Airports in Latin America and the Caribbean will need about US$178 billion in investment over the next 30 years to handle passenger demand rising from 809 million this year to roughly 1.5 billion in 2045, Airports Council International's regional branch (ACI-LAC, the industry body for the region's airports) said at its assembly in Lima. Its director general, Rafael Echevarne, said annual infrastructure spending must more than double, from about US$3.4 billion to around US$8.6-8.7 billion, and warned that intra-regional connectivity has lost 20% of city pairs since the pandemic, mainly at regional airports in Peru, Ecuador and Chile. He urged real air-transport liberalisation as the remedy, while the group noted that airport charges make up only a small share of airline costs.