World City Guide

Getting There By Air

Jorge Chavez International Airport (LIM)
Tel: (01) 575 0912 or 1434 or 1712, for international or 5529, for local.
Website: www.lap.com.pe

Situated 16km (ten miles) northwest of Lima, Jorge Chavez International Airport is the international hub for flights to Peru and other Andean countries, from North America and several European capitals, except London. International arrivals and departures total about 13,300 annually. The airport was sold to a Frankfurt airport-led consortium in early 2001.

Major airlines: Peru’s domestic airlines include Aero Condor (tel: (01) 441 1354; website: www.aerocondor.com.pe), Lan Per (tel: (01) 213 8200; website: www.lanperu.com) and Aerolineas (tel: (01) 213 7000; website: www.grupotaca.com.pe). These all offer limited international flights. There are no direct flights from London but competitive options are available with KLM via Amsterdam and Iberia via Madrid. Alternatively, there are daily British Airways flights to Miami, which connect with American Airlines or United Airlines services to Lima. Other major airlines include Aeroflot, Air Canada, Air France, Alitalia, Continental and Mexicana.

Approximate flight times to Lima: From London (via Miami) is 12 hours; from New York is 8 hours; from Los Angeles is 12 hours; from Toronto is 12 hours and from Sydney is 20 hours.

Airport facilities: Facilities include three banks, two 24-hour bureaux de change in international arrivals, duty-free shops in the departure lounge, several ATMs, cafs and restaurants on the second level, magazine kiosks and shops. Baggage lockers cost PEN3.60/US$1 per hour or PEN10.85/US$3 per day. A tourist booth to help visitors with hotel reservations, a post office and car hire operators, including Avis, Budget and Hertz, are also available.

Business facilities: Business-class travellers have access to four different executive and VIP lounges.

Arrival/departure tax: There is a PEN90.50/US$25 departure tax for all international flights. For national flights, the departure tax is PEN10.84/US$3. Tax is payable in either US Dollars or Peruvian Soles, in cash or travellers cheques.

Transport to the city: Taxi is the easiest means of transport from the airport to the city centre (journey time – 20-30 minutes). Official taxis can be ordered from the desk outside arrivals. These cost PEN36/US$10 to the city centre (PEN54/US$15 at night) or PEN54/US$15 to Miraflores. A cheaper alternative for arriving tourists is to take an unlicensed taxi from one of the dozens waiting inside the airport gates. This safe transport option will cost around PEN29/US$8 to the centre and PEN36/US$10 to San Isidro or Miraflores. Taxis do not have meters, so prices must be fixed in advance. The Transhotel Airport Express (tel: (01) 446 9872) runs every 20-30 minutes, approximately 0600-0100, to Miraflores from the national exit and costs PEN36/US$10 (journey time – 30 minutes). Local buses also run between the airport and the city centre.