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Latin America and the Caribbean mobilized 38.5 million passengers in February, 13.4% more

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In February, 38.5 million passengers moved to, from and within Latin America and the Caribbean, 13.4% more compared to the same period in 2023.

Growth was evident in all segments: the domestic market experienced an increase of 8.6%, reaching 19.7 million passengers transported. The international market grew 19%, totaling 18.8 million passengers.

“February 2024 marked a milestone as the best February ever in air passenger traffic for Brazil, Colombia and Mexico,” highlighted José Ricardo Botelho, executive director and CEO of ALTA, in the Traffic Report prepared by the Latin American and Caribbean Air Transport Association (ALTA).

Colombia recorded a 37% growth in international traffic, transporting 1.7 million passengers, followed by Brazil with a 29% increase, surpassing for the first time the 2 million passengers transported in February with a total of 2.07 million, and Mexico stood out with a 13% increase with 4.9 million international passengers.

→ LATAM mobilizes more than 20 million passengers during the first quarter

“In February, nearly 306,000 flights were accounted for, showing a 9% increase over the previous year. Domestic flights increased 3% to 172,799, while international flights grew 19% to 133,199. Seat capacity in the region reached 47.3 million, an increase of 19% in the international market and a more modest growth of 2% in the domestic market”, highlights Botelho.

“ALTA’s report reflects once again that aviation is an essential service for more and more people. Therefore, once again we ask ourselves why not boost its growth even more for the benefit of our countries and their people, why not face together alarming challenges such as high judicialization against operators, improving infrastructure that in many cases fails to meet current and future demand, disproportionate and -sometimes- unrelated costs such as fees, taxes and contributions, fuel that is substantially more expensive in LAC vs. other regions and the lack of government support with highly efficient regulations?”, ALTA’s CEO said.

Great aviation potential in the region

International Market:

  • Venezuela recorded a 66% increase in international passengers.
  • The Dominican Republic experienced a 15% increase, reaching 1.6 million passengers. The Punta Cana-New York (JFK) route grew 35%.
  • Argentina’s international traffic increased 22%, with 1.1 million passengers, and Chile’s international traffic grew 24%, reaching 1.07 million passengers.

Domestic Market:

  • Brazil: experienced 3% growth, with 6.8 million passengers mobilized. A highlight was the 89% increase in flights between Rio de Janeiro (GIG) and Guarulhos (GRU).
  • Colombia: Recorded a 6% growth, transporting 2.45 million passengers. The Bogotá (BOG) – Medellín (MDE) and San Andrés (ADZ) – Bogotá (BOG) routes experienced significant increases of 16% and 64%, respectively.
  • Mexico: Showed a 1% decrease in passenger traffic, with 4.4 million passengers in total, which, despite indicating an improvement, still falls short of 2023 levels. In addition, the five main domestic routes saw a reduction of 11%.
  • Argentina: Showed a 4% growth, carrying 1.3 million passengers, indicating an improvement over January.
  • Chile: Exhibited a notable 21% increase in domestic passengers, reaching 1.5 million. Special mention should be made of the 20% increase in flights on the Puerto Montt (PMC)-Santiago (SCL) route.
  • Venezuela: Recorded a significant 44% increase in domestic traffic, with 188,273 passengers, driven by the growth of the Caracas-Barcelona (BLA) and Caracas-Maturín (MUN) routes.
  • Panama: It stood out with a solid growth of 88%, with a total of 62,261 domestic passengers, the most significant route being Bocas del Toro (BOC)-Panama (PTY), with an increase of almost 200%.

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