"Efficient routes" boost air sustainability in Latin American destinations

As Mabrian points out in this study, for Latin American destinations, the traceability of travelers' CO2 emissions is a fundamental pillar for designing competitive connectivity strategies that contribute to sustainable tourism development.

Barcelona (Spain): July 31, 2025.

Streamlining and route planning for long-haul flights with efficiency criteria can help reduce the carbon footprint generated by travelers globally, as shown by an analysis by Mabrian, a global tourism intelligence and destination consulting firm, on CO2 emissions per passenger generated by global air connectivity networks for seven Latin American destinations.

The study compares the carbon footprint per passenger of the main destinations in Latin America (Argentina, Chile, Mexico, Brazil, Colombia, Peru, and Uruguay), which together represent 98% of international arrivals to the Latin American and Caribbean region in 2024, according to data from UN Tourism. According to Mabrian data, domestic and international flights in these seven countries emitted a total of 38.3 million tons of CO2 during 2024, +5.6% more than the previous year. For reference, CO2 emissions in the Southern Europe region, which includes destinations such as Spain, Italy, Greece, Portugal, and Croatia, increased by +14% in 2024, totaling 29.9 million tons of CO2.

The carbon footprint per passenger is an indicator developed by Mabrian that determines the average in kilograms of CO2 emitted by each traveler arriving at a destination by air. The ratio is calculated using the methodology approved by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), which considers criteria such as cabin type, the passenger-to-cargo ratio of the flight, and the load factor or ratio of occupied and available seats on the flight for specific route groups.

“The carbon footprint per passenger makes sense in the context of other indicators of traveler impact on a destination, such as the level and distribution of spending,” notes Carlos Cendra, partner and director of Marketing and Communications at Mabrian. “For destinations, the carbon footprint should not be just a quantitative criterion; above all, it should be a traceability tool for developing more sustainable, efficient, and profitable connectivity strategies.”

“Efficient routes,” the key to reducing the carbon footprint per passenger

The main conclusion of this analysis is that the emissions ratio per visitor to the countries analyzed is reduced thanks to long-distance routes, which have significantly reduced CO2 emissions over the past 12 months.

“Several factors contribute to these air routes reducing their carbon footprint per passenger, such as fleet renewal with more modern and efficient aircraft, optimized load factor planning, and the incorporation of larger aircraft, all of which respond to the airlines' goal of making their routes more profitable, whether by increasing revenue or reducing costs, especially fuel costs, which all contribute to reducing their carbon footprint,” explains Cendra.

The data show two scenarios: countries where the carbon footprint per passenger is decreasing compared to the previous year, such as Chile (-5.3% on average), Colombia (-3.9%), Uruguay (-3.4%), and Peru (-0.7%); and destinations such as Argentina (+6.3%), Mexico (+4.7%), and Brazil (+1.9%), where it is increasing. The breakdown of the main origin markets for each of these destinations demonstrates this effect of "efficient routes," which contribute to reducing CO2 emissions per passenger.

The influence of long-haul routes is clear, for example, in Chile, the Latin American destination with the greatest reduction in the carbon footprint per passenger of the seven studied in 2024, thanks to the contribution of routes that generate a greater volume of CO2 emissions, although they are reduced compared to the same period the previous year. This is the case with flights from Australia (-7.9% compared to the previous year), New Zealand (-2.3%), and Spain (-0.2%), which have managed to become more efficient compared to the previous year.

Another interesting case is Colombia: in this destination, two of the long-haul routes with the largest carbon footprints, Turkey and Germany, have reduced their emissions by -18.8% and -10.7%, respectively, in one year. A similar scenario is repeated in Uruguay, where CO2 emissions on flights from Colombia have fallen by -12.1% compared to the previous year, those from Spain have decreased by -4.1%, while those from the United States and Panama have remained stable.

Reducing the carbon footprint is key to sustainability in tourism because, according to data from the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC), 6.5% of global greenhouse gas emissions come from the tourism industry, its value chain, and international transport networks, and of these emissions, 37% come from passenger transport.

In this sense, aviation plays a very important role, as reflected by the Air Transport Action Group (ATAG) in the most recent edition of Aviation Benefits Beyond Borders 2024. This report indicates that 80% of aviation CO2 emissions are generated by flights covering distances greater than 1,500 kilometers for which there is no other means of transport. Furthermore, according to this same study, 2.05% of CO2 emissions generated by human activity come from airline activity.  

“Our data proves that, despite the challenges and technical difficulties, both the airlines operating in Latin America and the region's destinations are aligned with this commitment, although there is still room for improvement,” emphasizes the spokesperson for Mabrian, part of The Data Appeal Company – Almawave Group. “The next step is to further train destinations on how to operate based on these types of indicators, and to raise awareness about how to apply data intelligence to advance sustainability, for example, by developing routes and connectivity strategies that incorporate other impact parameters into the analysis that respond to both growth and competitiveness criteria and sustainable development,” he concludes.

Source: Mabrian Technologies.