The European manufacturer Airbus closed 2022 as the top OEM across Latin America. Airbus has 754 aircraft operating in this region and has over 500 undelivered orders from all types of customers. Among the company’s largest clients are Volaris, JetSMART, LATAM, and Avianca.

A strong presence in Latin America

Airbus is the leading manufacturer in the Latin American region. The European company has sold more than 1,150 aircraft in Latin America and the Caribbean. It has an order backlog of more than 500 units, and there are currently 754 planes operating in the region, almost exclusively narrowbody jets, with very few widebodies scattered here and there.

According to the company’s order & deliveries database, there are 701 single-aisle aircraft active, six A300/A310s, 40 A330s, three A340s, and four A350s in the region. In terms of unfilled orders, they are only for Airbus A320neo and A321neo (including some A321XLRs).

Airbus holds more than 50% of the market share in Latin America. The European company is the favorite of low-cost carriers, and we have seen big orders from companies such as Volaris, JetSMART, and Viva Aerobus. Nonetheless, Latin American giants LATAM and Avianca also have sizeable orders with Airbus.

On the other hand, Boeing has some crucial customers in the region as well, such as Aeromexico, GOL Linhas Aéreas, Copa Airlines, and the recent Dominican startup Arajet.

Photo: Markus Mainka/Shutterstock.

Airbus orders in Latin America in 2022

Last year was successful for Airbus in Latin America. The European OEM obtained orders from LATAM and Avianca. It also gained a new Airbus A350 customer in the region (Brazil’s Azul) after losing LATAM during the COVID-19 crisis.

During Farnborough 2022, LATAM Airlines ordered 17 A321neo bringing its order book to 100. Additionally, the airline confirmed it will bring the A321XLR to complement its long-haul operations.

In March 2022, Avianca confirmed the order for 88 new A320neo. These new narrowbody jets will be delivered to the Bogota-based company between 2025 and 2031 and also include options for 50 additional aircraft in the future.

Photo: oscargutzo/Shutterstock.

According to Airbus Orders & Deliveries, these are the largest unfilled orders in the region:

1. Volaris. Ordered 195 aircraft. It has received 76.
2. LATAM Airlines. Ordered 264 aircraft. It has received 181.
3. JetSMART. Ordered 94 aircraft. It has received eight.
4. Avianca. Ordered 163 aircraft. It has received 75.

LATAM Airlines operates the largest amount of flights employing Airbus aircraft in the region. Weekly, it operates 8,635 flights, according to data by Cirium. Volaris and Avianca are in second and third spots with 3,425 and 3,328 weekly flights with Airbus aircraft.

Finally, let’s take a quick look at Latin America’s largest fleets. This list is not complete, as we are not taking into account several airlines that operate diverse fleets (for example Boeing's Wingo, and Arajet, Airbus' Ultra Air, and ATR's Aeromar and VoePass):

Why do you think Airbus has gained such a large share of the Latin American market? Let us know in the comments below.