Brazil, Colombia and Mexico continued to lead cargo movement in Latin America and the Caribbean during May 2026, reported the Latin American and Caribbean Air Transport Association (ALTA) .
“All three markets also reported higher input costs and delivery delays related to the conflict in the Middle East. Despite this environment, Brazil recorded its second-highest monthly volume in recent history, Colombia reached a record for the month of May, and Mexico again registered a contraction,” the organization emphasized.
In the fifth month of the year, 343,966 tons of international air cargo were transported from, to and within the region , representing a growth of 3.3% compared to the same month in 2025.
Brazil remained the largest international air cargo market , with 82,000 tons, followed by Colombia with 76,000 tons and Mexico with 53,000 tons.
Among the top 10 markets, Brazil and Colombia accounted for most of the growth, offsetting the declines recorded in Mexico and Ecuador.
In the case of Mexico, ALTA specified that the country had a decline of 4.4% during May 2026 , equivalent to two thousand 436 tons less than in the same month of the previous year.
“This was the second contraction recorded in 2016, following the growth observed in April. The corridor with the United States, the country’s main international market, increased by 1.8%, while the largest reductions were concentrated in Hong Kong with -30.2% and Germany with -14.4%,” he explained.
In contrast, the corridor with Spain grew by 21.6% and became the country’s second largest international freight corridor during the period. “Despite the month’s result, the year-to-date figure maintains a growth of 1.4%.”
The agency specified that North America accounted for 48.4% of the international air cargo distribution by origin-destination region. This was followed by Europe with 24.7%, Latin America with 17.2%, and Asia-Pacific with 5.6%.
ALTA explained that Mexico and Colombia increased their volumes, while Brazil, Peru and Chile registered reductions compared to the same month in 2025.
In the corridors with Spain, Mexico led the growth , followed by Colombia and Brazil, while Peru and Chile reduced their volumes.
“Five months into the year, regional growth is beginning to show a clearer pattern. While various markets led the monthly results during the first quarter, in May the expansion once again concentrated in Brazil and Colombia. Peru and Panama maintained positive results, while Chile registered a volume virtually identical to the previous year. This result occurred in a context of higher costs for the manufacturing industry,” ALTA stated in a press release.
Regarding the capacity operated by cargo aircraft to and from Latin America and the Caribbean, there was a year-on-year drop of 4.2%, reaching 869.9 million ton-kilometers, after four consecutive months of expansion.
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