Air travel through the country's main air terminal exceeded by 1.5% the figure reached in 2019 before the pandemic. By the end of the year, it is anticipated that more than one million people will fly in and out of Chile, and for this increase, reinforcements in public services and recommendations to passengers were announced.
On Wednesday, December 11, Santiago Airport recorded a historic milestone in its more than 57 years of operation: it reached a record 25 million passengers carried in a year, which is 1.5% higher than the previous mark of 24,630,742 that was recorded in 2019, pre-pandemic.
To celebrate this milestone, the Minister of Public Works, Jessica López; together with the General Manager of Nuevo Pudahuel, Nicolas Claude; the Director of Corporate Affairs and Sustainability of LATAM, Juan José Tohá; the Secretary General of the Civil Aeronautical Board, Martín Mackenna, and the head of the DGAC airport, Juan Luis Rodríguez, received the 25 millionth passenger, Mary Pérez, who landed on a flight from Osorno.
The Minister of Public Works, Jessica López, pointed out that "we are celebrating the 25 millionth passenger at this airport, which is the gateway to Chile and also the most important place for domestic transportation. As a country, we have recovered our economy. This is also reflected in the use of our main national and international airport. So we are very happy today to be able to celebrate in this case the 25 millionth passenger in the year 2024".
Flight growth in 2024
Of the 25 million, 13.6 million correspond to domestic flights and another 11.3 million to international trips, which represented the highest growth: 24.6% more than last year and 10% over those of 2019.
Nuevo Pudahuel's General Manager, Nicolas Claude, highlighted the joint work carried out by the concessionaire Nuevo Pudahuel, together with the authorities and airlines to bring back the routes and frequencies lost due to the pandemic. "We want to continue increasing operations, with more routes and airlines that will increase travel options for Chileans and consolidate Santiago as a highly attractive international destination, increasing tourism and business travel, as well as cargo," he said.
Juan José Tohá, Director of Corporate Affairs and Sustainability at LATAM Airlines Group, added "This milestone represents that each Chilean travels on average 1.3 times a year. While this is positive, we are halfway behind developed countries. Here we have a tremendous opportunity for growth, for which we need to implement several actions such as sustaining and expanding the open skies policy and reinforcing the airport infrastructure agenda".
New Year's Eve holiday projections
According to data provided by the airlines, during the year-end holidays, 1,062,809 are expected to travel between December 20 and January 2, 2025. Of these, 51.6% (548,480) will travel to domestic destinations, while 48.4% (514,329) will travel outside Chile.
The days with the highest flow will be Thursday, December 26 and January 2, with 78,151 and 81,165 passengers.
"The other news is that between December 20 and January 2, more than one million additional people are expected to leave or enter the country for the holidays. This million passengers will allow us to close the year with 26 million. These are important figures that reflect the investments we have made in the new International Terminal and the National Terminal, which are also under construction until next year for their final delivery. It is an infrastructure that is capable of receiving and attending the great flow of passengers, which is also a reflection of the economic activity".The days with the highest flow will be Thursday, December 26 and January 2, with 78,151 and 81,165 passengers", said the head of the MOP.
Most requested destinations
Among the favorite travel destinations for these dates within the country, Calama ( 73,857 passengers), Antofagasta (68,634) and Puerto Montt (65,454) stand out in the first places. In international destinations, Buenos Aires ( 70,255), Lima ( 68,073) and Sao Paulo (56,781) lead.
Check the original article at the Nuevo Pudahuel Airport website .
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