Thousands of Travelers Suffer across Latin America as Avianca, LATAM Brasil and Flybondi Face 45 Flight Cancellations 346 Delays in Brazil, Colombia and Argentina, Affecting São Paulo, Cartagena, Buenos Aires and more, New Update

Published on December 3, 2025

Travel across Latin America has suffered significant upheaval. Today, flight operations faced massive disruptions. Specifically, major airports in Brazil, Colombia and Argentina recorded substantial delays and cancellations. A total of 45 flights were cancelled and 346 flights were severely delayed. This operational failure spread across six key regional hubs. The crisis struck essential cities hard. Both São Paulo airports in Brazil saw the highest volume of grounded aircraft and late arrivals. Furthermore, the Caribbean gateway of Cartagena in Colombia reported the highest single-airport cancellation rate. Finally, the disruption extended south to Buenos Aires in Argentina. Consequently, three major airlines—Avianca, LATAM Brasil and Flybondi—drove the widespread passenger frustration. This unprecedented concentration of issues created a challenging day for thousands of travelers relying on air transport across the continent.

Major Airports Affected

The operational setbacks were distributed across half a dozen international and domestic gateways. The highest volume of flight disruptions was observed in Brazil, particularly at its two busiest hubs in São Paulo.

São Paulo-Guarulhos International Airport was noted as the single most-affected location in terms of delays. A staggering 140 total delays were registered at this facility, in addition to 8 cancellations. Similarly, operations at São Paulo-Congonhas were severely curtailed, where 9 cancellations and 101 delays were recorded. Taken together, the two São Paulo airports accounted for 17 cancellations and 241 delays, confirming Brazil as the epicenter of today’s turmoil.

Operations in Colombia were also substantially impacted, primarily by cancellations. Rafael Nunez Int’l, serving the tourist hub of Cartagena, recorded 12 cancellations and 16 delays, making it the highest cancellation count among all listed airports. Jose Maria Cordova Int’l, serving Medellín, was also significantly affected, with 6 cancellations and 29 delays. Furthermore, Camilo Daza Int’l registered 6 cancellations and 8 delays.

In Argentina, air traffic at Jorge Newbery was subjected to 4 cancellations and 52 delays. This disruption near the capital of Buenos Aires contributed significantly to the overall volume of affected passengers recorded across Latin America.

Impacted Airlines

The widespread disruption has been attributed to three main carriers: Avianca, LATAM Brasil and Flybondi. The data clearly delineates the specific responsibility of each airline for the operational chaos.

Avianca was the most extensively affected airline in terms of geographic spread. This carrier was responsible for the entirety of the cancellations at all three Colombian airports. Specifically, Avianca was linked to 12 cancellations and 5 delays at Rafael Nunez Int’l in Cartagena; 6 cancellations and 9 delays at Jose Maria Cordova Int’l; and 6 cancellations and 6 delays at Camilo Daza Int’l. Additionally, 2 cancellations at São Paulo-Guarulhos Int’l were attributed to Avianca, bringing its total reported cancellations to 26 out of the 45 recorded.

LATAM Brasil accounted for the majority of the disruption in Brazil. At São Paulo-Guarulhos Int’l, LATAM Brasil was responsible for 6 cancellations and 71 delays. At São Paulo-Congonhas, all 9 cancellations and 53 delays were attributed to this airline. In total, LATAM Brasil was noted for 15 cancellations and 124 delays.

The disruptions in Argentina were primarily linked to Flybondi. This airline was responsible for all 4 cancellations and 6 delays reported at Jorge Newbery near Buenos Aires, completing the picture of widespread operational stress across Latin America.

Beyond these specific figures, delays were being experienced by several other Airlines, like JetSMART, LATAM Colombia, GOL Linhas Aéreas Inteligentes, Azul Brazilian Airlines, Aerolineas Argentinas and more.

Probable Impact on Local Tourism

The concentration of flight disruptions at critical hubs, especially those serving popular destinations like Cartagena and São Paulo, might have a probable negative impact on local tourism infrastructure. The high volume of cancellations is expected to directly affect travelers’ hotel reservations, scheduled tours and connecting transport arrangements. With major international and domestic hubs like São Paulo-Guarulhos and Jorge Newbery in Buenos Aires facing heavy delays, the knock-on effect of passenger overflow and missed connections is likely to strain local ground transportation services. Furthermore, in tourist-heavy locations such as Cartagena, a large number of frustrated passengers is understood to create additional logistical hurdles for airport and city services.

What Affected Passengers Can Do Now

Passengers whose travel plans have been compromised by these widespread cancellations and delays are advised to take immediate steps to mitigate further disruption. Affected travelers are urged to contact their respective airline—Avianca, LATAM Brasil, or Flybondi—to ascertain their re-accommodation options. Official flight status updates should be monitored directly through the airlines’ communication channels before proceeding to the airport. Documentation related to the flight disruption, including boarding passes and receipts for unforeseen expenses, should be meticulously kept, as these documents will be required if compensation is sought under applicable passenger rights regulations within Brazil, Colombia and Argentina. This coordinated effort by passengers is essential for navigating the aviation upheaval currently being experienced across Latin America.

-The information provided is sourced from FlightAware.