International air connectivity to Latin America is expected to grow by 4.6% in seats by 2025

International air connectivity to Latin America and the Caribbean is expected to grow in 2025, with a 4.6% increase in scheduled seats on direct flights, equivalent to 178.4 million seats from other global markets to the region, according to data intelligence from Mabrian, part of The Data Appeal Company - Almawave Group.

Mabrian has analyzed data on airline seat scheduling to Latin American and Caribbean countries for international, direct, and one-way flights scheduled through 2025.

Mexico, Brazil, Colombia, Panama, the Dominican Republic, Argentina, Puerto Rico, Chile, Peru, and Costa Rica are the 10 Latin American and Caribbean countries with the most scheduled international flight seats in 2025, both within the region and from other continents. Together, they represent 73.4% of the international air capacity planned for the region in 2025. Furthermore, the growth in international connectivity experienced by the region is reflected in short-haul (up 5% year-on-year), medium-haul (up 4.3%), and long-haul (up 5.1%) flights.

Regarding the five main long-haul markets, the United States, with 71.75 million seats, accounts for 40.2% of the total international seats to Latin America and the Caribbean, with a year-on-year increase of +2%. It is followed by Canada, with 8.5 million seats (+0.7% compared to 2024); Spain, with 7.2 million (+5.3% year-on-year); and France, which grew +4% year-on-year to reach 3.68 million scheduled seats. In contrast, the United Kingdom, the fifth-largest long-haul market, recorded a decline of -5% compared to 2024, with 2.26 million seats to the region.

The data also show increases in intraregional airline seats, especially from Colombia (+13%), Brazil (+16.6%), and Argentina (+14%). "This is a very positive indicator that can contribute to increasing tourism between Latin American and Caribbean countries, through greater air mobility and more competitive flight prices," says Carlos Cendra, partner and director of Marketing and Communications at Mabrian.

Mexico, Brazil, and Colombia: drivers of international connectivity in Latin America

As Mabrian data shows, Mexico, with 36.3 million scheduled seats on international flights by 2025, leads Latin America in international air connectivity, with a 1.5% increase compared to last year.

Brazil ranks second in the regional ranking, with 17 million international seats and year-over-year growth of +13.2%. It is followed by Colombia (+9.7%, with 14.9 million seats), Panama (+6.5%, with 13.1 million), and the Dominican Republic (+5%, with 12 million).

After Brazil, Argentina is the country with the largest increase in international seat availability, up 11.7% to 8.8 million. Also notable are Puerto Rico (up 2.2% year-over-year); Peru, the ninth destination in the region for international connectivity, which recorded a year-over-year increase of +5.7%; and Chile (up 2.5%).

In addition, Costa Rica (+7.7%) and El Salvador (+5.6%) continue to consolidate their international connectivity in 2025, in line with the positive trend in 2024 in Central America, which is also reflected in other Central American destinations such as Guatemala (+4.3%) and Honduras (+9.3%), which continue to strengthen their international network with more seats on direct flights.

Ecuador, with 3 million seats, is experiencing a slight increase in international connectivity, up 0.5% compared to 2025; while scheduled seats on international flights to Uruguay this year are down 1.1%, reaching 1.37 million.

“The sustained strengthening of international connectivity networks we've seen since 2021 is excellent news for tourism in Latin America,” says Cendra, “especially for interregional flights, as continental demand is crucial for developing supply throughout the year and for deepening market diversification.” The Mabrian spokesperson also highlights the increases from “traditional markets and major connectivity hubs, such as the United States, Spain, and France, which are essential for boosting arrivals from other, more distant markets.”

Mabrian, a global tourism intelligence and destination consulting firm, shares this analysis to enrich the debate leading up to the Latin American International Tourism Fair (FIT) 2025 in Buenos Aires. During this key event for the region's tourism industry, Mabian will join the agenda of meetings and activities within the framework of FIT TECH, the innovation and technology vertical of the TRAVEL FORUM LATAM congress.

Source: Mabrian.