Passenger traffic at airports in Latin America and the Caribbean grew 6.3% over 2019.

Airports Council International for Latin America and the Caribbean (ACI-LAC) presents passenger traffic data at the region’s airports in June 2023 and in the first half of the year (January to June) compared to 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic.

The increase in passenger volume for June 2023 was 6.3%, while during the first half of the year, growth reached 4.1%.

According to ACI-LAC data, Puerto Rico has the most favorable outcome proportionally. Puerto Rican airports recorded an increase in passengers of 31% in June and 29.4% in the first half of the year. Uruguay, on the other hand, had the least favorable results. In June 2023, there was a 14.6% decrease in passenger movements at the country’s airports, while in the first half of the year, the drop in the number of travelers was 18.8%.

Mexico, Colombia, and the Dominican Republic stood out by showing, respectively, growth of 12.2%, 11.5%, and 16.6% in June 2023, and the first half of the year, an increase in passenger flow of 18.8%, 16.3% and 12.2%.

Brazil, the second largest air market in Latin America and the Caribbean, achieved a 1.2% increase in the number of passengers at airports in June 2023. However, from January to June, it decreased by 5.2%.

Dr. Rafael Echevarne, Director General of ACI-LAC, highlighted the leadership of the Latin America and Caribbean region in the global recovery of passenger traffic.

“During the first two quarters of 2023, our region’s recovery was consistently higher than other regions, with North America and Africa following. This situation reflects the LAC region’s low exposure to Asian and Eastern European markets. We expect this rapid recovery and leadership to continue until at least the end of 2023.”

ACI-LAC data is based on passenger figures representing more than 90% of the region’s air traffic and includes the busiest airports in Latin America and the Caribbean.