Brazil, Colombia, and Mexico Reach New Heights in Air Passenger Traffic in February 2024

Saturday, April 13, 2024

In February, the Latin America and Caribbean region witnessed a surge in air travel, with 38.5 million passengers journeying to, from, and within the area—a remarkable 13.4% rise compared to the same period last year. This growth was palpable across all sectors: the domestic market saw an 8.6% uptick, accommodating 19.7 million travelers, while the international market soared by 19%, serving 18.8 million passengers.

José Ricardo Botelho, the executive director and CEO of ALTA, underscored February 2024 as a historic pinnacle in air passenger traffic for Brazil, Colombia, and Mexico. According to the Traffic Report compiled by the Latin American and Caribbean Air Transport Association (ALTA), Colombia experienced a notable 37% surge in international traffic, ferrying 1.7 million passengers. Brazil followed suit with a remarkable 29% increase, surpassing the 2 million passenger mark in February for the first time, tallying at 2.07 million travelers. Additionally, Mexico demonstrated a commendable 13% growth, accommodating 4.9 million international passengers.

“In February, nearly 306 thousand flights were recorded, showing an increase of 9% compared to the previous year. Domestic flights increased 3% to 172,799, while international flights grew 19% reaching 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.

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

Aviation holds immense promise in the region.

International Market:

Venezuela witnessed a remarkable 66% surge in international passengers.
The Dominican Republic saw a 15% increase, totaling 1.6 million passengers, notably with the Punta Cana (PUJ)-New York (JFK) route growing by 35%.
Argentina experienced a 22% rise in international traffic, serving 1.1 million passengers, while Chile’s international traffic grew by 24%, reaching 1.07 million passengers.

Domestic Market:

Brazil experienced a 3% growth, transporting 6.8 million passengers, notably with an 89% increase in flights between Rio de Janeiro (GIG) and Guarulhos (GRU).
Colombia registered a 6% growth, ferrying 2.45 million passengers, particularly notable were the 16% and 64% increases on the Bogotá (BOG) – Medellín (MDE) and San Andrés (ADZ) – Bogotá (BOG) routes, respectively.
Mexico showed a 1% decrease in passenger traffic, totaling 4.4 million, still below 2023 levels, with the top five domestic routes experiencing an 11% reduction.
Argentina displayed a 4% growth, transporting 1.3 million passengers, signaling improvement compared to January.
Chile exhibited a significant 21% increase in domestic passengers, reaching 1.5 million, notably with a 20% increase in flights on the Puerto Montt (PMC)-Santiago (SCL) route.
Venezuela saw a significant 44% surge in domestic traffic, tallying 188,273 passengers, fueled by the expansion of the Caracas-Barcelona (BLA) and Caracas-Maturín (MUN) routes.
Panama stood out with a solid 88% growth, serving a total of 62,261 domestic passengers, with the Bocas del Toro (BOC)-Panama (PTY) route experiencing an almost 200% increase.

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