Future tourists often have many questions about how they will get around Peru, and for good reason. We want to let you know that Peru is huge. If we compare maps, Peru would cover France, Germany, and half of Spain.
In other words, the distance between Peruvian cities is considerable. Since the Andes divide Peru like a cake, traveling by highway or road takes a long time.
One thing is sure: flight is the easiest, safest, and fastest way to move inside Peru. For this reason, the experts at Machu Travel Peru want to help you with Peruvian Airlines. They can provide information about the best tickets and any deals available.
Complete information about Peruvian Airlines
- The 4 Peruvian airlines
- LATAM Peru
- Sky Airlines
- JetSmart
- Star Peru
- Tourist overflights companies
- Peruvian airlines facts
- Peruvian deals flight
- Frequently questions
The 4 Peruvian airlines
When we talk about airlines in Peru, we mean those operating there. They are not always based in Peru. The Andean country doesn’t have any flag airlines. That said, the Peruvian airlines are 4.
Latam Airlines is the top domestic airline in Peru. It flies to many cities. However, it is also the most expensive option. Those cheaper, also called low-cost, are Sky Airlines, and JetSmart. Conversely, Star Peru only flies to central and northern Peru. Besides these, Wayra is the most popular charter airline that offers private flights to the center and northern cities.
LATAM Peru
LATAM Peru is part of the LATAM Chile airline group. This airline is the oldest among the current ones in Peru and has most of the domestic market. LATAM Peru is the top airline in Peru. It carries about 63% of foreign and local passengers annually, including flights between cities in the Andes.
The airline flies to all destinations in Peru. It connects to South America, the United States, Mexico, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Spain, and Sydney, Australia. A ticket on LATAM Peru is more expensive than some other airlines. However, LATAM Peru experiences fewer delays, and its flights are rarely canceled.
If you are a foreign traveler and buy your ticket on the LATAM Airlines website, pay attention to the fine print. They often charge hidden fees that appear in the final payment for your ticket. The only downside is that LATAM Peru and the other Peruvian airlines listed do not provide interregional flights.
The only disadvantage is that LATAM Peru and all Peruvian airline companies on this list don’t have interregional flights. For example, if you want to travel from Arequipa to Puno, you must stop in Lima first. Therefore, you’ll have to plan things to do in long flights if you choose a flight with LATAM or any Peruvian airline.
The only disadvantage is that LATAM Peru and all Peruvian airline companies on this list don’t have interregional flights. So, for example, if you want to move from Arequipa to Puno (South cities), you’ll have to make a stopover in Lima (a north town). Therefore, you’ll have to plan things to do in long flights if you choose a flight with LATAM or any Peruvian airline.
- www.latam.com
- Jose Pardo Avenue 513, Miraflores, Lima
- Phone: +51 1 213-8200
- There are direct flights from Lima to Arequipa, Cajamarca, Chiclayo, Cusco, Iquitos, Juliaca, Lima, Piura, Pucallpa, Puerto Maldonado, Tacna, Tarapoto, Trujillo, and Tumbes. It also offers interregional domestic flights from Cusco to Puerto Maldonado, Cusco to Arequipa, and Cusco to Juliaca
Sky Airlines
This is a Chilean company with respect in Peru. It operates the second-largest number of flight frequencies after LATAM. The air company gets to similar Peruvian destinies to LATAM, without mentioning that it offers international direct flights to Chile, Argentina, Mexico, Colombia, and the Dominic Republic.
An important note: Sky Airlines is a low-cost airline. What does this mean? The base price includes transportation service, airplane seats, and the right to carry a small bag. If you want to choose the location of your seat on the plane, store more oversized luggage, or buy food on board, you will have to pay an additional fee, increasing your ticket flying cost.
Even so, Sky Airlines is a cheap Peruvian airline with good service. Therefore, it can be your best option if you want to move inside Peru with an excellent quality-price balance.
- www.skyairline.com
- Jose Pardo Avenue 380, Miraflores, Lima
- Phone: +51 1 243-7998
- Direct flights are available from Lima to Arequipa, Ayacucho, Cusco, Iquitos, Juliaca, Pucallpa, Puerto Maldonado, Piura, Tumbes, Tarapoto, and Trujillo. Interregional domestic flights are also available from Cusco to Puerto Maldonado, Cusco to Arequipa, and Cusco to Juliaca.
JetSmart
JetSmart is the new low-cost airline that came to Peru in 2022 from Chile and, in turn, the United States. Right now, it is the most successful airline entry into the Peruvian market and has also set the lowest ticket prices in the country’s history.
The airline, owned by an American investment fund, has partners worldwide. This list includes several airlines: Wizz Air operates in Europe, Volaris operates from Mexico, Frontier Airlines serves the United States, and Cebu Pacific operates in Asia.
Among the airlines in Peru, JetSmart is the cheapest. It offers a good balance of quality and price. JetSmart has competitive rates and provides good service.
Therefore, JetSmart is the best way to travel in Peru and is highly recommendable if you want to make tourism around Peru this 2023.
