Latin America airline route expansions

In late July 2026 two major carriers announced moves to broaden air service across Latin America. On 21 July, Cathay Pacific disclosed a code‑share partnership with oneworld member Iberia that will add Fortaleza and Recife in Brazil, Buenos Aires in Argentina and Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic to its network. The new flights will connect via Madrid, where Cathay will also raise its Hong Kong‑Madrid frequency to three weekly services from 25 October 2026, creating daily links between the two cities and strengthening its position as the sole carrier with direct Hong Kong‑Spain flights.

A week later, on 29 July, Copa Airlines announced it will expand its “Hub of the Americas” scheduling capacity from six to eight connection banks effective March 2027. The added slots are intended to improve connectivity throughout Latin America, enabling more itineraries, earlier arrivals and greater flexibility for business and leisure travelers. Copa highlighted new links between North America, Mexico and Brazil, cutting travel times to major Brazilian cities such as São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Brasília and others, within a network that already covers over 85 destinations in more than 30 countries.