Peru re-opens for inter-regional flights

Several airlines have resumed commercial services from and to Peru after the South American country reopened for inter-regional flights recently. According to an announcement by its president, Martín Vizcarra, Peru on October 5, 2020, implemented a staged re-opening by allowing flights to 11 destinations in seven South American countries, including Colombia, Ecuador, Panama, Paraguay, Uruguay, Bolivia, and Chile. This is in line with Peru’s phased economic reactivation programme, which entered Phase Four on October 1, 2020, allowing for the resumption of a limited number of international flights. In its social media posts, low-cost carrier SKY Airline Perú (H8, Lima Int’l) on October 5 announced it was the first airline to relaunch international services to Peru with a flight from Santiago de Chile Int’l to Lima Int’l, operating 4x weekly. LATAM Airlines Perú (LP, Lima Int’l) on October 8 resumed services to Ecuador, Colombia, Argentina, and Bolivia, according to the ch-aviation schedules module. It also operates to 15 domestic destinations from Lima, including Cuzco, Juliaca, Ilo, PE, Tacna, Arequipa, Chiclayo, Iquitos, Jaén, Pucallpa, Piura, Talara, Tarapoto, Jauja, Tumbes, and Trujillo Carlos Martinez de Pinillos. In total, the LATAM Airlines Group and its subsidiaries plan to operate between 24% and 26% of their capacity in October compared to the same month last year. In total, there will be 440 flights per week compared to 310 in September both domestically and internationally, which represents an increase of 42%. Meanwhile, Viva Air Perú (VV, Lima Int’l) reportedly resumed its operation between Colombia and Peru with daily flights each between Bogotá and Lima, and Bogota and Medellín José Maria Córdova. COVID-19 travel restrictions in Peru include proof of a negative PCR test 72 hours before departure. Arriving passengers must also present a sworn statement agreeing to comply with a mandatory 14-day quarantine and attest that they are symptom-free upon entry. Restrictions are in place for foreign nationals returning from Brazil, China, Iran, and European countries that have been highly impacted by the pandemic.