Air Traffic in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) Grew 2.6% in May

In May 2025, 37.76 million passengers traveled across Latin America and the Caribbean—a 2.6% year-over-year increase, with 959,000 additional passengers. Growth continued but at a slower pace than in previous months (5.3% in April, 4.0% in March, 5.0% in February).

According to ALTA’s Traffic Report, in May 2025, 37.76 million passengers traveled across Latin America and the Caribbean—a 2.6% year-over-year increase, with 959,000 additional passengers. Growth continued but at a slower pace than in previous months (5.3% in April, 4.0% in March, 5.0% in February).

Brazil and Argentina drove regional growth

Brazil posted its highest-ever domestic traffic for a month of May, with 8.2 million passengers—6.3% above the previous May record (2015) and 14% higher than May 2024.

• This performance reflects a sustained trend: March, April, and May 2025 all set new monthly records for domestic travel in Brazil.
• Part of the momentum comes from lower fares—air transport was the service category with the sharpest price drop in May[1] (–11.3% YoY). Meanwhile, household spending on air travel rose 16.9% from January to April[2].

On international routes, Brazil saw double-digit growth: +13.2% YoY in May with 250,000 additional passengers. This marked the fifth consecutive monthly record. International air arrivals grew 38% year-to-date, driven by 1.5 million visitors from South America (+64%). Arrivals from Argentina surged 93%.

“The growth of Brazil’s air transport market reflects greater inclusion and accessibility. In the past 20 years, average domestic fares (inflation-adjusted) have fallen from 851 to 543 reais, and international fares from 892 to 665 reais since 2011[3]. This progress must not be taken for granted. Fiscal proposals such as a 26.5% VAT on airline tickets could jeopardize these gains and limit millions of Brazilians’ ability to fly,” said Peter Cerdá, ALTA’s Executive Director and CEO.

Argentina posted the region’s highest domestic growth rate at 21% YoY. International traffic rose 19%, boosted by a 52% surge in outbound travel by residents.

• The top destinations were Brazil (+110%), Chile (+99%), and Europe (+45%.
• This trend reflects a favorable exchange rate and the easing of travel restrictions that lowered the relative cost of flying abroad.

Mexico, LAC’s second-largest market

Mexico’s domestic traffic grew 2.1% in May (+109,000 passengers). However, several of the country’s busiest routes saw declines. International traffic also rose 2.1%, but the three busiest U.S.-Mexico routes recorded drops.

Weaker performance in Colombia, Chile, and the LAC–U.S. segment weighed on overall growth:

• In Colombia, domestic traffic declined 6.2% YoY, marking the fourth straight month of contraction. The operating environment has become more challenging: the official exchange rate (TRM) depreciated 8.3% YoY in May[4], increasing the cost of dollar-denominated expenses such as fuel, maintenance, and leasing. On top of that, the national carbon tax was raised in February.
• In Chile, domestic traffic fell 1.0%.
• Extra-regional international traffic decreased 0.6%, the first drop since April 2021.

Intra-regional international traffic recorded strong growth

Traffic within the region rose 15.4% across key market pairs: Argentina–Brazil, Colombia–Panama, Brazil–Chile, and Argentina–Chile.

Key metrics summary

• Available seat kilometers (ASK) grew 3.2%.
• Revenue passenger kilometers (RPK) increased 3.0%.
• The average load factor stood at 84.4%.
• From January to May, total passenger traffic in LAC reached 199 million—a 3.9% increase versus the same period in 2024.

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.

[1] Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística (IBGE). Monthly Services Survey – Table 7060: Service Volume Index by Activities and Geographic Areas, base 100 = 2011. Data consulted for the category «Air passenger transport», April 2025. Available at: https://sidra.ibge.gov.br/tabela/7060

[2] Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística (IBGE). Monthly Services Survey – Technical and Methodological Notes. Available at: https://biblioteca.ibge.gov.br/index.php/biblioteca-catalogo?view=detalhes&id=72419

[3] Agência Nacional de Aviação Civil (ANAC). Historical Data – Domestic and International Airfares (inflation-adjusted average prices). Data consulted as of May 2025. Available at: https://www.gov.br/anac/pt-br/assuntos/dados-e-estatisticas/mercado-do-transporte-aereo/tarifas-aereas/tarifas-aereas-domesticas-e-internacionais

[4] Banco de la República de Colombia. Representative Market Exchange Rate (TRM) — daily average for May 2025 (range: COP 4,222.25–4,148.72). Source: SUAMECA – Time Series Grapher, category: “tasa_cambio_peso_colombiano_trm_dolar_usd”