El Salvador Doubles Down On Tourism With New Airports: IATA Aviation Day 2025 Spotlights Booming Connectivity!

Published on December 10, 2025

Once more, El Salvador is in the limelight of international aviation news as the country opens its doors to high-ranking officials from airlines, airports and governments for the IATA Aviation Day 2025, a major indication of the country’s desire to develop air connections and make itself more attractive as a travel spot. The gathering indicates the intention of the Central American country to use aviation not only for transportation but also as a driver of tourism and economic development.

Aviation Day 2025: A turning point for connectivity

Held on 9 December 2025, IATA Aviation Day in El Salvador has brought together a diverse mix of stakeholders: executives from airlines, airport authorities, tourism and infrastructure planners, alongside senior government officials. The conversations focus on the future of air transport in the country and the wider region, importantly tying aviation expansion to tourism opportunities and broader socio-economic development.

According to the Regional Vice-President of International Air Transport Association (IATA) for the Americas, the gathering offers a chance to reflect on aviation’s role as a driver of prosperity and a social connector, rather than just a means of transport. His remarks suggest El Salvador could become a regional benchmark, especially by encouraging ties between aeronautical innovation, academia and tourism.

Airport investments signal serious tourism ambitions

El Salvador isn’t simply relying on rhetoric. Under the stewardship of Comisión Ejecutiva Portuaria Autónoma (CEPA), the country is undertaking sweeping investments in airport infrastructure to match its tourism vision.

A major component is the modernisation of the main gateway, El Salvador International Airport (AIES), backed by a recent USD 195 million loan from Inter‑American Development Bank (IDB). The plans encompass expanded passenger terminals, extended aprons, a new taxiway, and improved support infrastructure, all aimed at handling projected growth and delivering a smoother travel experience.

Further afield, the government has broken ground on a completely new facility: the Pacific International Airport, located in the coastal department of La Unión. Once completed, this will be the country’s first major commercial airport outside the capital region, offering a direct route for tourists keen to tap into the lesser-explored eastern coast.

These investments are part of the wider El Salvador Vuela programme financed by CAF, Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean, which aims to modernise and expand aeronautical infrastructure nationwide improving connectivity, reducing travel times, and boosting tourism and disaster–response resilience.

What it means for travellers: easier access, more destinations

For travellers, these developments could translate into considerable benefits. Enhanced capacity at El Salvador International Airport could make flights smoother and more efficient, even during peak seasons. Meanwhile, the Pacific International Airport may open up new travel itineraries, especially for those wanting to explore coastal regions or combine beach-side leisure with surfing, cultural trips or nature tours away from the typical tourist trail.

Beyond infrastructure, improved air connectivity can unlock easier access to a variety of destinations within El Salvador, whether beaches along the Pacific coast, surf towns, volcanoes, coffee plantations or colonial towns, making travel more flexible and attractive.

Tourism & investment: A balanced new chapter

By hosting IATA Aviation Day, El Salvador is signalling to airlines, tour operators and investors that it is ready to be seen as a serious tourism contender. The emphasis on modern airports, increased safety, hospitality, and aviation-tourism synergy positions the country as more than just a stopover but as a destination worth exploring in its own right.

At the same time, government and aviation authorities seem to view these efforts as part of long-term national development. According to CEPA’s leadership, expanded air connectivity and modern infrastructure align with broader economic and social goals.

El Salvador, not just a gateway but a destination

The transformation of a small Central American country with few links to the outside world into a prominent one continues. International Airline Transport Association (IATA) Aviation Day 2025 is going to showcase Los Salvador to the aviation leaders, and, in addition, there are several airport construction projects going on which all contribute to the feeling that the country is about to emerge out of the crowd. For those holidaymakers who are mostly concerned about the surf beaches, historic towns and tropical nature, this is likely to be the time when they won’t consider El Salvador just a main point of intersection, rather a destination worth visiting with its own stories.

As one industry observer pointed out during the event, the new airports and connectivity aren’t just about transport: they are about unlocking new experiences, new journeys and new possibilities for visitors and locals alike.