Air traffic in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) grew 3.9% year-on-year in October

Growth was concentrated in intra-regional traffic, driven by the domestic markets of Brazil and Argentina, which together accounted for 58% of net passenger growth. 

Flight capacity increased 1.5% year-on-year, while total seat capacity rose 2.7%, reflecting the deployment of larger aircraft, with an average of 160 seats per flight, up from 159 seats in October 2024[i].

Key indicators

•  Available seat-kilometres (ASKs) increased 4.1% year-on-year.
•  Revenue passenger-kilometres (RPKs) grew 3.9% year-on-year.
•  The average load factor stood at 84.5%.
•  In the January–October period, total air traffic in LAC reached 379.4 million passengers, representing a 3.8% increase compared to the same period in 2024.

Brazil and Argentina continue to lead passenger growth 

As has been the case throughout 2025, Brazil remained the main contributor to regional passenger growth, adding 948,000 passengers in October (+9.1% year-on-year). The domestic market recorded a new all-time high for the eighth consecutive month, and if this trend continues, 2025 is set to become a record year for domestic traffic in Brazil, surpassing 100 million domestic passengers for the first time and joining the United States, China, India and Japan as markets with domestic traffic above that threshold. International traffic grew 9.3% year-on-year in October, and every month in 2025 has reached new monthly highs for Brazil’s international market. Over the January–October period, international traffic increased 14% year-on-year, reaching a total of 23.5 million passengers.

Argentina also maintained a positive trajectory, recording its tenth consecutive month of double-digit growth in total passengers. In October, 2.79 million passengers travelled to, from and within the country, representing an 11.6% year-on-year increase. Domestic traffic grew 8.1%, while international traffic increased by 16%, driven by increased international capacity within the region. The strongest growth in international flights was observed on routes to and from Brazil (+41%), the Dominican Republic (+44%), Peru (+24%), Paraguay (+35%) and Panama (+27%)27%).

Modest recovery in Mexico and Colombia, while Chile records its weakest month of 2025

In Mexico, total passenger traffic reached 9.5 million passengers in October (+1.7% year-on-year), with marginal increases of 1.8% in the domestic market and 1.5% in the international segment. Traffic between Mexico and the United States—the third-largest country pair in the region after the domestic markets of Brazil and Mexico—recorded a modest year-on-year increase of 0.6%, following the 3.5% decline observed in August. Over the January–October period, traffic between Mexico and the United States remained broadly stable, with a marginal 0.2% year-on-year decrease.

In Colombia, total air passenger traffic grew 2.0% year-on-year in October, following two consecutive months of contraction. Domestic traffic declined 1.2% year-on-year, while international traffic increased 6.8%, driven by a higher number of flights to and from Brazil (+29.7%), Costa Rica (+31.3%) and Peru (+12.1%). Over the January–October period, domestic traffic in Colombia fell 1.9% year-on-year, while international traffic grew 6.9%, supported by the performance of markets such as Peru, Brazil and Argentina, which together accounted for nearly 60% of net growth in inbound international air tourism during the period[ii].

Chile recorded its weakest result of the year in October 2025, with total passenger traffic declining 4.1% year-on-year. Domestic traffic, which accounted for 60% of total passengers, fell 2.4%, while international traffic contracted for a second consecutive month, declining 6.5% year-on-year. 

“In the first ten months of 2025, eight out of every ten additional passengers in Latin America and the Caribbean travelled within the region. To sustain this growth, it is essential to avoid measures that increase the cost of connectivity, such as the transfer passenger fee at Lima Airport, given that up to 60% of traffic on several intra-regional routes from Lima depend on connecting passengers,” said Peter Cerdá, CEO of ALTA.

Panama and the Dominican Republic continue to drive growth in Central America and the Caribbean

In Central America, traffic to and from the subregion increased 9.1% year-on-year, led by Panama, which recorded 11.8% growth and handled 1.81 million passengers. Costa Rica followed with a 7.2% increase (421,000 passengers), while Guatemala grew 8.5% (404,000 passengers). El Salvador posted a modest year-on-year increase of 0.5%, following a 5.6% decline in September.

In the Caribbean, the Dominican Republic led growth, handling 1.31 million passengers, a 3.6% year-on-year increase. The number of flights operated to the United States rose 10.4%, marking a fourth consecutive month of growth and the second-highest level so far this year. Jamaica remained broadly stable, with 423,000 passengers, posting a marginal 0.3% year-on-year decline. 

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Glossary: RPK (Revenue Passenger Kilometers): number of paying passengers transported multiplied by the distance flown | ASK (Available Seat Kilometers): number of seats available for sale multiplied by the distance flown | Load Factor: obtained by dividing RPK by ASK.

Methodological Note

In this document, Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) is defined as the combined total of South America, Central America, the Caribbean, and Mexico. This definition is applied consistently across all regional and international traffic analyses.

Domestic traffic refers to flights operated within the same country. International traffic is classified into two broad segments:

• Intra-regional international traffic: flights between countries within LAC (e.g., Argentina–Brazil or Mexico–Colombia).
• Extra-regional international traffic: flights between LAC and other regions of the world, such as North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, the Middle East, or Africa.  

[i] ALTA. Own analysis based on CIRIUM SRS Analyzer data, November 2025

[ii] Migración Colombia. Available at: https://portucolombia.mincit.gov.co/tematicas/flujo-de-turistas-y-pasajeros/visitantes-no-residentes Accessed on December 11, 2025