Source: ACI-LAC

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Airports Council International (ACI) has recently released global airport traffic data for the year 2023. The information is contained in the Annual World Airport Traffic Report 2024, published by ACI World, and whose data is collected directly from its global network of airport operators and official civil aviation bodies.

The report’s data indicates that total global passenger traffic in 2023 was nearly 8.7 billion, representing annual growth of 30.6% driven by a continued post-pandemic resurgence in international traffic. In particular, global traffic benefited from the reopening of Asian markets and a growing willingness of the world’s population to travel despite global macroeconomic conditions.

Latin American and Caribbean airports handled more than 732.4 million passengers, representing 8.4% of global traffic. Annual passenger growth in our region was 12.7%.
In terms of air cargo, 5.8 million tons were handled, with annual growth of 1.3%. Latin America and the Caribbean accounted for 5.1% of global air cargo traffic.

“The data set compiled by ACI indicates that travel demand in Latin America and the Caribbean is strong. The leading countries in the region in terms of air traffic volume are already operating above 2019 levels, for example Brazil and Mexico, which are, respectively, the two countries with the highest traffic volume in the region, are already recording passenger figures close to 200 million. In 2023, 209.2 million travelers transited through Brazilian airports and 185.8 million through Mexican airports, although Mexican airports recorded a higher volume of international passengers (58.4 million) than Brazilian airports (21.9 million),” said Rafael Echevarne, Director General of ACI-LAC.

Top 20 airports in Latin America and the Caribbean in 2023

Passenger traffic:

  • Benito Juarez International Airport (MEX) in Mexico City had the highest traffic volume, totaling 48,415,693 passengers, approximately 26% of the country’s total volume;
  • The largest percentage increase was recorded at Buenos Aires International Airport (EZE), with a 44% growth;
  • Among the top 20 airports with the most traffic in the region, six are in Brazil, the region’s largest market. Together, Guarulhos (GRU), Congonhas (CGH), Brasilia (BSB), Campinas (VCP), Santos Dumont (SDU) and Belo Horizonte (CNF) airports had a combined movement of 112,898,238 passengers in 2023, equivalent to approximately 54% of traffic at Brazilian airports.

Air cargo traffic:

  • The airport that recorded the highest cargo volume was Bogota’s El Dorado International Airport (BOG), with 758,180 tons;
  • The airport showing the highest percentage increase was Quito International Airport (UIO), with a growth of 14.12%;
  • Three of Mexico’s five airports listed among the top 20 in the region showed a drop in the volume of cargo transported, which is explained by the country’s government’s decision to move cargo flights to Felipe Angeles International Airport (NLU), which began operations in 2022.

Aircraft movements:

  • The airport with the highest volume of operations was Mexico City International Airport (MEX), with 363,450 movements;
  • The airport with the highest percentage increase was Jorge Newberry Airport (AEP), in Buenos Aires, with a growth of 22.24%.