The growth of e-commerce and the dynamism in exports have not been enough to trigger the development of air cargo infrastructure in Latin America , where most airports still have limitations in this segment, despite having the necessary space to expand.
Key airports in the region, such as those in Lima, Bogotá, Quito, and Santiago, have focused their efforts on growing passenger traffic, neglecting the development of cargo facilities. However, there is a significant opportunity to strengthen this area without building dedicated cargo airports.
“We don’t need dedicated cargo airports, but we do need better use of existing airports for this segment,” says Peter Cerdá, regional vice president for the Americas at the International Air Transport Association (IATA), in an interview with T21.
The executive emphasizes that, unlike saturated terminals such as Mexico City International Airport (AICM) , where there is no longer room to expand infrastructure, most Latin American airports still have enough physical space to develop specialized cargo facilities, a sector that continues to grow, driven by the export of products such as flowers, fruits, meats and fish from countries such as Mexico, Peru, Colombia, Chile, Brazil and Ecuador.
Cerdá warns that, in addition to expanding infrastructure, it is essential to improve competitiveness by reducing taxes and optimizing operating conditions. As an example, he cites the case of Lima, where a new passenger terminal was built without a parallel development of the cargo terminal, resulting in operations continuing at their limit.
If you wish to continue reading this text published in the June 2026 edition of T21 magazine, we invite you to consult the digital version by clicking here .
Comment and follow us on LinkedIn: @Evangelina del Toro / @GrupoT21
