LAC air cargo growth accelerates — But two markets dominate the gains
International air cargo across Latin America and the Caribbean recorded its strongest growth rate of 2026 in June, but the headline figure hides how concentrated the additional tonnage was. Most of the regional increase came from just two markets: Colombia and Brazil. Regional international air cargo reached 336,269 metric tons, up 4.7% year on year, […]
The baggage system is becoming airport capacity infrastructure
Airport capacity is usually visible. It comes in the form of runways, gates, aircraft stands and terminal buildings. Some of the constraints that determine how much traffic an airport can actually handle, however, sit largely out of sight. At Santo Domingo’s Las Américas International Airport, one of those hidden systems is being expanded significantly. AERODOM […]
Ecuador ’s air connectivity has grown 56% — But connecting traffic remains limited
Ecuador has become significantly better connected to the rest of Latin America over the past decade. But IATA data show that the expansion has primarily strengthened the country as an origin-and-destination market rather than turning it into a major connecting platform. Ecuador’s international air connectivity with Latin America increased by 56% from 2014, according to […]
Capacity keeps growing as LAC air demand turns negative
Passenger demand across Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) weakened in June even as airlines continued to add capacity, creating a notable gap between traffic growth and seat deployment. The divergence was most pronounced in the intra-regional market, where capacity expanded despite falling demand and a sharp drop in load factor. Capacity rises as demand […]
Paraguay’s air traffic grows 13% as scheduled connectivity deepens
Paraguay handled 715,372 commercial air passengers in the first half of 2026, up 13% from a year earlier. Behind that increase, scheduled traffic is taking an increasingly dominant role as the country’s international connectivity continues to deepen. Passenger traffic rose from 631,814 in the first six months of 2025 to 715,372 over the same period […]
Growth without room: How Latin American airports are creating Capacity
More than half of flights in Latin America and the Caribbean now operate from or arrive at airports that IATA considers congested or severely constrained. The figure — 54% of regional flights — comes as passenger demand continues to expand, even if the pace of growth has moderated during 2026. Regional demand rose 7.2% in […]
El Salvador’s Aviation Safety Challenge Goes Beyond Airport Infrastructure
El Salvador has made visible progress since adopting its 2022–2025 aviation safety plan, including the certification of Ilopango International Airport. But the latest ICAO data show that strengthening airport infrastructure is only part of the equation. The country still faces a wider challenge: ensuring that its capacity to regulate, certify and continuously oversee airports develops […]
A New Connectivity Opportunity: What Jamaica’s Latin American Links Reveal
For decades, the international air networks of the English-speaking Caribbean have been shaped primarily by North America, Europe and intra-Caribbean travel. Latin America, despite its geographic proximity, has played a more limited role, with much of the continent traditionally reached through connecting hubs rather than an extensive network of nonstop services. Jamaica is now testing […]
Making International Connections Work at Island Airports
For island markets, connectivity is often measured by the number of destinations served or the frequency of available flights. But another factor matters just as much: whether those flights can connect efficiently. At many small and mid-sized airports, an international passenger changing flights may need to clear immigration, collect baggage, pass through customs, check in […]
Jean-Noël Rault Takes Caribbean Leadership as Air France-KLM Expands Regional Connectivity
Air France-KLM has appointed Jean-Noël Rault as Regional Director for the Caribbean, placing him at the head of the group’s activities across a region where connectivity between the French territories, the wider Caribbean and the Americas is becoming an increasingly important part of its network strategy. Based in Pointe-à-Pitre, Rault succeeds Lionel Rault, who is […]
From Connectivity to Capital: What Will It Take to Turn Caribbean Opportunities into Investment?
As the Caribbean Investment Forum 2026 prepares to return to Barbados, a central question is emerging for the region: not whether investment opportunities exist, but whether the Caribbean can build the scale, infrastructure and investment-ready projects needed to compete for increasingly selective global capital. BRIDGETOWN, BARBADOS — The Caribbean investment landscape has no shortage of […]
Beyond compliance: Dominican Republic shifts aviation safety toward performance and data
The Dominican Republic is looking beyond basic regulatory compliance as it sets its aviation safety priorities through 2028. Under the country’s National Aviation Safety Plan (PENSO) 2025-2028, the next phase of oversight will place greater emphasis on risk-based supervision, safety data, performance measurement and the wider adoption of Safety Management Systems across the industry. The […]