Significant growth in air traffic in LAC: it will close 2024 with 773 million passengers

The Latin American and Caribbean region is expected to end 2024 with an air traffic volume of 773 million passengers, an increase of 5.5% compared to 2023 and 12.4% compared to 2019, the period before the Covid-19 pandemic. This year, domestic traffic is expected to grow by 14% and international traffic by 6% compared to 2023. The information was presented this Monday, during the ACI-LAC Annual Assembly Conference & Exposition, which will take place until tomorrow (12) in Guadalajara, Mexico.

The data presented also report that, in 2024, air traffic in Latin America and the Caribbean will represent 8% of global volume, which is expected to reach 9.5 billion passengers.

By 2025, the trend is positive: the region is expected to receive 796 million passengers, which is equivalent to a growth of 6.4% compared to 2024 and 15.8% compared to 2019 levels.

During Monday's press conference, Rafael Echevarne, Director General of ACI-LAC, stressed the importance of aviation in a region like Latin America and the Caribbean, where there are countries with large territories and different and complex geographies. Echevarne stressed that, given the prospect of continued growth in air traffic in the region, it is essential to maintain investments in infrastructure and improve quality standards at airports.

“With traffic expected to grow in the coming years, we must be prepared to serve new passengers, improve airport infrastructure and build new ones. ACI-LAC is also working with ICAO to ensure that all our member airports are certified for infrastructure and safety, as well as working with local governments to achieve these goals.”

The press conference also highlighted the significant investments in technology made by the region's airports, not only to facilitate travel, but also to improve the security of the entire airport operation. Mónika Infante, President of the ACI-LAC Board of Directors and CEO of AEODOM, highlighted the need to plan these investments to make the best use of resources and obtain better results.

“The message is that there needs to be collaboration between the public sector and operators to ensure smooth flows. Let us continue along the same path and we will always work to ensure that passengers have the best experience.”

The General Director of the Guadalajara International Airport, Martín Zazueta, reinforced the alignment of the airports that are part of the Pacific Airport Group with the work developed by ACI-LAC.

“At GAP airports we have developed a commitment to the continuous improvement of our services, not only to guarantee an exceptional experience for our passengers, but also to boost Mexico’s economic development. We work to equip our airports with optimal conditions that favor both commercial exchange and our strategic position as international air connection centers, attracting airlines interested in investing in the country. The potential is enormous,” said Zazueta.

Business, environmental and operational challenges are the highlights of the first day of the academic agenda of the congress

The opening of the academic agenda of the ACI-LAC 2024 Annual Assembly and Conference was attended by Mónika Infante, President of the ACI-LAC Board of Directors, the Director General of ACI World, Justin Erbacci, Rafael Echevarne, Director General of ACI-LAC, and Raúl Revuelta Musalen, Director General of Grupo Aeroportuario del Pacífico (GAP), host of the event.

The opening panel of the conference brought together CEOs of major airports in the region who shared their experiences on the challenges of air traffic growth and improving the passenger experience in their countries. Mónika Infante, CEO of AEODOM, Ricardo Gesse, CEO of Zurich Airport Brazil and Juan José Salmón, CEO of Lima Airport, highlighted the importance of collaboration between airports and airlines, investments in circular economy actions and the need for transparent dialogue with public authorities to improve airport concessions.

Other panels held throughout the day covered topics such as new trends in air traffic control, including remote control towers; what the industry is already implementing and what is about to come into operation in the market in response to climate change, such as the distribution of sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) and the operation of eVTOL; trends in commercial revenue at airports, such as opportunities in VIP lounges and retail stores; and the prospects for air traffic liberalization in the region and the impacts on market growth. 

Source: ACI-LAC.