025 (45% vs. 43% in June 2024)[7].

Mixed performance in Colombia and Chile: domestic decline in Colombia, partial recovery in Chile

In Colombia, domestic air traffic fell by 4.7% in June, marking five consecutive months of decline and a 2.1% drop over the first half of the year. Of the country’s ten busiest domestic routes, only two (Medellín–Cartagena and Medellín–Santa Marta) avoided year-over-year declines. On the other hand, international traffic rose by 9.2%, driven mainly by increased demand on routes to neighboring countries such as Ecuador (+30%), Brazil (+27%), and Peru (+22%). In Chile, domestic traffic grew 4.2% in June, rebounding after two consecutive months of contraction. International traffic also posted a modest 2.5% increase.

“Air traffic in Latin America and the Caribbean showed sustained momentum in the first half of 2025, with 237 million passengers and a 3.6% year-over-year increase. Over 90% of that net growth came from markets within the region, reaffirming aviation’s increasingly active role in regional integration. During this same period, LAC-based airlines operated 11.2% more international flights between countries in the region compared to the first half of 2024”, said Peter Cerdá, ALTA’s CEO.

Dominican Republic Leads the Caribbean, Panama Drives Central America

Passenger traffic to and from the Caribbean grew 0.9% year-on-year in June, showing mixed signals across the region’s main markets. In the Dominican Republic, the largest market in the subregion and the eighth largest in LAC, passenger volumes rose 1.2%, despite declines in its two largest source markets: the United States (–1.1%) and Canada (–9%), both posting six consecutive months of contraction. Growth in traffic with Colombia (+10%), Panama (+9%), and Peru (+31%) partially offset these declines, resulting in a net gain compared to June 2024.

In Central America, air traffic rose 4.2% year-on-year in June, driven mainly by Panama, which posted a 6% increase supported by strong gains in passenger flows with Argentina (+38%), Colombia (+14%), and Brazil (+12%). In contrast, Costa Rica recorded marginal growth of 0.9% amid weaker tourism activity. International tourist arrivals by air fell 4.5% in June, including a 4.9% drop in visitors from the United States, who account for nearly 75% of total arrivals[8].

Key indicators 

  • Capacity, measured in available seat kilometers (ASK), grew by 4.8%.
  • Demand, measured in revenue passenger kilometers (RPK), increased by 5.7%.
  • The average load factor reached 85.1%.
  • From January to June, total passenger traffic in LAC reached 237 million, a 3.6% increase compared to the same period in 2024.
 

 

June

 

YTD

 

 

2025

2024

% Growth

 

2025

2024

% Growth

 

 

   

 

   

Passengers

 

38,320,772

37,053,343

3.4%

 

237,061,670

228,839,739

3.6%

Domestic

 

21,379,849

20,563,658

4%

 

128,249,465

123,234,638

4.1%

Intraregional international

 

4,432,188

4,044,687

9.6%

 

28,907,366

26,243,307

10.2%

Extra regional international

 

12,508,735

12,444,999

0.5%

 

79,904,839

79,361,794

0.7%

RPK (millions)

 

81,148

76,793

5.7%

 

510,976

482,508

5.9%

Domestic

 

20,147

18,847

6.9%

 

122,854

113,986

7.8%

Intraregional international

 

9,097

8,233

10.5%

 

56,380

50,962

10.6%

Extra regional international

 

51,903

49,714

4.4%

 

299,122

292,455

2.3%

ASK (millions)

 

95,327

90,951

4.8%

 

608,063

580,808

4.7%

Domestic

 

23,649

22,839

3.5%

 

145,094

138,528

4.7%

Intraregional international

 

11,801

10,575

11.6%

 

72,609

64,576

12.4%

Extra regional international

 

59,876

57,536

4.1%

 

390,360

377,704

3.4%

Passenger Load Factor

 

85.1%

84.4%

0.7 pts

 

84.0%

83.1%

0.9 pts

Domestic

 

85.2%

82.5%

2.7 pts

 

84.7%

82.3%

2.4 pts

Intraregional international

 

77.1%

77.9%

-0.8 pts

 

77.6%

78.9%

-1.3 pts

Extra regional international

 

86.7%

86.4%

0.3 pts

 

85.0%

84.1%

0.9 pts

Source: ALTA analysis based on data from Civil Aviation Authorities and ALTA estimates derived from reports submitted by member airlines.

Glossary: RPK (Revenue Passenger Kilometers): number of paying passengers transported multiplied by the distance flown | ASK (Available Seat Kilometers): number of seats available for sale multiplied by the distance flown | Load Factor: obtained by dividing RPK by ASK.

Methodological Note

In this document, Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) is defined as the combined total of South America, Central America, the Caribbean, and Mexico. This definition is applied consistently across all regional and international traffic analyses.

Domestic traffic refers to flights operated within the same country. International traffic is classified into two broad segments:

  • Intra-regional international traffic: flights between countries within LAC (e.g., Argentina–Brazil or Mexico–Colombia).
  • Extra-regional international traffic: flights between LAC and other regions of the world, such as North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, the Middle East, or Africa.  

[1] IATA (2025). Air Passenger Market Analysis – June 2025. Available at: https://www.iata.org/en/iata-repository/publications/economic-reports/air-passenger-market-analysis-june-2025

[2] Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE). IPCA – Broad National Consumer Price Index. Year-to-date variation by spending category. Available at: https://sidra.ibge.gov.br/tabela/7060

[3] ALTA analysis based on data from Cirium SRS Analyzer, comparing scheduled capacity from/to LAC in June 2024 and June 2025.

[4] Embratur – Brazilian Tourist Board. Data Dashboards – International Tourist Arrivals. Query of consolidated data on international air arrivals. Available at: https://embratur.com.br/para-o-trader/inteligencia-de-dados/paineis-de-dados/chegadas-internacionais/

[5] Central Reserve Bank of Peru (BCRP). BCRP Research Note No. 48 – Inflation: June 2025. Available at: https://www.bcrp.gob.pe/docs/Publicaciones/Notas-Estudios/2025/nota-de-estudios-48-2025.pdf

[6] National Institute of Statistics and Geography (INEGI). National Consumer Confidence Survey (ENCO) – Consumer Confidence Index (CCI), June 2025. Available at: https://www.inegi.org.mx/contenidos/saladeprensa/boletines/2025/enco/icc2025_07.pdf

[7] ALTA analysis based on data from Cirium SRS Analyzer, comparing scheduled capacity from/to LAC in June 2024 and June 2025.

[8] Costa Rican Tourism Institute (ICT). International tourist arrivals by country and immigration post – June 2025. Available at: https://www.ict.go.cr/en/documents/estad%C3%ADsticas/informes-estad%C3%ADsticos/recientes/2893-2025/file.html


Tags:  air trafficLatin AmericaALTA