Brazil expands its commercial aviation options by 7% in February

Brazil recorded a 7% increase in commercial aviation activity in February, compared to the same month in 2024, according to the National Civil Aviation Agency (ANAC). In the second month of the year, coinciding with Carnival and the South American summer, 7.2 million passengers were recorded at domestic airports.

According to ForwardKeys forecasts, the Brazilian market will account for 24.9% of all flights operated in the region from January to June 2025, including domestic and international flights.

More flights
The Brazilian government is working on a series of incentives to increase air traffic. One of these is the International Tourism Acceleration Program (PATI) for 2025, a strategy launched this year to increase international air travel to destinations in Brazil and expected to generate at least 500,000 new international seats to and from Brazil.

With an investment of US$10.6 billion through 2025, the plan includes tenders for airlines to offer new flights to Brazilian cities, as well as the submission of proposals to promote these routes in international markets. In return, the Brazilian government will finance part of the investment in promoting and publicizing these flights.

Among the latest announcements of new routes is that of Iberia, which as of next winter will include Fortaleza and Recife among its destinations, as well as Orlando in Florida, representing new and greater connection options for travelers. American Airlines also announced ten new weekly flights to Sao Paulo, from Dallas-Fort Worth
airport.

A 2024 for the records
2024 was the best year ever for international tourism in Brazil, as 6,657,377 foreign tourists were recorded, an increase of 12.6% compared to 2023. Last year, the number of passengers boarded on flights to or from Brazil exceeded 19.7 million, an increase of 17% compared to the same period in 2023, according to data consolidated by
Embratur, the Ministry of Tourism and the Federal Police.

In the first two months of 2025 alone, a total of 2,810,553 international tourists visited Brazil, an increase of 57% compared to the same period of 2024. Brazil and Mexico are the main commercial aviation markets in Latin America. The United States was the second largest tourist source country to Brazil last year, with nearly 700,000
travelers out of a total of 1.9 million. Historically, the country that sends the most tourists to Brazil is Argentina.

The president of the Brazilian Company for International Tourism Promotion (EMBRATUR), Marcelo Freixo, celebrated the results. “In the first two months of the year we surpassed the most optimistic projections. Brazil became fashionable, it went viral. Today, the world wants to see the Brazil of Fernanda Torres, of funk, of the Amazon, the Brazil that is a world reference for its joy, its culture, but also for the values of our people, the exaltation of our diversity and the defense of democracy. We are transforming our potential into reality”, said Freixo.

Fonte: Embratur.