ALTA: Commercial aviation in Latin America and the Caribbean reported record passenger numbers in 2023

Redacción - Aviación al Día

1 year ago

Commercial aviation in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) recorded 451.6 million air passengers, a historic number for the region, the Latin American and Caribbean Air Transport Association (ALTA) reported Wednesday. This represents an additional 52.9 million passengers, up 13.3% compared to 2022 and a solid 3.9% above 2019 levels.

This figure sets a record because, until 2020, the region had maintained a steady growth trajectory since 2010, which was abruptly interrupted by the pandemic. This milestone resumes the growth path.

The Caribbean showed the best percentage increase in 2023, with a 20% growth in the total number of passengers, 15% in the number of flights and 16% in seat capacity compared to 2022, according to the LAC Air Passenger Traffic Report, a report prepared by the Latin American and Caribbean Air Transport Association (ALTA).

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“The report certainly reflects very encouraging results for us. However, we can fly even higher. For if we have these results in such complex and sometimes adverse environments, imagine how this performance could be enhanced with an efficient environment,” says José Ricardo Botelho, executive director and CEO of ALTA, who advocates that governments include aviation in their agendas as an essential sector.

“It is urgent to implement measures that promote efficiencies, 1. updating our legislation, 2. reviewing taxes, fees and contributions that often are not even related to the operation or the sector, 3. generating incentives and 4. ensuring legal certainty to promote investment and with a better strategic vision, taking aviation as an ally for the socio-economic development of countries,” he explains.

Record December:

In December, passenger volume rose 6.3% over 2022, making it the second busiest month of the year.
This growth translates into 2.4 million additional passengers, of which 1.5 million (62%) correspond to the extra-regional international market.
An increase of 3.3% was observed compared to December 2019, confirming the positive trend in the sector’s recovery.

Performance by country during December:

Colombia recorded 49.5 million passengers, 2.8% more than in 2022, and stood out in the international market with a 30% increase.
Brazil exceeded 100 million passengers, reaching 95% of 2019 traffic.
The Dominican Republic surpassed 13% of the number of passengers compared to 2022, setting a record.
Costa Rica reached a milestone by registering 7.9 million passengers, 11% more than the previous record in 2019 and 26% more than in 2022.
Panama marked a record year with 18.2 million passengers, surpassing 8% the all-time high of 2019 and 16% more than in 2022.
Ecuador recorded 8.5 million passengers, the highest figure since 2013, with a significant increase in international traffic in August.

2023 in numbers:

451.6 million passengers carried, an increase of 13.3%.
3.6 million flights 8.6% more than in 2022.
285.8 million seats, 10.5% more than in 2022.
South America is the leader in air traffic, with 246.6 million passengers, 310.6 million seats offered and 1.9 million flights throughout the year.
The Caribbean with the highest percentage growth, with a 20% increase in passenger numbers, 16% increase in seat capacity and a notable 15% increase in the number of flights, compared to 2022.
December stood out as the month with the highest number of international passengers transported in the entire year, with a total of 19.4 million.