AIR CARG O WEEK


WORLD AIRPORTS


HOW BRAZIL’S GATEWAY IS REPOSITIONING ITSELF AS THE AMERICAS’ SOUTHERN LOGISTICS ANCHOR


“São Paulo’s pivot is happening in a crowded field, and the “largest gateway” story in Latin America is not as simple as it used to be.”


A


s 2026 unfolds, São Paulo’s Guarulhos International Airport (GRU) is attempting what it has promised for years but rarely delivered at scale: a reset of its role in the hemispheric cargo network. Long held back by congestion, clearance friction and ground-side constraints, Brazil’s


main gateway is pushing through infrastructure and process changes aimed at turning scale into dependable performance. The broader regional context is mixed: IATA’s reporting has shown Latin America & Caribbean carriers underperforming some regions at points in late 2025, reinforcing why reliability and network fit matter as much as raw capacity. The timing matters. Latin American air-cargo flows are diversifying,


e-commerce volumes are climbing, and shippers are increasingly unwilling to absorb friction at primary hubs. For São Paulo, 2026 is about turning latent demand into consistent execution.


Infrastructure catching up GRU’s most visible shift is physical: new cargo facilities and landside flow redesigns are reducing truck-side congestion and improving throughput


Addressing old pain points Infrastructure alone won’t erase GRU’s challenges. Operational disruptions and constraints on general cargo acceptance have surfaced in industry advisories, underscoring how quickly congestion can become a system problem when volumes spike or processes lag. In


response, digitalisation and


stakeholders process


have been consistency, pushing because for


workflow shippers,


predictability often matters more than headline speed. The World Bank’s Logistics Performance Index frames this clearly: performance relies on customs effectiveness, timeliness and process reliability just as much as it relies on hard infrastructure. Ground-side capacity has also been a recurring theme. GRU itself


has publicly acknowledged cargo performance and volumes in its management reporting, useful not as PR, but as a primary-source indicator of what the airport is measuring and prioritising as it works to enhance operations.


for high-frequency cargo. That push aligns with the


long-range direction of the market, where express and cross-border e-commerce keep gaining share and networks reward airports that can process these flows cleanly. Boeing’s World Air Cargo Forecast highlights the structural growth expectations for airfreight and the continued importance of express traffic in shaping network design and facility priorities. Airport planners are also trying to create more predictable


operating conditions for freighters and time-sensitive cargo by optimising stands and ramps and smoothing peak-period flows, less “big announcement,” more practical de-bottlenecking.


Regional competitive pressure São Paulo’s pivot is happening in a crowded field, and the “largest gateway” story in Latin America is not as simple as it used to be. Bogotá’s El Dorado reported 809,029 tonnes of cargo in 2024, positioning itself as a leading cargo hub in Latin America and the Caribbean. Santiago has also been building momentum. Chile’s main airport


has strengthened its position in high-value exports, particularly perishables, by prioritising operational handling over


reliability and specialised raw scale. The airport has invested in cold-chain


infrastructure and streamlined processes that appeal to shippers moving temperature-sensitive cargo, segments where consistency matters more than capacity. By leaning into specialisation rather than competing on volume, Santiago has carved out a credible niche in the regional cargo network. Both hubs have capitalised on their competitor’s inconsistencies


by leaning into specialisation and operational discipline rather than trying to out-scale São Paulo outright.


Can GRU become the southern anchor? What sets 2026 apart from past reset attempts is a shared goal: making GRU work more efficiently and consistently. For carriers, improved turn times mean better schedule reliability. For forwarders, clearer processes cut contingency planning costs. For shippers, São Paulo’s scale, if paired with smoother execution, offers access to Brazil’s massive consumer and industrial base with less friction. The macro backdrop also matters: studies continue to stress


uneven growth, exposure to shocks and the need for resilience across the hemisphere, which supports the business case for dependable gateways and credible alternates.


A pivot in motion São Paulo’s airfreight transformation is evident, but still incomplete. In 2026, GRU stands at a crossroads: it can finally turn scale into leadership, or it can remain a gateway whose potential runs ahead of its performance. For now, a pivot


is well underway. Whether it reshapes the


southern logistics map of the Americas will depend less on concrete poured and more on habits changed.


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