Landslides damage houses, farms south of Cuenca; IMF predicts growth for Argentina and Ecuador; Ecuador air travel recovers to pre-pandemic levels

Three families were evacuated from their homes Monday following landslides in the Santa Ana parish in southeast Cuenca. Municipal risk management officials say that a house and workshop were partially destroyed in the Tepal sector while two houses in the Lazaretto sector were damaged.

Risk Management Director Erick Gutiérrez said several other structures are at risk as additional sliding is possible. “The recent rains have destabilized several hillsides in the area and the movement of mud and rock is continuing,” he said. He added that the affected area has “extreme slopes” that are susceptible to landslides.

Several houses have been damaged by landslides in the Santa Ana parish in southeast Cuenca.

Gutiérrez’s office is conducting an analysis of the damaged properties and is restricting access until the analysis is complete. “It is possible that the houses may be unlivable due structural damage and we may have to advise the owners to abandoned them,” he said.

In addition to structural damage, Gutiérrez said that some agricultural land was destroyed by the landslides.

In addition to the damaged houses, a landslide damaged property and blocked traffic on Calles Tolomeo and Floresta in Santa Ana. City crews were on site Monday, removing mud and rock.

IMF predicts growth for Argentina and Ecuador
The International Monetary Fund is predicting economic growth for Argentina and Ecuador in 2025 while growth will stall in other Latin American countries. “These two countries are poised for a rebound and will see the greatest improvement in 2025,” the IMF said. “On the other hand, we expect the large economies of Mexico and Brazil to lose steam.”

Regional IMF Director Rodrigo Valdés said that the tariff war started by U.S. President Donald Trump is the “wild card” in the economies in Latin America. “The tariff situation creates great uncertainty in the coming year and we believe it is imperative for countries in the region to strengthen their economic resilience.”

The IMF prediction of economic growth in Argentina and Ecuador is based in part on the recession both countries suffered in 2023 and 2024, Valdés said. Both countries are poised for a rebound due to new confidence in policies and leadership, he added.

Argentina’s GDP is expected to grow by a strong 5.5% in 2025 while Ecuador should grow by 1.9%, according to the IMF.

A second factor supporting growth in the two countries, Valdés says, is their government’s “favorable relationship” with the U.S. and Trump. “How the relationships of all Latin American countries develop with the U.S. in 2025 will be a key determinant in the health of their economies.”

Ecuador air travel recovers to pre-pandemic levels
Air travel in Ecuador has finally recovered from the “devastation” of the Covid-19 pandemic, the Directorate of Civil Aviation reports. The directorate reported Saturday that 4.73 million passengers flew on international and domestic flights in 2024.

“Although the growth was moderate in 2024, with a 1.65% improvement over 2023, the number of passengers using Ecuador’s airports is now above pre-pandemic levels,” the directorate said in its report. “We expect stronger growth in 2025, possibly as much as 10%, based on the passenger numbers through March.”

The Ecuador Airline Association (Arlae) says new international routes will boost passenger numbers in 2025. “New flights to Argentina, the United States and the Caribbean are already in operation or will begin soon,” says Arlae Director Marco Subía. He added that flights between Cuenca and destinations in Peru should begin operation by the end of the year.

“In addition to the new routes, we are seeing more competition in both the international and national air travel market,” says Subía. “This will lead to greater growth in the coming years.”