ACI-LAC’s agenda over the past month: Liberalization, the importance of a state aviation policy, and the development of airport cities
By Rafael Echevarne, ACI-LAC Director General At ACI-LAC we will soon publish a study on liberalization in the Caribbean. Air connectivity is vital for the region's economic and social development, yet faces stark inequality: while international routes grow and sustain tourism, intra-Caribbean links have drastically declined, limiting regional mobility. High travel costs, institutional fragmentation, and ineffective regulatory frameworks have created a "liberalization on paper" that fails to deliver real benefits. The study will propose advancing toward effective liberalization with convergent rules, bilateral incentives, and reduced fiscal burdens, so aviation can truly drive integration, competitiveness, and sustainable progress in the region. Brazil has taken a historic step by establishing the Connect Agenda as a state policy for civil aviation—an initiative that [...]