Dear Colleagues,
The new year is off to a rapid start across the Americas region. In Venezuela, flight restrictions have been lifted or are in the process of being removed, paving the way for the resumption of previously suspended operations. As capacity and demand begin to return, it is essential that safety, efficiency, and full compliance with international standards are maintained both in the airspace and at airports. With direct flights between the United States and Venezuela also expected to restart in the near term, and traffic levels set to rise significantly, we have engaged the Venezuelan authorities to initiate a more formal preparation process. Our focus is to support a safe, orderly, and standards‑compliant restart of operations in this critical market.
In Cuba, an anticipated severe month‑long fuel shortage is driving significant operational challenges, prompting IATA to engage authorities urgently on contingency measures.
Further South, in Colombia, the Government announced its intent to modify slot rules at Bogotá’s El Dorado Airport without industry consultation and without following the Worldwide Airport Slot Guidelines (WASG). Such a move risks undermining the strong connectivity that enabled more than 47 million passengers to travel through the country in 2025. We are asking the Colombian authorities to first fully enforce the existing slot system and pursue any reforms through an open process aligned with global standards.
From an economic data perspective, IATA released its 2025 full‑year and December passenger market performance, showing record high demand with international traffic up 7.1% for the year and 7.7% in December. Latin America outpaced the global average with an 8.6% annual rise in traffic, despite a drop in load factor, while North America posted the slowest growth of any region at 2.1%, reflecting ongoing capacity constraints. On the cargo side, global air cargo demand grew 3.4% in 2025, though performance weakened toward year‑end. North America registered the only annual decline at –1.3%, with demand down 2.2% in December, while Latin America and the Caribbean recorded a 2.3% annual rise but saw a steep December drop at –4.1%.
Before closing, I would like to extend our deepest condolences on the passing of Constantino de Oliveira Júnior, founder and Chairman of the Board of GOL Linhas Aéreas and Abra Group. A visionary entrepreneur, Constantino transformed air transport in Brazil and across Latin America, expanding access to aviation and setting new industry standards. We stand in solidarity with his family, friends, and the many aviation professionals inspired by his remarkable legacy.
As always, please find below the latest IATA activities across the Americas region, and 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)
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)