Currently, only Brazil, Cuba, Mexico and Panama connect with the Asia-Pacific region, where China, Japan, South Korea, and other high traffic nations reside. This is a problem for the Latin American region, as it remains far away from the market that is to become the most important worldwide over the next decade. 

Carriers don’t seem too interested

The Asia-Pacific region is set to become the most important worldwide. China, Vietnam, Thailand, Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, and India are all in the top 10 largest air transport markets amongst emerging countries in 2038, according to IATA. The other three are Russia, Mexico, and Brazil. Airlines should be interested in connecting these markets, don’t you think? 

Over the next 20 years, 44% of additional air passenger trips will come from China and India. Both countries will have a double-digit average annual change in trip frequency, also. This market is a big deal. But for carriers in Latin America, it is a big headache. Why?  

The distance between Mexico and Beijing is 7,739 miles. Currently, the only airline the flies this route is Hainan Airlines. It operates once a week and stops in Tijuana, due to the high altitude of Mexico City Airport

China Southern also connects with Mexico City, via Vancouver, although it is set to discontinue the route. Air China is the other carrier that operates in Latin America. It goes to Panama, via Houston, to Havana via Montreal, and to Sao Paulo via Madrid. Between all of these mentioned routes, there is a total of eight flights a week from China to Central and South America. If we add Aeromexico’s flights to Seoul and Tokyo, the number increases to 22 flights per week to the general Asia-Pacific region. 

The Latin American airlines also seem little interested in Asia-Pacific. Of the big four carriers in the region (LATAM, Avianca, Copa Airlines and Aeromexico) only the Mexican carrier goes to Asia. It operates daily flights to Seoul and Tokyo. LATAM also connects with Australia and New Zealand, though. 

Air China

Why is it difficult to connect directly with China

Mexico should be the port of entry for many air connections with China. It is the closest Latin American country to this giant. But, as we’ve seen, there are indications that the connectivity between both countries is soon to be over. 

The obvious difficulty to connect both regions is the distance. Only a few aircraft can operate these long trip. For instance, let’s assume one airline is interested in connecting directly Beijing and Sao Paulo, the biggest hub in Latin America. 

Between both cities are 10,934 miles. If any airline operates this route, it would be the longest non-stop flight in the world. Besides, it would have to cross the airspace of over a dozen countries. And this would include a big portion of Russia, which would increase the costs greatly. 

The other two reasons are lack of infrastructure and technology. As Luis Felipe de Oliveira, CEO of the Latin American & Caribbean Air Transport Association (ALTA) said, 

“The future development of routes between both regions will depend greatly on the development of technology and infrastructure. But connecting with the Asia-Pacific region is one of the main goals for Latin America.”

Distance between Beijing and Sao Paulo
A non-stop flight between Beijing and Sao Paulo would be the largest in the world. Photo: Great Circle Mapper

There are not enough solutions right now

Sadly, neither airlines nor governments seem too interested in enhancing the connectivity between these regions. Aeromexico canceled its route to Shanghai and said one reason was the lack of support from the Mexican government. The airline tried for 11 years to obtain a daily slot and couldn’t. 

There is also a lack of good infrastructure all over the continent. It is not just the scrapped plan to build a new airport in Mexico City. Also, other important cities like Lima and Bogota are struggling to keep in pace with the needs of the airlines and the demand of the region, said De Oliveira. 

And in this article, we are just mainly talking about the lack of connections to China. Let’s not forget about all of those other emerging markets. In that context, airlines like Emirates or Turkish are the ones with the most to win. They have already established themselves in Latin America and, consequently, offer simpler and direct routes to Asia. 

What do you think? How can Latin America improve its connection with the Asia-Pacific region?