The invention provides an esterification reactor, which is suitably used for the esterification reaction of carboxylic acid and alcohols. The reactor consists of a plurality of tower plates; each tower plate is provided with a liquid dropping pipe and an air raising pipe; the air raising pipes are connected with a rotary air distributor consisting of an air guiding pipe, fan blades and nozzles; each tower plate remains liquid at a certain liquid level, and a solid catalyst is remained in the liquid; and the liquid phase is a carboxylic acid containing components, and flows downward from one esterification tower plate to the other esterification tower plate in the reactor and makes the counter-current reaction with the raised alcohol vapor. The esterification reactor has the advantages of complete contact of gas, liquid and solid phases, high reaction efficiency, high utilization rate of reactor volume and the like, and is suitably used for various esterification reaction processes.