Puerto Rico Passenger Traffic Growth Slows in Third Quarter

Passenger traffic at San Juan’s Luis Muñoz Marin International Airport was positive in the third quarter — but its lowest growth in several years, according to new data from ASUR, which manages the island’s main air hub. 

The airport saw passenger traffic of 3.35 million in the third quarter, a 1.1 percent increase over the same period in 2024. 

The most important number? The domestic growth: while international traffic to San Juan (that is, traffic from outside of the United States) continued to sizzle at 11.7 percent, domestic traffic (largely from the mainland US) grew by just 0.5 percent. 

The latter number is a less-than-positive sign for demand for the island, which has been in the midst of a sustained tourism boom for almost the entirety of the post-pandemic period. 

It’s a number that will be worth watching in the fourth quarter, as Puerto Rico is an important bellwether for regional tourism at large. 

Of course, one major advantage was Puerto Rico’s relatively cheap flights for most of the last half-decade; other Caribbean flights have been steadily reducing in price in recent months, and that could be making Puerto Rico a less attractive proposition for travelers.