Three Peruvian airports, Ayacucho, Jaén, and Juliaca (AYP, JAE, and JUL, respectively), remain closed as political uncertainty continues throughout the country and deadly clashes between protestors and the police drag on. The closure of these airports impacts the operations of three airlines, Sky Airline, JetSMART, and LATAM Peru.
What has happened in Peru?
A month ago, then-Peruvian president Pedro Castillo attempted a failed Coup d’État, leading to his arrest and dismembering of its government. Instead, the vice president, Dina Boluarte, took office, declared a state of emergency, and allowed the military to take the streets to maintain order. The clashes between civilians and the authorities have led to the death of at least 47 people.
The nationwide protests have impacted the civil aviation industry on several occasions. First, five airports, Andahuaylas (ANS), Arequipa (AQP), Juliaca (JUL), Cuzco (CUZ), and Ayacucho (AYP), were forced to close due to the ongoing protests in the country. At least Andahuaylas, Cuzco, and Arequipa were damaged by protestors, destroying the runway, air traffic control offices, perimeter fences, safety signs, and more, according to local reports.
This led the local authorities to reinforce airport operations, particularly at Lima International (LIM), Peru’s main hub and point of international entry. Lima Airport Partners (LAP), the administrator of the airport, introduced new safety measures looking to guarantee the safety of all passengers and users.
Several international airline and airport bodies, including the International Air Transport Association (IATA), the Airport Council International (ACI), and the Latin American & Caribbean Air Transport Association (ALTA), called the Peruvian authorities to secure airport operations. In a joint statement, they said,
“Safety is the main objective in the airline industry and cannot be compromised. When this happens, at any level, the aeronautical operations should be suspended to preserve the well-being of the users.”
Closed airports
The protests have been ongoing for several weeks, still forcing some airports to close. Juliaca International was the first one to shut down operations earlier this month. Andean Airports off Peru said the Inca Manco Cápac Airport in Juliaca had to suspend operations in the afternoon of January 6 “due to the acts of violence and the lack of security in its surroundings that put the safety of our team and passengers at risk.”
On Wednesday, Lima Airport Partners announced that Ayacucho and Jaén airports had also temporarily closed their operations. LAP announced that passengers should communicate directly with their airline or authorized travel agency concerning their trip. Lima International remains fully open, but only passengers can enter, it said. Fake news was distributed saying Cuzco International –Peru’s second-largest airport– was also going to close, but the Peruvian government has shut down those reports.
The three closed airports have around 85 weekly flights operated by Sky Airline, JetSMART, and LATAM Peru. These are the routes operated by each carrier:
- Sky Airline operates flights from Ayacucho and Juliaca to Lima, with six and eight weekly services on each route.
- JetSMART operates five weekly flights from Juliaca to Lima.
- LATAM Airlines operates two routes from Ayacucho to Cuzco (three weekly flights) and Lima (18), one from Jaén to Lima (15), and two routes from Juliaca to Cuzco (two) and Lima (28).
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