Geopolitical Elements Highlighted in Top 10 Latin Aftermarket Influences

SAN JOSE, Costa Rica—Jonathan Berger’s annual Top 10 list for the Latin American aviation aftermarket includes several geopolitical elements and a few airports this year. Berger, Alton Aviation Consultancy’s managing director, unveiled his list on Feb. 14 at Aviation Week’s MRO Latin.

Revealed in descending order, the list includes the following.

#10 El Salvador, which had one of the highest murder rates in 2015, now has one of the lowest. This transformation should help Aeroman, which operates from six hangars that accommodate up to 40 lines of maintenance.

#9 Two carriers in the region set on-time performance records. Avianca achieved the #1 rating by Cirium for a global international carrier and Copa achieved the #1 position for a Latin American airline.

#8  The U.S. Department of Transportation is not renewing the antitrust immunity for the joint venture between Delta Air Lines and Aeromexico past Oct. 26. Terminating the JV, which has been in place since 2017, would be “premature, misdirected and ineffectual” as a retaliatory measure in a political dispute around Mexico City airports between Mexico and the U.S., according to Delta. 

#7 Mexico’s government plans to acquire Mexican MRO Services.

#6 The Brazilian government recently announced plans to construct 120 new airports by 2026 and lower the price of jet fuel by 20%

#5 Gol files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the U.S. 

#4 Two companies are opening MROs near Sao Paulo—Azul TecOps and Dassault Aviation.

#3 FL Technics plans to open an MRO at the Punta Cana Airport, Dominican Republic, in 2025. 

#2 Two entrepreneurs started MROs in 2017: Rafael Gomez is the CEO of MRO Iberoamerica and Mike Garcia is CEO of Zulu Global.

#1 The election of Argentina President Javier Milei. Berger believes the country and its airlines have so much potential.