Dear Colleagues,
April 19 marked the 80th anniversary of IATA, and I had the great honor of celebrating this special occasion at the Hotel Nacional de Cuba in Havana with the Cuban authorities in the very same room and setting as in 1945. From its early beginnings with 57 members in 31 nations to over 350 members in 120 nations in 2025, IATA's journey is a testament to the power of air transport in connecting the world while driving economic growth and social development. I would encourage you to read Willie Walsh’s thoughts on this milestone for IATA and the global air transport community.
I am also pleased to share that IATA has been granted an OFAC license for Cuba. Effective immediately, our advocacy and engagement activities with the Cuban authorities and key stakeholders will be managed by our Caribbean Country Office based in Miami, and IATA’s US based SMEs can also support our industry efforts in Cuba moving forward.
In a few weeks, the global airline community will once again come together for IATA’s 81st Annual General Meeting (AGM) and World Air Transport Summit (WATS) which will take place on 1-3 June 2025. You can view all event details here and if you have any last-minute questions, please do feel free to reach out.
Prior to heading to New Delhi, I will be engaged in two key meetings with senior government officials across the region. In Guatemala, IATA will meet with President Bernardo Arévalo to discuss infrastructure and capacity constraints at La Aurora International Airport, civil aviation law reform, airport governance, and airspace safety. Then I will head to Guyana to explore collaborative opportunities in the air transport sector and tourism with President Mohamed Irfaan Ali and senior ministers. If you have any specific items to be raised in these meetings, please let me know.
From an economic perspective, IATA’s latest passenger data shows a 3.3% increase in global demand compared to March 2024. North American carriers experienced a slight -0.1% drop in demand, with capacity up 2.0% and a load factor of 83.0%. Latin American airlines saw a 7.7% increase in demand, a 12.1% rise in capacity, and a load factor of 80.9%.
Lastly, I am happy to share three key upcoming events in the region: First, the CNS Partnership Conference in Miami from May 13-15, then the 156th IATA Slot Conference in Vancouver, and finally, Wings of Change Americas in Bogotá on June 25 and 26. If you are unable to make it to the AGM, I hope to see you in Miami, Vancouver or Bogotá.
Please find below the latest IATA activities across the Americas and please let me know if you have any questions or ideas for follow up.
Thank you for your on-going support.
Peter Cerdá
IATA’s Regional Vice President, The Americas
Americas Focus: Archive
2025: 01-2025 (pdf) 02-2025 (pdf) 03-2025 (pdf) 04-2025 (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)