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Welcome to the Alejandro Velasco Astete and Chinchero International Airports in Cusco, the second most important airport in Peru located more than 3.000 meters high, It is the gateway to the Inca Empire and the great Inca city of Machu Picchu.
Here the flight report flying from Lima to Cusco: www.nlarenas.com/2018/07/volando-a-cusco-desde-quito-via-lima/
Seguro Cusco is one of the main or most attractive tourist destinations worldwide, comparable with the same Galapagos Islands, and for this reason its airport has a notorious importance at an aeronautical and tourist level. in a recent trip to peru, I was able to meet this striking terminal.
Despite this importance and the growing number of airlines and passengers, its terminal has not been expanded or remodeled in more than 15 years, which makes it today an outdated airport, at times collapsed and very small for its importance.
Alejandro Velasco Astete International Airport of Cusco
Alejandro Velasco Astete International Airport (THERE IT IS: CUZ, ICAO: SPZO) began operations in December 1964 and is located in the Region and Province of Cusco, Wanchac District – Saint Sebastian. This important airport is located just 3.7 kilometers from the city center, which is considered the gateway to the famous and well-known Inca Empire.
The name of the terminal is inspired by the Peruvian Pilot Alejandro Velasco Astete, who was the first person to cross the Andes on a flight from Lima to Cusco in the year 1925. Astete would die that same year during a presentation in the city of Puno, when you lose control of your aircraft.
For now, the only airport in Cusco has an asphalt runway of 3,400 meters long by 45 Wide, with the characteristic that only landings can be made on the runway 28 (which has PAPI lights) and takeoffs on the opposite runway 10.
Its passenger terminal has two floors and has 20 check-in counters for the airlines and a Control Tower of 5 floors with 12.50 meters high from where operations are verified to maintain security levels at an airport that is considered one of the most complex and difficult in the world, mainly by height and runway factors.
This airport does not operate 24 hours a day, only of 6 am a 20 pm, since their approaches are mainly of a visual nature and VOR of non-precision. RNAV operations began not long ago and there is the feasibility of night operations with GPS satellite procedures., which would allow an increase in operations and arrival of tourists, but this is still under study.
It has a taxiway towards the north head 10 and a pavement platform with the capacity to receive up to 10 aircraft using sleeves and remotes, with the maximum aircraft allowed being the Boeing 757.
further, restaurants, duty free, stores, ATMs and various transportation options and tourist offers are located in various areas of the terminal.
Cusco Airport Statistics
Currently, Cusco Airport is the one with the highest passenger flow in southern Peru with more than 3 million users per year and with an average of more than 120 daily operations.
During the year 2017, they passed through this airport 3.290.452 passengers on domestic flights from mainly the Lima airports, Trujillo, Puerto Maldonado, Juliaca and Arequipa. Regarding the international movement, 89.166 passengers they arrived and left for the only international destination that operated during that year, Peace.
As far as 2018 with data up to May, they are already 1.361.824 passengers who have passed through Cusco, which represents a growth of 124.593 users compared to the 2017. Equally, until May 2018, in international transport, Cusco has mobilized 46.593 passengers, with a growth of 16.788 users more compared to 2017, thanks to the new direct routes to Santiago de Chile and Bogotá.
with projections, Cusco Airport is expected to exceed the 3 million and a half passengers worldwide 2018.
Airlines, flights and itinerary
Son 6 the airlines that fly daily to Cusco on national and international flights, plus one that operates only seasonally or seasonally as it is known.
these airlines, those that together add up to more than 120 daily flights fly to the following destinations:
- LATAM Peru: Arequipa, Pisco, Trujillo, Lima, Iquitos, Puerto Maldonado, Juliaca / Santiago de Chile
- Avianca Peru: Arequipa, Lima, Puerto Maldonado, Juliaca / Bogota, Peace (Coming soon)
- Peruvian Airlines: Arequipa, Lima
- Star Peru: Lima, Puerto Maldonado
- LC Peru: Lima
- Viva Air Peru: Lima
- Amazon: Peace – seasonal
- Viva Air Colombia: Bogota (Coming soon)
Technical data
| Cuzco International Airport (THERE IT IS: CUZ, ICAO:SPZO) | |
| Elevation | 3.309 m.s.n.m |
| national passengers 2017 | 3.290.452 |
| international passengers 2017 | 89.166 |
| mobilized cargo | 1.858.244 kilos |
| air operations 2017 | 35,204 |
| daily operations | 120+ |
| track length | 3.400 meters x 45 meters |
| national airlines | 6 |
| international airlines | 2 since the end of 2018 |
Chinchero International Airport
There are plans for the improvement of Cusco and even, a new airport that would be called “Chinchero International Airport”, work that would require more than US$658 million investment, but who is also detained for apparent corruption problems, overprice and even a negative technical feasibility, since this land is higher than Cusco itself.
The District of Chinchero is located at 45 minutes north of Cusco, some 15 kilometres, which will also require improvement of the roads between both cities and a time, plus additional cost, for the tourists, since the hotel infrastructure of this city is limited and would not work as an alternative tourist city of Cusco.
The new airport in Chinchero should be finished and operational in the year 2020, but all the obstacles mentioned and since it is found 400 meters higher than the current terminal ended up truncating this plan, at least for now, since the authorities maintain the construction plan.
The new terminal and airport will have a runway 4.000 meters long with numbering 16 and 34 of asphalt with a capacity to attend to 5 million passengers per year, and with the projection of enlargement up to 8 million annually. The terminal will have approximately 40.000 thousand square meters and should allow an increase in direct international flights.
For August of this 2018 construction works are expected to resume with the lifting of the perimeter fence of the new airport, process that will be endorsed by ICAO for this stage and also the start of earthworks to flatten and level the land in October.
Counting from August of this year, The estimated time for the end of the works would be 4 a 5 years according to the Ministry of Transportation of Peru.
Chinchero's highest runway will challenge airlines, since an operation in heat and height, limits the weight of aircraft and autonomy, bone direct destinations that can be reached from that terminal, What is the purpose of the build?, reduce the need to land in Lima as a stopover, almost mandatory to Cusco.
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