Latin America: busiest airports 2022, by passenger traffic

In 2022, Mexico City International Airport served roughly 46.3 million passengers, which placed it at the top of the busiest airports in Latin America. With 34.5 million passengers passing through its terminals, São Paulo International Airport ranked second on the list that year.

Mexico City Airport at full capacity

Officially known as Aeropuerto Internacional Benito Juárez, Mexico City’s airfield serves as a significant international connection hub for all Latin America as well as for domestic operations. As the airport has hovered near capacity each year, a project to replace it was set forward in the mid-2010s, though it was ultimately canceled some years later. Interest has since then shifted to Licenciado Adolfo López Mateos International Airport, located in the nearby city of Toluca, and the newly build Felipe Ángeles International Airport. These facilities would work as an alternative to divert some of Mexico City’s air traffic. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, however, the Mexican government decided to postpone its plan to purchase 100% of the airport’s stocks in 2020.

Brazil’s largest metropolis

São Paulo and its surrounding metropolitan area have more inhabitants than any city in Latin America and the Caribbean. Brazil’s largest municipality ranks fourth among the most populated urban agglomerations worldwide. The city is home to three airports in total, with not only one but two of them ranking among Latin America’s busiest airports. Ranking for the 12th-largest number of passengers in 2021, the traffic of the Aeroporto de São Paulo/Congonhas–Deputado Freitas Nobre is especially high for a mainly domestic airport.