Dear Colleagues,
The global energy crisis continues despite the recently announced ceasefire, with aviation already experiencing tangible impacts as some flights are cancelled and aircraft grounded. While the industry is working intensively to secure alternative supply routes, it is essential that governments also fully understand the implications of the current fuel situation for airlines and have clearly communicated, well‑coordinated contingency plans in place should conditions deteriorate further in terms of supply and price, as recently outlined by the International Energy Agency. This includes preparedness for potential rationing measures, such as slot relief, given aviation’s critical role in supporting connectivity, economic activity, and social cohesion, for which few viable alternatives exist.
This issue was also front and center on and off the stage at Wings of Change Americas 2026 that took place in Santiago, Chile at the beginning of April. The event brought together 400 voices from across the region, governments, industry leaders, and international partners, around a shared commitment to aviation’s future.
We were particularly encouraged by the strong participation of Chile’s new government, ministries from across the Americas, and key partners including ICAO, the FAA, EASA, and CLAC. Discussions reinforced a clear message: aviation is a strategic enabler of economic growth, connectivity, and social development, and addressing today’s geopolitical, cost, and sustainability challenges will require smart policy, close collaboration, and a continued focus on people and trust at the center of the system.
All event materials, including presentations, press releases, and images, are available here.
Looking at the latest passenger data, global air travel demand continued to strengthen in February, with worldwide passenger traffic up 6.1% year-on-year. Latin America stood out as one of the strongest performers, with demand growth of 9.2% overall and a surge of 13.5% in international traffic, supported by capacity expansion and industry-leading load factors around 85%, highlighting sustained momentum in the region. North America, by contrast, showed more moderate growth, with total demand up 2.8% and international traffic rising 5.0%.
On the cargo side of the business, worldwide demand in February rose 11.2% year-on-year, supported by solid global trade growth, improving manufacturing sentiment, and pre–Lunar New Year shipping activity. North America recorded robust and well-balanced growth, with cargo demand up 9.4% and capacity rising a more modest 5.3%. Latin America posted just 0.7% growth in demand while capacity grew 4.5%, leading to declining load factors and highlighting a softer cargo market relative to both the global average and North America’s stronger momentum.
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) 03-2026 (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)