Dear Colleagues,
Given the latest geopolitical developments in the Middle East, safety remains top of mind for airlines and passengers alike, and the industry’s number-one priority. IATA has just released its 2025 Annual Safety Report, which shows a solid year of global safety performance, including an improved all-accident rate of 1.32 per million flights, down from 1.42 in
2024, alongside detailed insights into accident types, regional trends, and emerging risks such as conflict-zone exposure and a sharp rise in GNSS interference. Please access the full interactive report to explore the key findings, regional safety performance, and priority actions shaping
aviation safety in 2026 and beyond.
The conflict in the Middle East has also led to a steep increase in oil prices, putting immediate pressure on airlines as jet fuel is the highest cost for airlines (along with labor), and fluctuations in fuel prices have an important effect on the airline industry's profitability. However, the pace of
change tends to matter more than the price level. Rapid changes qualify as shocks and are hard to adjust to. IATA released this analysis for a detailed historical comparison.
Focusing in on the Americas, we just concluded a successful World Cargo Symposium in Lima, Peru. As part of the event, IATA launched a case study to showcase the powerful role air cargo plays in Peru’s booming fresh-produce and flower sectors. The report is also available in Spanish and we will continue to release similar briefs to highlight how aviation supports economies and communities throughout the region. In Chile, I met with the newly inaugurated government, including key ministries responsible for transport, infrastructure, and tourism to outline the aviation industry’s priorities and agree on a collaborative path forward. These engagements come at an important moment as we prepare for Wings of Change Americas in Santiago on 8–9 April, where strengthened cooperation between industry and government will be essential to advancing regional connectivity and competitiveness. You can view the latest agenda here and I hope you will be able to join us next month.
From an economic perspective, international passenger demand rose 5.9% year-on-year in January, with all regions expanding, while North American carriers posted steady growth of 3.4% and an improved 82.3% load factor, and Latin American airlines saw a 11.4% surge in demand, outpacing capacity growth and achieving the world’s highest load factor at 86.5%, underscoring the region’s continued strength.
On the cargo side of the business, international air cargo demand grew 5.6% year-on-year in January. North America saw a slight 0.5% decline alongside the only regional capacity contraction (-0.2%). Latin America and the Caribbean posted the weakest demand result worldwide with a 2.0% decrease despite a 2.3% rise in capacity, highlighting a mixed global cargo environment with sharp regional divergences.
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) 02-2026 (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)