From March 3-5, 2026, aviation representatives land in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, for Routes Americas. The focus points of the meetings will vary between new route developments and the future of regional aviation.
Routes Americas Program
The convention will take place at RIOgaleão Airport, the largest airport in Rio. The passenger volume of the airport varies between 18 and 22 million annually. Throughout the three days, around 3,000 meetings will occur. These assemblies will debate what can be done to improve connectivity in the Americas, such as the creation of new routes.
Several airlines CEOs and high ranking officials are set to attend the meetings. Celso Ferrer, the CEO of GOL, is responsible for the main event. Ferrer will participate in the keynote interview and discuss his views on the current aviation market in the Americas.
Moreover, the CEO of LATAM Airlines Brazil, Jerome Cadier, will present how the airline will update its fleet. The Embraer E195-E2 aircraft is one of the components of the fleet’s modernisation. In addition, the convention is a solid opportunity to boost investment and tourism not only in Rio, but also in Brazil.
Routes Americas Awards
The event awards three categories: airports, tourism authorities and airlines. The airport category is divided based on the numbers of passenger seen throughout the year. The sections are under five million; between five and 20 million; and more than 20 million passengers.
The shortlisted nominees were announced in January 2026. Within all the different awards, 27 names were shortlisted. Some of the nominees are Delta Air Lines for airline, Belize Tourism Board for destination, and Floripa Airport for airports.
Airlines vote for the first two categories, while destinations and airports vote for airlines. After all the awards, one of the winners will be chosen as the overall winner. In Routes Americas 2025, which took place in Nassau and Paradise Island, Bahamas, the Overall Winner was Denver International Airport (DEN).
Have you flown across North or South America? If so, which routes have you taken? Let us know in the comments.
