Foz do Iguaçu International Airport ended 2024 with just over two million passengers. The data, extracted from the Demand and Supply Report of the National Civil Aviation Agency (ANAC), shows a growth of 5% compared to the 2023 flow.
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Check out the trade bets for Foz to recover its pre-pandemic movement
Despite the fourth consecutive annual increase, the recovery – if taken as a basis the pre-pandemic period – is not yet consolidated at the Iguaçu terminal. Compared to 2019, when 2,3 million passengers embarked or disembarked there, the drop is 13,5%.
With 2.010.530 passengers, Foz airport appears in 23rd position among the busiest terminals in the country in 2024. It was the fourth most used in the South Region, behind the airfields of Curitiba (São José dos Pinhais), Florianópolis, Porto Alegre and Navegantes.
In a survey based on data from the 50 busiest national airports in 2024, Foz do Iguaçu appears in 41st place (the ninth worst performance) compared to 2019. In this context, the most significant drop was that of Salgado Filho International Airport (Porto Alegre). The terminal closed 2023 with a 9% deficit compared to pre-pandemic times, but saw this difference skyrocket to 58% due to its five-month closure due to flooding.
Advances in neighboring Cascavel
While Foz do Iguaçu International Airport has not yet recovered its pre-pandemic activity, Cascavel Airport is reaping impressive results. In the comparison between 2019 and 2024, the airport recorded the fourth largest growth among the 50 main airports in Brazil. The increase was 81,4%, jumping from 230 thousand passengers in 2019 to more than 420 thousand five years later.
This significant increase in the number of passengers at Cascavel Airport is already on the radar of the Foz do Iguaçu Municipal Tourism Department. The department’s secretary, Jin Petrycoski, states: “Many passengers are certainly coming to Foz do Iguaçu via Cascavel. We spoke to tour operators who chartered planes from other parts of Brazil, who drop off their passengers in Cascavel and then bring them back by bus.”
Furthermore, he points out that it is a national airport, with no international flights, which reduces operating costs. “With more competitive prices, the terminal has managed to attract national routes and now reaches a business audience,” he adds.
The Municipal Tourism Council (Comtur), currently chaired by Diogo Marcel Araújo, also highlights the two distinct passenger profiles that frequent the terminals: “Foz do Iguaçu Airport has a much greater focus on tourism, especially international tourism, and is one of the main gateways for foreign visitors to Brazil. Cascavel, on the other hand, predominantly serves a corporate and regional demand, focused on agribusiness and local businesses, which may explain this significant growth.”
Finally, Fernando Martin, current president of the Iguaçu Fund and the Union of Tourism Companies in the State of Paraná (Sindetur), cites the state government: “This airport and others in the region have received investment and have been renovated. The State Government has prioritized regionalization and worked hard to achieve this.”
19 million passengers in 2039?
Foz do Iguaçu International Airport has never handled more than 2,3 million passengers in its history, with records being set in 2018 and 2019, the years leading up to the pandemic. However, a master plan approved in 2016 predicted higher levels for the period before COVID-19.
The document – commissioned by the Iguaçu Fund, approved by ANAC and published in the Official Gazette of the Union – contained, for example, three expansion horizons for the terminal. Thus, for 2019 the estimate was five million passengers; between seven and ten million passengers in 2029; and 19 million passengers in 2039.
However, Fernando Martin, current president of the Iguaçu Fund, emphasizes that this projection was unlikely: “Most people knew it was more of a dream than a possible reality. The idea was to convert our airport into a hub, but that never actually happened.”
The trade responds
To understand the current situation at Foz do Iguaçu Airport, H2FOZ went in search of answers and justifications with the trade tourism. See what CCR, the Municipal Department of Tourism and the Municipal Tourism Council (Comtur) have to say about the topic:
READ ALSO: Check out the trade bets for Foz to recover its pre-pandemic movement
