Peru's Regional Airports Strain Under Demand; Chinchero Project Faces Delays
Peru's regional airports are operating above capacity for nearly half of 2025, highlighting a critical need for infrastructure investment to support the country's recovering air travel sector. While the new Jorge Chávez International Airport in Lima has doubled its passenger handling capacity, it experienced significant delays in check-in and immigration processes upon its June 2025 opening. This contrasts with airports in Bogotá and Cancún, which surpassed pre-pandemic traffic levels by 30% and 15% respectively by the end of 2025. Lima's airport only matched its pre-pandemic levels in 2024 and is projected to be only 8% higher by 2025, with domestic travel leading the recovery.
Regional airports, excluding Jorge Chávez, are struggling with increasing domestic transit, with Cusco's airport exceeding its average maximum capacity even during its lowest traffic months. To address this deficit, significant investment is required. Committed investments for the first and second groups of regional airports total US$381 million and US$411 million, with concessionaires potentially adding another US$1.3 billion by 2030. A third group of airports managed by Córpac needs an estimated US$330 million for modernization, including Chinchero airport operations.
The Chinchero International Airport in Cusco, a crucial project, has a current budget of US$1.425 billion, more than double its initial commitment of US$720 million, and has only achieved 39% completion. Delays in this and other infrastructure projects are hindering Peru's air competitiveness. Experts emphasize that unlocking these investments, alongside a robust tourism promotion agenda and improved inter-regional and international air connectivity, is vital for consolidating the country's tourism recovery and strengthening its aviation sector.
Peru's aviation infrastructure faces a dual challenge: the recent expansion of Lima's Jorge Chávez International Airport, which is still optimizing its operations, and the chronic undercapacity of regional airports struggling to keep pace with recovering domestic travel. The significant cost overruns and delays in the Chinchero airport project exemplify systemic issues in large-scale infrastructure development, potentially driven by planning, execution, or procurement inefficiencies. As air travel becomes increasingly integrated into economic activity, particularly for tourism-dependent regions, the disparity in capacity between major hubs and secondary airports could create bottlenecks, impacting national economic growth and equitable development. Addressing these infrastructure gaps requires not only capital investment but also enhanced project management and transparent governance to ensure timely and cost-effective delivery, ultimately shaping Peru's connectivity and competitiveness in the coming decade.
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