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 this year, according to the Dirección Nacional de Aeronáutica Civil (DINAC). June alone accounted for 102,608 passengers, 2% more than in June 2025.
The increase also comes after Paraguay had already moved beyond its pre-pandemic passenger benchmark. Before the end of 2025, DINAC reported that annual traffic had surpassed the previous record set in 2019, shifting the market narrative from recovery towards further network development.
Scheduled services are clearly driving that next phase. Scheduled passenger traffic rose by nearly 15% year on year, from 608,205 to 698,324 in the first half of 2026. Non-scheduled traffic moved in the opposite direction, falling 28% from 23,609 to 17,048 passengers.
Regular services consequently represented almost 98% of the passenger volume recorded during the period. The expansion is therefore being carried primarily through Paraguay’s scheduled network rather than charter or other non-regular operations.
DINAC also reported 134 weekly international frequencies in June, 12 more than in the same month last year, providing another indication of a market supported by a broader scheduled offering.
Four markets dominate the international traffic mix
The geographic distribution of June traffic provides a clearer picture of how Paraguay’s international connectivity is structured.
Brazil was the largest market in DINAC’s figures with 22,741 passengers, followed closely by Argentina with 21,588. Panama accounted for 19,246 passengers, while Spain represented 17,760.
Together, those four markets generated 81,335 passengers — approximately 79% of all passenger traffic recorded during the month.
The mix highlights different layers of Paraguay’s network. Brazil and Argentina remain central to regional connectivity as the country’s two largest neighboring markets. Panama plays a different role, with Copa Airlines connecting Asunción through its Hub of the Americas in Panama City and into a wider network across the continent. Spain, meanwhile, stands out as the principal long-haul market represented in the June figures.
DINAC’s June schedule included 44 weekly frequencies associated with Argentina, 22 with Brazil, 21 with Panama and seven with Spain. Uruguay accounted for 14, Bolivia for 11, Peru for seven, Chile for five and Colombia for three.
The passenger figures should not be interpreted as final origin-and-destination demand, since DINAC reports traffic by country within the operating network. They nevertheless provide a useful indication of where Paraguay’s international air activity is currently concentrated.
Growth remains heavily concentrated at Silvio Pettirossi
The first-half figures also underline the dominant position of Aeropuerto Internacional Silvio Pettirossi.
Of the 715,372 passengers recorded across the airports included in DINAC’s consolidated statistics, 714,983 were handled at Silvio Pettirossi. Volumes reported at Guaraní and Pedro Juan Caballero were marginal by comparison.
For airport operators and infrastructure planners, that concentration matters. As scheduled connectivity deepens, passenger activity remains overwhelmingly focused on the country’s main gateway, increasing the importance of terminal processing capacity, operational efficiency and the ability to accommodate further airline growth.
Aircraft movements are rising alongside passenger traffic. DINAC counted 28,389 movements at Silvio Pettirossi and Guaraní combined during the first six months of 2026, up 9% from 26,161 a year earlier. Silvio Pettirossi recorded 24,920 movements, 5% more than in 2025, while Guaraní reached 3,469, a 39% increase.
With passenger volumes already above the pre-pandemic benchmark and scheduled traffic continuing to expand, Paraguay is moving beyond a recovery-driven aviation cycle. The next test will be whether infrastructure and operations can keep pace as the country’s international network continues to develop.
