Flying the history of commercial aviation in Latin America: an introduction

Abstract

The size of the Latin American commercial air transport market has always been, in absolute terms, smaller than USA or European air traffic. However, commercial aviation in Latin America has played and continues to play an important economic, political and symbolic role. In a region characterized by large areas and deficient means of land communication, commercial aviation has promoted economic development, territorial integration and the affirmation of national sovereignty. The academic production on the history of air transport in Latin America is scarce. Even the basic information about many of the national cases is fragmented and incomplete. More recently, researchers from different disciplines have addressed of the history of commercial aviation in the region in the germinal period that followed the Great Depression of 1930. Despite the progress made by the historiography on commercial aviation in Latin America, there are many aspects still to be researched. The studies included in this dossier constitute significant contributions to this research agenda. While working with a selection of national cases, they address key issues such as the many impacts of technology, the international air relations and the role played by publicly owned national airlines.