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, equivalent to 15,089 additional tons compared with June 2025. It was the sixth consecutive month of growth and the highest year-on-year increase recorded so far in 2026.
Growth accelerates, but remains concentrated
June marked a renewed acceleration after growth had moderated during the previous two months. International cargo volumes increased 1.9% in January, 3.1% in February and 4.2% in March, before easing to 3.7% in April and 3.3% in May. Growth then climbed to 4.7% in June.
The composition of that increase, however, was far from evenly distributed.
Colombia and Brazil together handled 11,212 more tons than in June 2025, accounting for 74.3% of the entire regional increase. Brazil, Colombia and Mexico remained the three largest international cargo markets, representing 60.4% of June’s total volume, but incremental growth was even more concentrated in the first two.
The regional market is therefore expanding, but the additional cargo is being generated disproportionately by a limited number of countries and trade lanes.
Colombia accounts for nearly half of the gain
Colombia was the largest contributor to regional growth.
The country handled 67,310 metric tons of international cargo, up 11.6% from June 2025 and equivalent to 7,016 additional tons. That increase alone represented 46.5% of all additional international air cargo recorded across Latin America and the Caribbean during the month. Colombia also completed a fifth consecutive month of growth and posted its strongest year-on-year increase of 2026.
Most of the gain came from the United States corridor. Colombia–United States handled 40,079 tons in both directions, an increase of 5,696 tons, or 16.6%. Those additional volumes represented 81% of Colombia’s total increase and nearly 38% of the regional gain.
Growth occurred in both directions, although it was considerably stronger in cargo moving into Colombia. United States–Colombia volumes increased 33.8% to 14,314 tons, adding 3,617 tons, while Colombia–United States grew 8.8% to 25,766 tons, adding 2,079 tons.
At airport-pair level, Bogotá–Miami accounted for a particularly large share of the increase. The pair handled 30,540 tons, up 18.7%, and added 4,812 tons compared with June 2025. That represented 84.5% of the increase in the Colombia–United States corridor and 68.6% of Colombia’s total additional tonnage.
Growth was not limited to the U.S. market. Cargo between Colombia and Mexico increased 32.7%, while the Bogotá–Mexico City airport pair grew 51.0% to 2,146 tons.
Brazil’s recovery broadens
Brazil remained the region’s largest international air cargo market by volume, handling 77,822 metric tons in June.
Traffic increased 5.7%, equivalent to 4,196 additional tons, giving Brazil 27.8% of the regional increase. The result also marked a fourth consecutive month of growth following seven months of year-on-year declines between August 2025 and February 2026.
One notable shift came on the Brazil–United States corridor. Bilateral traffic reached 26,644 tons, up 3.6%, marking its first year-on-year increase after ten consecutive months of contraction. The recovery was driven by cargo moving from the United States to Brazil, which increased 6.2%, while Brazil–United States volumes declined 2.0%.
Brazil’s gains also extended beyond North America. Cargo with the Netherlands nearly doubled to 1,852 tons, up 97.8%, while the corridor with the United Arab Emirates reached 1,982 tons, up 83.0%. Together with the United States, those three markets generated 65.5% of Brazil’s additional tonnage.
The picture was not uniformly positive. Volumes declined with Chile, France, Mexico and Spain. ALTA also notes that the available data does not yet make it possible to determine which products or capacity changes were behind the sharp increases with the Netherlands and the UAE.
Mexico grows, but gains are offset elsewhere
Mexico, the region’s third-largest international cargo market, returned to growth after contracting in May. The country handled 58,128 metric tons, up 1.8%, equivalent to 1,033 additional tons.
Yet its underlying corridor performance was considerably more uneven. Mexico–United States alone added 2,057 tons, with bilateral volumes increasing 12.6% to 18,325 tons. The increase on that single corridor was therefore larger than Mexico’s total net gain.
That difference was offset by weaker volumes elsewhere. Cargo with China, Hong Kong, Luxembourg and Spain declined by a combined 1,118 tons, while growth with Germany and France provided partial compensation.
Mexico illustrates why national growth rates alone can conceal substantial shifts between individual trade lanes.
A regional headline masks uneven markets
Outside the three largest cargo markets, June produced mixed results.
Panama handled 20,995 tons, up 7.2%, while Peru reached 22,059 tons, an increase of 6.7%. Argentina was almost flat at +0.3%, after much stronger growth earlier in the year. Ecuador and Costa Rica declined 0.4%, Chile was virtually unchanged, and El Salvador increased 5.1%.
The June figures therefore describe a regional air cargo market that continues to expand, but whose growth is being generated disproportionately by a small number of markets, corridors and gateways.
Colombia alone accounted for nearly half of the additional tonnage, while Colombia and Brazil together generated almost three quarters of the regional gain. For airports, cargo operators and logistics companies, the performance of those individual gateways and trade lanes may therefore provide a more revealing measure of where the market is expanding than the regional growth rate alone.
Source : ALTA Cargo report June 2026
