A. M. El Salvador continues to make progress in airport infrastructure with a firm commitment to economic growth and investment attraction. In the framework of the “Airports of the Future” workshop, organized by the Naciones Unidas para la Formación Profesional e Investigaciones Unitarias (UNITAR) the salvadoran government highlighted the progress made in modernizing its main air terminal and the start of an ambitious new project: The Aeropuerto del Pacifico.
Puquirre, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Civil Aviation Authority of El Salvador; Homero Morales, Executive Director of the same institution; Alejandra Durán, Director of Corsatur; Estrella Merlos Castañeda, Director of UNITAR; Rafael Echeverría, Director of the Airports Council of the World for Latin America and the Caribbean (ACI-LAC); and Arlene Richards-Barr, Senior Director of Atlanta-Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, one of the most important airports in the world.
Investments in infrastructure are already paying off. Since the expansion of El Salvador International Airport in 2022, passenger traffic has grown exponentially. In 2024, the terminal reached a record with more than 5.2 million passengers handled, consolidating its position as one of the busiest in Central America.
Airport growth goes with the Economic Takeoff Plan, a strategy that seeks to strengthen connectivity and attract investment. Thanks to the security achieved in the country, foreign direct investment grew 344% with respect to 2023, a figure that positions El Salvador as an attractive destination for business and tourism.
Airport expansion also boosts tourism, a sector that has experienced a remarkable boom. The country’s stability has allowed more visitors to visit its beaches, volcanoes, and the renovated historic center of San Salvador, which has gone from being a dangerous area to a cultural and tourist reference.
Another relevant fact is that passenger traffic in El Salvador is growing at an annual rate of 16%, well above the average for Latin America and the Caribbean, which is around 2%. This growth makes it necessary to accelerate the modernization and expansion of infrastructure to continue offering world-class service.
The Pacific Airport megaproject, the first stone of which was recently laid, will be key to this transformation. The terminal, located in the eastern part of the country, will open new opportunities for trade and connectivity, reaffirming the government’s vision of turning El Salvador into a strategic hub for the region.
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