{"id":178179,"date":"2025-08-25T12:30:16","date_gmt":"2025-08-25T12:30:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/aviacionaldia.com\/?p=178179"},"modified":"2025-08-25T17:01:57","modified_gmt":"2025-08-25T17:01:57","slug":"how-bogotas-el-dorado-became-latin-americas-busiest-airport-surpassing-mexico-city-and-sao-paulo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/aviacionaldia.com\/en\/2025\/08\/how-bogotas-el-dorado-became-latin-americas-busiest-airport-surpassing-mexico-city-and-sao-paulo.html","title":{"rendered":"How Bogot\u00e1’s El Dorado Became Latin America’s Busiest Airport, Surpassing Mexico City and S\u00e3o Paulo"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

For decades, the airports in Mexico City and S\u00e3o Paulo led air traffic in Latin America and the Caribbean. This was no coincidence: they represent the two most populous cities with the largest economies in the region.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, Bogot\u00e1’s El Dorado<\/strong>, despite being in a city with half the population of its competitors, has reached a milestone. Between 2024 and 2025, it consolidated its position as the busiest airport in the region since its inauguration in 1959.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to figures from the Airports Council International for Latin America and the Caribbean (ACI-LAC), in 2024, Bogot\u00e1 handled 45,802,360 passengers, compared to 45,359,485 for Mexico City and 43,565,746 for S\u00e3o Paulo. Furthermore, El Dorado leads the region in air cargo volume and aircraft movements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From a “Small House” to Top-Tier Infrastructure<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Mar\u00eda Fernanda S\u00e1nchez, Director of Tourism Innovation Consulting, recalls that just two decades ago the Bogot\u00e1 airport was “very small, old, and with just six or seven departure gates.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The transformation began in 2006 when the government decided to modernize it. This process coincided with a shift in Colombia’s international perception, driven by the democratic security policy of former President \u00c1lvaro Uribe and, years later, by the signing of the peace agreement with the FARC in 2016.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This new landscape allowed tourism to take off: in 2024, Colombia received a record 6.7 million foreign visitors, the majority entering through El Dorado.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2192 Heathrow Airport Presents Proposal for a Third Runway Funded with Private Capital<\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tourism and Business on the Rise<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Of the total passengers, nearly six million are international passengers in transit\u2014an opportunity the Colombian capital seeks to leverage. Avianca, whose main hub is Bogot\u00e1, promotes a stopover strategy, allowing travelers to stay for up to 24 hours at no additional cost to their itinerary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Simultaneously, tourism companies and authorities are working to establish the city as a culinary, cultural, and business destination. “Bogot\u00e1 has been positioning itself in the meetings tourism sector for some time, hosting congresses and international events,” points out S\u00e1nchez.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to official estimates, coordination between sectors could add between 700,000 and one million more passengers per year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Challenges on the Horizon<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Despite its leading position, Bogot\u00e1 faces stiff competition. Mexico City inaugurated the Felipe \u00c1ngeles International Airport in 2022, while Lima opened a new terminal in 2025.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In El Dorado’s case, its current infrastructure is perceived as limited. Expansion plans exist for 2027, but analysts doubt their ability to be executed on time and as planned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Furthermore, issues with bureaucracy and immigration persist, with peak-hour queues of up to three hours, despite the implementation of biometric systems. Another challenge is security, a topic that reignited alarms following the assassination of Senator Miguel Uribe Turbay in Bogot\u00e1.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A Boom Seeking Consolidation<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Authorities and companies agree that El Dorado’s growth reflects Bogot\u00e1’s dynamism. However, they warn that maintaining leadership will require promptly resolving these bottlenecks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For now, the Colombian capital is enjoying a historic moment: being the new most important air connection hub in Latin America.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With information from the BBC<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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