Dear Colleagues,
The aviation industry in the Americas has seen a remarkable recovery, with most markets bouncing back to or exceeding their 2019 passenger and capacity levels as of 2023 which is the focus of our in-depth economic analysis this month, summarized in the below graph. The resurgence is led by larger markets, but the spotlight shines on South America’s smaller markets, which have experienced the most vigorous comebacks.
In South America, countries like Guyana, Colombia, and Ecuador have outperformed their 2019 figures by 18%, thanks to robust economic conditions, increased international tourism, and reduced tourism taxes. Conversely, Argentina, Chile, and Peru are still grappling with political and economic challenges, trailing behind their previous performance by 10-30%. Central America, excluding Belize, has emerged as the region’s standout, with passenger traffic soaring to 150% of the 2019 levels, driven by a tourism boom.
North America tells a mixed story. Mexico leads the pack, having surpassed 2019 demand and capacity by 16% and 18%, respectively, aided by lenient travel restrictions. The United States remains close to its 2019 benchmarks, while Canada lags, with its capacity still 11% below the 2019 level.
Overall, the improved load factor across most countries reflects a resilient industry and effective tourism policies, highlighting the potential for further regional growth. Yet, significant markets like Canada, Argentina, Chile, and Peru must overcome hurdles to fully capitalize on this upward trend.
To address some of these hurdles and opportunities to make the region more competitive, we held the recent Wings of Change Americas Conference in Santiago, Chile with over 400 participants, including key airline executives and government authorities from over 16 countries. We focused the conference agenda on reducing taxes, harmonizing regulations, ensuring infrastructure adequacy, attracting more diverse talent to aviation, and achieving net-zero emissions by 2050. All event recordings and presentations are now available and on behalf of IATA, I would like to thank you for your contributions and support to make the conference a success.
As usual, please find IATA’s latest activities across the Americas below. Please do not hesitate to reach out with any questions or ideas for further follow up. Thank you for your on-going support.
Best regards,
Peter Cerdá
IATA’s Regional Vice President, The Americas
Americas Focus: Archive
2024: 01-2024 (pdf) 02-2024 (pdf) 03-2024 (pdf)
2023: 01-2023 (pdf) 02-2023 (pdf) 03-2023 (pdf) 04-2023 (pdf) 05-2023 (pdf) 06-2023 (pdf) 07-2023 (pdf) 08-2023 (pdf)
2022: 01-2022 (pdf) 02-2022 (pdf) 03-22 (pdf) 04-22 (pdf) 05-22 (pdf) 06-22 (pdf)
2021: 01-2021 (pdf) 02-2021 (pdf) 03-2021 (pdf) 04-2021 (pdf) 05-2021 (pdf) 06-2021 (pdf) 07-2021 (pdf)
2020: 01-2020 (pdf) 02-2020 (pdf) 03-2020 (pdf)
2019: Jan 2019 (pdf) Feb 2019 (pdf) May 2019 (pdf) #04 Version (pdf) #05 Version (pdf) #06 Version (pdf)
2018: Jan 2018 (pdf) Feb 2018 (pdf) Mar 2018 (pdf) Apr 2018 (pdf) May 2018 (pdf) Jun 2018 (pdf)
Jul 2018 (pdf) Aug-Sep 2018 (pdf) Oct-Nov 2018 (pdf) Summary 2018 (pdf)
2017: Q4 2017 (pdf) Q3 2017 (pdf) Q2 2017 (pdf) Q1 2017 (pdf)