Dear Colleagues,
We are now less than a month away from the global aviation spotlight turning to the Americas region, Brazil in particular. The IATA Annual General Meeting (AGM) in Rio de Janeiro, taking place from 6–8 June, is offering a unique platform to highlight key regional priorities and the structural challenges facing Brazil’s aviation sector to a global audience.
By convening in South America’s largest aviation market, the event will underscore aviation’s critical role as a driver of connectivity, tourism, trade, and broader economic development. I look forward to seeing many of you in Rio and please do not hesitate to reach out with any questions.
One of the critical topics under scrutiny is the current jet fuel crisis which continues to test the resilience of global aviation. It has once again become clear that governments must work closely with the industry, avoid short‑term policy mistakes, and instead focus on strengthening connectivity and long‑term resilience. Reliable air connectivity is essential not only to support economic growth, but also to promote social inclusion and enable access to global markets, particularly for smaller, remote, and underserved communities where aviation often serves as a critical lifeline.
To support informed, evidence‑based policymaking, IATA has launched the Regional Connectivity Snapshots, offering a concise, data‑driven view of how regional air route networks are evolving across selected markets. Designed for policymakers and industry stakeholders, the snapshots track changes in network structure, capacity, and airline presence over time, shedding light on both the resilience and vulnerability of regional air services and helping to inform policies that support sustainable, affordable, and inclusive aviation connectivity. We hope you find the reports useful in your own advocacy efforts and stakeholder engagement.
Looking at the latest passenger data, air passenger demand in the Americas showed resilient growth in March 2026 despite global headwinds. North American carriers reported a 3.7% increase in passenger demand, achieving a strong load factor of 85.5%, while Latin America and the Caribbean posted even stronger growth, with demand rising 12.1% year on year and a load factor of 83.8%, underscoring solid traffic momentum and high aircraft utilization across both regions.
On the air cargo side of the business, performance in the Americas was mixed in March 2026 amid global disruptions. North American carriers recorded a 1.2% year‑on‑year decline in cargo demand, with a cargo load factor of 40.6%, reflecting softer volumes but stable utilization. In contrast, Latin America and the Caribbean saw cargo demand grow by 1.8% year on year, although the load factor stood at a more modest 38.3%, pointing to continued demand growth alongside expanding capacity across the region.
As always, please find below the latest IATA activities across the Americas region. Please do not hesitate to reach out with any questions or suggestions for further follow‑up.
Peter Cerdá
IATA’s Regional Vice President, The Americas
Americas Focus: Archive
2026: 01-2026 (pdf) 02-2026 (pdf) 03-2026 (pdf) 04-2026 (pdf)
2025: 01-2025 (pdf) 02-2025 (pdf) 03-2025 (pdf) 04-2025 (pdf) 05-2025 (pdf) 06-2025 (pdf) 07-2025 (pdf) 07-2025 Spanish (pdf) 08-2025 (pdf) 08-2025 Spanish (pdf) 09-2025 (pdf) 09-2025 Spanish (pdf) 10-2025 (pdf) 10-2025 Spanish (pdf) 11-2025 (pdf) 11-2025 spanish (pdf)
2024: 01-2024 (pdf) 02-2024 (pdf) 03-2024 (pdf) 04-2024 (pdf) 05-2024 (pdf) 06-2024 (pdf) 07-2024 (pdf) 08-2024 (pdf) 09-2024 (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)