Latin American aviation market
Monthly Latin American airline data updates
August 2026
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How much airline capacity does Latin America have in 2026?
Monthly scheduled capacity: August 2025 vs August 2026
Lower South America remains the largest market for capacity to/ from the region, with 18m seats. It has increased by 938,400 seats vs last August.
Central America is the second largest market with 12.6m seats in Aug 26.
Capacity to North America reduced by 7.4% vs last year - 942,300 fewer seats, followed by the Caribbean where it reduced by 4.7% - 206,700 fewer seats.
Are low cost carriers growing in Latin America?
Mainline carriers represent 62% of the market and grew by 1% vs Aug 25, whilst LCCs increased capacity by 3.8% year on year and account for 19.9 million seats.
Mainline vs low-cost
Which Latin American country has the most airline seats?
Brazil remains the largest country market with 12.8m seats, growing by 5.8% vs last year.
Capacity in Panama continued to grow at the fastest rates of 11.5% vs last year, followed by Argentina and Colombia increasing by 8.5% and 7.3% respectively.
Capacity reduced by 5.3% in Ecuador vs last year.
Top 10 countries by seat capacity
Which Latin American country has the most domestic flights?
Brazil is the largest domestic market with 11.3 million seats, increasing capacity by 6.1% (643,500 additional seats) vs last August.
Domestic capacity contracted at the fastest rates in Bolivia, decreasing by 22.7% vs Aug 25. Followed by Ecuador and Venezuela where domestic capacity reduced by 13.3% and 12.7% respectively.
Top 10 domestic markets by seat capacity
Which is the biggest airline in Latin America?
The LATAM Airline Group remains the largest airline with 9.3m seats, and increased capacity this month by 4.1% (369,400 additional seats).
Seat capacity by airline
Volaris added most capacity, increasing by 19.7% - 535,200 additional seats. Followed by Copa Airlines, increasing capacity by 16.7% - 281,900 seats.
Aeromexico reduced capacity by 2.6%, 56,300 fewer seats.
| Rank | Airline | Seats Aug 2026 | Seats Aug 2025 | YoY |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | LATAM Airlines Group | 9,276,713 | 8,907,334 | +4.1% |
| 2. | GOL Linhas Aereas S.A. | 3,935,507 | 3,569,668 | +10.2% |
| 3. | Avianca | 3,785,739 | 3,659,511 | +3.4% |
| 4. | Azul Airlines | 3,293,523 | 3,240,457 | +1.6% |
| 5. | Volaris | 3,254,493 | 2,719,311 | +19.7% |
| 6. | Vivaaerobus | 2,944,976 | 2,884,128 | +2.1% |
| 7. | Aeromexico | 2,095,544 | 2,151,874 | −2.6% |
| 8. | Copa Airlines | 1,969,736 | 1,687,806 | +16.7% |
| 9. | Jetsmart | 1,707,640 | 1,560,775 | +9.4% |
| 10. | Aerolíneas Argentinas | 1,307,690 | 1,316,580 | −0.7% |
Source: OAG · August 2026 scheduled capacity
What is the busiest airport in Latin America?
Sao Paulo Guarulhos Intl Apt is the busiest airport in the region with 2.53m seats, closely followed by Bogota with 2.48m seats in Aug 26.
Strongest growth within the top 10 largest airports in the continent came from Panama, with an increase of 12.3% vs Aug 25, followed by Guadalajara, Mexico with an increase of 11.3%.
Capacity to/from Cancun, Mexico, reduced by 11.2% this month, 146,800 fewer seats.
There are 544 Latin American airports this month with scheduled capacity, and 153 airlines operating in Latin America.
| No | Code | Airport | Seats | YoY |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | GRU | São Paulo Guarulhos | 2.53m | +3.8% |
| 2. | BOG | Bogotá | 2.48m | +6.0% |
| 3. | MEX | Mexico City | 2.29m | +1.8% |
| 4. | LIM | Lima | 1.50m | +3.1% |
| 5. | CGH | São Paulo Congonhas | 1.32m | +2.4% |
| 6. | SCL | Santiago | 1.26m | −0.4% |
| 7. | PTY | Panama City | 1.20m | +12.3% |
| 8. | CUN | Cancún | 1.16m | −11.2% |
| 9. | GDL | Guadalajara | 1.08m | +11.3% |
| 10. | AEP | Buenos Aires Aeroparque | 0.97m | +2.3% |
Source: OAG · August 2026 · hover chart or click a table row to cross-highlight
Where do Latin Americans fly internationally?
North America is the largest market with 11.9m seats, despite a 7% decline in capacity vs Aug 25 - 942,300 fewer seats.
Capacity within Latin America is the next largest market with 6.9m seats.
Whilst remaining small markets, international capacity to Africa and Asia Pacific continues to grow at the fastest rates of 30% and 16% respectively vs last year.
Capacity by destination region
Capacity change by destination region — August 2025 vs August 2026
| Destination region | Seats Aug 2026 | Seats Aug 2025 | Change | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| North America | 11,876,678 | 12,818,944 | −7.4% (−942,266) | 52.2% |
| Within Latin America | 6,879,804 | 6,782,853 | +1.4% (+96,951) | 30.2% |
| Europe | 3,717,978 | 3,580,636 | +3.8% (+137,342) | 16.3% |
| Asia Pacific | 119,583 | 102,774 | +16.4% (+16,809) | 0.5% |
| Middle East | 100,932 | 95,406 | +5.8% (+5,526) | 0.4% |
| Africa | 74,112 | 57,140 | +29.7% (+16,972) | 0.3% |
Total international seats August 2026: 22,769,087 · Source: OAG scheduled capacity data
North America accounts for 52.2% of all international capacity from Latin America, but declined 7.4% vs August 2025 — 942,300 fewer seats. This is the largest absolute decline of any destination region.
Africa and Asia Pacific are growing rapidly from a low base. Africa grew 29.7% to 74,100 seats; Asia Pacific grew 16.4% to 119,600 seats. Both remain under 0.2m seats but the trajectory is notable.
Europe grew modestly at +3.8% to 3.72m seats, while intra-regional capacity within Latin America grew 1.4% to 6.88m seats.
Latin American aviation: frequently asked questions
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Overall capacity for Latin America grew by 2% to 52.4 million seats in Aug 26. Domestic capacity grew by 6.2%, whilst international capacity contracted by 2.9% vs last year.