Chile

Market overview

Chile is one of South America's most connected air markets and the home of LATAM, the region's largest airline group. Santiago's Arturo Merino Benítez airport handled a record 26.2 million passengers in 2024, up 12.5% and 6.6% above 2019, and January 2025 set a new monthly record. 2026 has been flatter: Chile's airlines carried 20.88 million passengers from January to September, 1.9% fewer than a year earlier, with domestic travel growing slightly and international travel down for seven months running. Competition is shifting: JetSMART grew its international traffic by 26.9% in September 2026 and became the second-largest international operator, ahead of Sky, while LATAM grew its domestic traffic. For suppliers and practitioners, Chile offers a mature, low-cost-led market with steady demand for line and base maintenance, airport services and training, and a base for serving the wider Southern Cone.

Key facts

• Santiago airport: about 26.2 million passengers in 2024, a record, up 12.5% (Nuevo Pudahuel, Feb 2025).
• January 2025: 2,663,590 passengers at Santiago, a January record (Feb 2025).
• January–September 2026: 20.88 million air passengers in Chile, down 1.9% (JAC via CNN Chile).
• September 2026: 2.23 million passengers (domestic 1.29 million, up 1.6%; international 941,443, down 1.6%).
• JetSMART international traffic up 26.9% in September 2026, now second in Chile's international market.

Key figures

Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators (CC BY 4.0).