Logistics services in Honduras.

Honduras logistics overview: modes, trade and gateways

Logistics services in Honduras connect seaports, airports, rail and road to handle both imports and exports. Containers and general cargo move mainly through ports such as Puerto Cortes, Puerto Castilla, La Ceiba, Coxen Hole and others along the 823 km coastline.

Air freight services operate through 6 airports with scheduled flights, including Palmerola and Ramón Villeda Morales. Rail lines of about 699 km link to some ports, while trucks handle inland moves to and from borders with Guatemala, El Salvador and Nicaragua and major cities like Tegucigalpa and San Pedro Sula.

Freight forwarders in Honduras should understand the main ports, including Puerto Cortes, Puerto Castilla, La Ceiba, Coxen Hole, Puerto de Hencan, Puerto Este, Tela and Trujillo. Container volume is about 905,500 TEU, and the country ranks 75 of 168 worldwide for this measure, so experience with regular liner services is useful.

Logistics performance is mixed, with an overall LPI score of 2.9, better than the world median of 2.7, but customs at 2.8 and infrastructure at 2.7 require careful planning. Trade is concentrated with the USA, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico and China, so forwarders with routings through these partners can be effective. When choosing a customs broker, consider familiarity with exports such as garments, coffee and palm oil and imports such as refined petroleum, trucks and packaged medicine.

FCL and LCL shipping from and to Honduras move mainly through Caribbean and Pacific seaports. Puerto Cortés is the primary container port, with a cargo pier depth of about 11 m and rail access. Other ports such as Puerto De San Lorenzo, Coxen Hole, La Ceiba and Puerto Castilla handle smaller volumes, with depths around 9 to 10 m. Total container throughput is about 905,500 TEU in 2024.

Liner shipping connectivity in Honduras stood at 11.8 in 2021. Several global carriers have offices here, including Evergreen, OOCL, APL, CMA CGM, COSCO, Hapag-Lloyd, MSC, Maersk, ONE and ZIM, mainly in San Pedro Sula and Tegucigalpa. X-Press Feeders is present at Puerto Cortes and San Lorenzo. These networks support both FCL and LCL shipping from and to Honduras.

Air freight in Honduras uses a network of airports with scheduled service. Main gateways include Juan Manuel Gálvez International Airport (RTB), Palmerola International Airport (XPL), Ramón Villeda Morales International Airport (SAP), Golosón International Airport (LCE) and La Laguna Airport (GJA). Across the country there are 129 airports of all types.

Total air cargo volume is about 1.1 million tonne-km in 2023. Air freight in Honduras is most suitable for higher-value export and import goods such as garments, coffee, insulated wire, packaged medicine and time-sensitive components, where speed justifies higher transport costs.

Rail and road freight in Honduras relies on both a legacy rail network and cross-border trucking. The rail system covers about 699 km, with rail access at ports such as Puerto Cortés and La Ceiba, supporting movements of general cargo and possibly some bulk flows.

Trucks connect inland production and consumption centers to ports and neighboring countries. Land borders extend about 244 km with Guatemala, 391 km with El Salvador and 940 km with Nicaragua. Road freight supports trade in garments, coffee, insulated wire, palm oil, refined petroleum, trucks and other manufactured goods across these borders.

Customs clearance in Honduras operates within a trade environment that is integrated globally. The country is a member of the WTO and has been part of the World Customs Organization since 2005.

The average applied tariff is about 2.11 percent. Logistics Performance Index customs is 2.8 compared with a world median of 2.6, while overall LPI is 2.9 against a median of 2.7. Import border compliance takes about 7 days and exports about 4 days. For each shipment, shippers should at minimum prepare a commercial invoice, packing list and transport document when working with their customs broker.