Americas Air Traffic Soars: 2025 Growth Forecast
Air traffic across North America and Latin America is set to experience steady growth in 2025, driven by a surge in post-pandemic travel and strong underlying demand, according to the latest data from Airports Council International (ACI). At the Routes Americas conference, representatives from ACI-North America (NA) and ACI-Latin America-Caribbean (LAC) painted an optimistic picture of the region’s aviation future, emphasizing that pent-up demand remains robust despite fewer flights compared to pre-pandemic levels.
ACI-NA Executive Vice President Matt Cornelius highlighted that U.S. and Canadian airports are on track for significant recovery. For the January–October period in 2024, U.S. airports handled a total of 926 million passengers—a 5.4% increase from 2023 and 5.1% higher than the first ten months of 2019. Cornelius pointed out that while the number of flights was down by 5.1% compared to 2019, the overall capacity in terms of available seat miles (ASM) grew by 3.7%. “Fundamentally, it’s looking pretty good for the U.S. and Canada,” he said. He also noted that international passenger traffic in the U.S. surged by 9.1% year-over-year, reaching 213 million, while domestic traffic increased by 4.3% to 712 million passengers over the same period.
International routes are emerging as a major growth driver, with U.S.-to-Europe travel described as a “red-hot market.” Airlines are expanding into non-traditional destinations as travelers show a renewed willingness to fly internationally, further bolstering growth. “That 9% growth in international traffic is huge,” Cornelius remarked, underlining the market’s potential.
In Canada, the recovery has been strong, albeit uneven. Canadian airports reported handling 73.6 million passengers during the January–October period in 2024, which represents a 10.1% year-over-year increase and a 2.1% rise compared to the same period in 2019. Total ASMs reached 148 billion, marking a 12.5% year-over-year growth and a 3.4% increase over 2019 levels. Cornelius described the situation in Canada as “a tale of two cities” – while major hubs are thriving, regional airports continue to struggle with the gradual return of air services.
Meanwhile, Latin America and the Caribbean also showed promising figures. According to Francisco Medela, ACI-LAC’s Industry Affairs Director, the region’s airports collectively handled 746 million passengers in 2024—a 4% increase from the previous year. Looking ahead, Medela projects that passenger numbers will reach 776 million in 2025, a 4.1% increase from 2024, with further long-term potential. “Latin America has shown a lot of resilience,” he said. He also forecasted that annual passenger traffic could more than double from 2024 levels, reaching 1.6 billion by 2050.
Medela called on regional governments to liberalize air transport regulations, which would enable the development of robust, non-stop flight networks and boost the low-cost carrier presence. “Where liberalization has occurred, there’s greater access to low-cost travel, reduced fares, and more nonstop connections,” he explained.
With steady growth, increased capacity, and improved connectivity, the Americas are poised for a vibrant aviation market in 2025, setting the stage for enhanced regional integration and economic opportunity across the continents.
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