Air transportation in Mexico - statistics & facts
In January of 1910, the Mexican aviation pioneer, Alberto Braniff Ricard, flew approximately a half kilometer on board a French-manufactured plane. Though the event is disputed in Brazil, many believe this to be the first flight in the history of Latin American aviation. The strife may never fully be resolved, but Braniff’s feat was, in any case, the first time a person managed to start and land an airplane on Mexican soil. More than a century later, Mexico still stands out as one of the most important aviation markets on the west side of the Atlantic.
In 2019, the North American nation was awarded the top place among the best-connected Latin American countries thanks to its domestic and international flight connections, which translated into more than 800,000 take-offs and landings each year before the COVID-19 pandemic. As of 2021, 77 airports were operating regular commercial flights in Mexico, among which Mexico City’s Benito Juárez International Airport (MEX) takes the central position.
