With tech hubs springing up in the likes of Santiago and Medellin, there are new opportunities for many of South America’s largest airports.

Compound this with LATAM’s massive flight capacity, out of Brazil’s flailing markets and into that of Peru, Colombia, Chile and Argentina, and it’s easy to see why some of South America’s leading airports are seeing capacity surge.

The first seven months of 2016 has seen the volume of airline seats grow 21% at Cusco, 18% at Cartagena, 15% at Lima, 13% at Medellin, 12% at Buenos Aires, 10% at Cali and 8% at Santiago. The IMF is expecting stronger economic performance across most of the Continent next year with even Brazil expected to halt the decline.

So, the market fundamentals are strong. If ever South America is to reach the level of Low Cost Carrier growth and penetration achieved elsewhere in the world, then 2017 could surely be the year.  If so, then these leading South American airports may just have to get used to handling more and more passengers.

For dedicated air travel insight, data and analysis on the Latin American market, visit www.oag.com/lat - with all the latest content, reports and product information available in Spanish.