Domestic markets are recovering progressively more rapidly than regional and international flights, and Latin America and the Caribbean are not an exception to this global trend. Although each state has decided to take different measures to restrict travel, and South American states have taken more severe limitations than those in Central America and Mexico.
The Caribbean took a different path as it is a region economically dependent on international travel and tourism, which accounts for 16% of its GDP. This dependence has driven it to accelerate the vaccination process in the tourism and gastronomic sector.
Colombia and Mexico are two of the countries with the best recovery rates. The government incentive in the tourism sector prompted the reactivation of the airlines. This enabled Mexican companies to obtain their first profits since the beginning of the pandemic in the last quarter.
In Chile and Brazil, although with delays but gradually, they were able to increase their operations at the beginning of the third quarter, as domestic restrictions eased. Argentina continues to be one of the slowest countries to recover, especially due to its socio-economic situation and the strict restrictions that have recently been relaxed.
Bolivia was a surprise, with its domestic market reaching near pre-pandemic levels. Ecuador has the factor of having lost TAME, the largest airline in the domestic market, and Galapagos fiercely watched out for sanitary issues, slowing its recovery. Peru continues to be stagnant, due to the lack of incentive to promote domestic tourism and generate confidence in travelers.
The TOP 15 route offerings in Latin America and the Caribbean.
The region’s links have shown an interesting change in the types of travelers. Historically, the routes with the greatest movement counted as a determining factor the corporate traffic; and in second place those focused on VFR (Visiting Family and Relatives) and tourism.
However, the roles have now been reversed, especially because companies have been able to – or better said, have had to – adapt to the non-presential nature of travel. Although some countries are open for vaccinations, some travelers feel more comfortable exploring places closer to them.
One eye-catching liaison is between Mexico (MEX) and Tijuana (YIJ); the Mexican airport serves both the U.S. side and the Aztec country. Given that the land borders were closed for more than a year, many travelers have opted to use Baja California’s most populous city to connect between the two countries.
The inauguration of the Cross Border Xpress land border connection in 2016, which allows direct connection with San Diego, in the United States, positioned Tijuana as the second airport with the highest domestic movement in Mexico.
| Ranking 2021 | País | Ruta | Asientos ofertados | Cambios con respecto a 2019 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | México | Ciudad de México (MEX) - Cancún (CUN) | 483.263 | 6,2% |
| 2 | Colombia | Bogotá (BOG) - Medellín (MDE) | 338.692 | -36,6% |
| 3 | México | Ciudad de México (MEX) - Monterrey (MTY) | 302.795 | -29,8% |
| 4 | Brasil | San Pablo/Congonhas (CGH) - Río de Janeiro/Santos Dumont (SDU) | 298.286 | -47,1% |
| 5 | Colombia | Bogotá (BOG) - Cali (CLO) | 257.501 | -31,2% |
| 6 | Colombia | Bogotá (BOG) - Cartagena (CTG) | 249.772 | -15,7% |
| 7 | México | Ciudad de México (MEX)- Guadalajara (GDL) | 247.616 | -39,7% |
| 8 | México | México (MEX) - Tijuana (YIJ) | 241.513 | 16,55% |
| 9 | Perú | Lima (LIM) - Cusco (CUZ) | 216.672 | -42,1% |
| 10 | Chile | Santiago (SCL) - Antofagasta (ANF) | 198.551 | -10,6% |
| 11 | Ecuador | Quito (UIO) - Guayaquil | 189.546 | 1,58% |
| 12 | Chile | Santiago (SCL) - Calama (CJC) | 184.408 | -28,10% |
| 13 | Brasil | San Pablo/Guarulhos (GRU) - Porto Alegre (POA) | 174.278 | -31,9% |
| 14 | Chile | Santiago (SCL) - Iquique (IQQ) | 173.540 | 5,7% |
| 15 | Colombia | Bogotá (BOG) - Santa Marta (SMR) | 164.564 | 5,43% |
