With 7,890 flights, the Guayaquil-Quito route is positioned number 12 in the most flown air routes in Latin American and the Caribbean air routes. So far, it has the highest flights in 2023.

The Latin American and Caribbean Air Transport Association (ALTA) prepared the list. The Guayaquil-Quito route secured the 12th position within it.

In the first half of 2023, about 670,000 passengers traveled between Quito and Guayaquil by air. This data comes from Corporación Quiport, the administrator of Quito’s Mariscal Sucre International Airport.

The president of Association of Representatives of Ecuadorian Airlines (Arlae), Marco Subía, notes that in the past the route ranked third most flown air route. It was among the top air routes in the region. The leading routes were Sao Paulo-Rio de Janeiro and Bogota-Medellin.

The strong performance lasted from 2011 to 2012. However, there was a sharp decline afterward. This happened due to the removal of the fuel subsidy and the Quito airport’s relocation. Subía highlights this impact on domestic flights and the significant route.

“Now, we welcome the fact that it is recovering,” adds the president of Arlae, who is confident that the good performance among most flown air routes will continue for the rest of the year.

Subía recalls that in the last year, both local and global air links have been recovering. They’ve now returned to the levels they held before the Covid-19 pandemic emerged.

ALTA Ranking Leaders

The top spot in the ALTA ranking is held by Brazil. Their Sao Paulo/Congonhas – Rio de Janeiro/Santos Dumont route had 18,768 flights in the first half of 2023. Brazil is featured in the ranking with four domestic routes.

Securing the second position of most flown air route is the Bogotá – Medellín/Rionegro route from Colombia, with 15,365 flights. Additionally, three more domestic routes from the same neighboring country make it to the list of the top 20 busiest routes for the semester.

The route from Cancun to Mexico City holds the third spot, with a total of 13,246 flights. Mexico leads the list of countries in the ranking, boasting a total of five routes featured.

Peru and Bolivia also have representation in the most flown air route- with each country contributing a single domestic route to the list.