Guyana recorded 443,300 international origin-destination passenger departures in 2023, with international journeys accounting for 93% of the country’s total O-D air travel market. Although the country remains relatively small in global traffic terms, its international passenger base has expanded by 53.6% over the past decade, according to IATA.
That growth has been driven by a market increasingly connected to external destinations, but still highly concentrated. North America accounted for 57% of international departures, while New York alone represented more than one-third of all passengers leaving Guyana for an overseas destination.
International traffic defines Guyana’s aviation market
Guyana ranked as the world’s 147th-largest international air passenger market in 2023, measured by O-D departures. Its 443,300 international passengers represented only 0.03% of global international traffic and 0.5% of the corresponding regional market.
Those figures underline the relatively limited size of Guyana’s aviation sector when compared with larger Caribbean and Latin American markets. However, the structure of demand is notable: only 7% of O-D passenger departures were domestic, while the remaining 93% involved international travel.
This makes access to foreign markets central to the country’s aviation model. Passenger demand depends heavily on international routes linking Guyana to major commercial, tourism and regional destinations rather than on a large domestic air travel base.
The cumulative 53.6% increase in international passenger departures over the preceding decade also points to sustained long-term expansion. The figure reflects growth in O-D passenger volumes, rather than total airport traffic or aircraft movements, but it nevertheless highlights the broader development of Guyana’s international air market.
North America captures most passenger demand
North America was the largest destination region for passengers departing Guyana in 2023. Around 254,400 passengers, equivalent to 57% of the international total, travelled to destinations in the region.
Latin America — defined by IATA as South America, Central America and the Caribbean — accounted for another 166,000 departures, or 37% of the market. Europe received approximately 17,600 passengers, representing 4%.
Traffic to the Asia-Pacific region accounted for 1%, while Africa and the Middle East each represented less than 1%.
The figures reveal a market dominated by North American demand, but regional travel remains an important component. More than one-third of international departures were destined for another Latin American or Caribbean market, demonstrating the continued importance of regional air links alongside longer-haul connections.
The balance between the two areas also gives Guyana a dual market profile. North America provides the largest volume of passengers, while nearby Caribbean and South American destinations continue to support mobility within the wider region.
New York stands far ahead of other city markets
New York was by far the most popular international city destination from Guyana, with 155,800 departing passengers in 2023. The city accounted for 35.1% of the entire international O-D passenger market.
The scale of this demand was more than three times that of Port of Spain, which ranked second with 45,300 passengers and a 10.2% market share. Bridgetown followed with 37,300 passengers, equivalent to 8.4%.
Miami and Paramaribo each accounted for approximately 7.2% of departures, with 32,100 and 32,000 passengers respectively. Toronto received 29,000 passengers, or 6.5% of the market.
The remainder of the top ten included Havana with 14,500 passengers, London with 12,200, Orlando with 7,300 and St Lucia with 4,600.
Together, the three leading city markets — New York, Port of Spain and Bridgetown — accounted for approximately 53.7% of international departures. The ten largest destinations represented around 83.3%, based on the figures published by IATA.
This concentration shows that much of Guyana’s international passenger demand is directed towards a relatively small group of cities. However, the ranking is based on travellers’ final O-D destinations and does not necessarily mean that every journey was operated as a direct flight.
Connectivity has expanded beyond Latin America
Guyana had three airports with scheduled commercial air services in 2023. Its international network directly connected the country to 14 overseas airports in 12 countries, supported by approximately 16 outbound international flights per day.
IATA also recorded 11 operating airlines and six new international routes introduced during the previous five years. A minimum threshold of one scheduled weekly service was used to count an airline as active.
The country’s international connectivity index has increased significantly since 2014. Connectivity within Latin America rose by 54%, while connections with all other regions increased by 208%.
The much stronger rise outside the region suggests that Guyana’s access to broader international markets has expanded more rapidly than its intra-regional network.
However, the connectivity index should not be interpreted as a direct measure of passenger traffic growth. IATA calculates the indicator using available route capacity, while also weighting each connection according to the size and importance of the destination airport.
A new or expanded route to a major international hub can therefore have a greater effect on the index than a similar service to a smaller regional airport.
A destination market rather than a regional hub
Despite the expansion of its international network, Guyana remains overwhelmingly an origin-and-destination market rather than an air transit hub.
According to IATA, 99% of international passengers arriving in Guyana ended their air journey in the country, or continued travelling by another mode of transport. Only 1% connected to another international flight.
The figures indicate that Guyana’s airports are primarily serving travellers whose journey begins or ends in the country. Their current role is therefore based on direct access to major passenger markets rather than on transferring travellers between third-country destinations.
Guyana’s international aviation market has grown and its access to regions outside Latin America has strengthened considerably. Yet demand remains concentrated on North America and, above all, New York. The next stage of market development will depend less on building a regional transfer hub and more on consolidating frequencies, sustaining new routes and broadening the range of direct international connections.
Source: IATA, The Value of Air Transport to Guyana. Traffic indicators refer to 2023 and are based on origin-destination (O-D) passenger data.