- www.jetsmart.com
- Camino Real Avenue 493, San Isidro, Lima
- Phone: +51 1 311-0005
- Nowadays, its flights depart from Lima, round trip, to Iquitos, Tarapoto, Talara, Piura, Cajamarca, Trujillo, Cusco, Juliaca, and Arequipa. Also, JetSmart offers direct interregional flights like Cusco – Arequipa. Also, it offers international direct flights to Chile and Argentina from Lima
Star Peru
Another Peruvian airline is Star Peru. Being one of the smaller airlines, its routes are limited.
In recent years, it has lost some of its market shares due to delays and flight cancellations. Before, it flew to Cusco and the entire Peruvian South, but it no longer does so after the pandemic. The airline does not offer international flights, but it has some of the cheapest flights in Peru to the cities listed.
If we ranked Peruvian airlines, Star Peru would likely be in first place for delays and canceled flights. This is true even though it offers low prices on some routes. Consider it.
- https://www.starperu.com
- Jose Pardo Avenue 495, Miraflores, Lima
- Phone: +51 1 705-9090
- The airline flies from Lima to Cajamarca, Chiclayo, Huanuco, Iquitos, Pucallpa, and Tarapoto.Round Trip
Tourist overflight companies
In addition to the commercial airlines in Peru mentioned earlier, there are tourist overflight companies. These companies operate within cities and do not leave them. They often fly over many tourist attractions and archaeological sites. The following companies are examples of this.
- Aero Nazca: It is the most popular in its category and overflights the Nazca Lines. Small planes leave and return from Maria Reiche Neumann Aerodrome every day, and tourists come to see the beauty and mystery of these lines.
- Aero Condor used to fly within Peru. Recently, the Peruvian Ministry of Transport and Communications stopped its flights. They found the airline’s large planes outdated. Because of this, the company began operating tourist overflights in Ica (the Nazca Lines, the Dunes, the Calendar, the Palpa Lines, Independence Bay, Punta Paracas, and San Juan de Marcona). Arequipa includes the Volcanes Valley, Colca Valley, and Chivay. Titicaca Lake is in Puno. Chan-Chan is in the La Libertad region. Sipán, Huaca Rajada, and Poémape are in Lambayeque.
- Aero Diana: This is another air company that overflights the Nazca lines; join Aero Nazca and Aero Condor. Aero Nazca has more flights, but many TripAdvisor users say Aero Diana offers better service. They have modern floats and skilled staff. It is the best option to appreciate the Nazca lines.
- Aero Ica: Aero Ica is the most ancient overflight airline in the Nazca region. The company’s headquarters are the Marie Reiche Aerodrome and Las Dunas Ica Airport. Nowadays, the airline still operates the Nazca Lines overflight route.
Peruvian airlines facts
1. Disappeared airlines in Peru
Peruvian Airlines was founded in November 2007 in Peru and received its air operator certificate two years later by Dirección General de Aeronáutica Civil-DGAC (Peruvian aeronautical authority) offered domestic flights, and, in 2014, began its internationalization.
Unfortunately, tourism in Peru was one of the most affected industries worldwide due to the pandemic (poor flow of passengers and travel due to the quarantines decreed worldwide), and the air sector was not immune to this affectation. The result? After 2021, the “Peruvian Airlines” national company stopped operating and disappeared from the map of domestic airlines. It was one of the few companies created in Peruvian territory.
Of course, this was not the only one; LCP Peru (another company created in Peru territory) followed in its footsteps. Also, Avianca International Airlines (of the Colombian capital) had to return to Colombia, leaving the domestic flight services. Despite this, other airlines entered the Peruvian market with better prices and high quality. These low-cost airlines suggest a positive outlook for the future of the sector.
Liwise Viva Air was a Colombian airline with a Peruvian subsidiary “Viva Air Peru”. They began operations in 2017. Their goal was to carry more than 700,000 passengers. They offer prices 50% lower than other airlines. They use Boeing 737-300 aircraft. The airline will stop operating on February 23, 2023. This decision is because of COVID-19, rising fuel prices, and other factors.
2. Is it expensive to travel through Peru?
Let’s start by saying that Peru hasn’t a flag airline company, (the last one was Aeroperu, which disappeared in 1999). In this way, many air companies are private and foreign, and, despite the existence of hard competition in the market, the costs of a flight ticket are usually not cheap. Even a domestic Peruvian flight can be more expensive than European domestic flights. But why?
The answer can have its origin in the high cost of fuel in the Andean country, the devaluation of the local currency (Soles) against the American Dollar, and the large distance between Peruvian cities. Of course, if you are a foreign visitant with dollars in your pockets, you may not feel much of the cost difference, but rest assured that a local Peruvian will feel the blow.
Usually, Peruvian airlines have a domestic flight ticket that costs around $160.00 for a round trip, with Lima airport as the starting point, without considering the deals and period of discounts.
3. Not all Peruvian cities receive flights
However, despite the high cost of flight tickets, Air travel is a quick and time-efficient way of moving around the country. In recent years, many new airlines have started regular services to major cities in Peru, but not all. Go to Puno to visit Lake Titicaca and learn about the ancient Tiahuanaco culture.
Unfortunately, Altiplano City doesn’t have an airport. So, what could you do? First, you must land in Juliaca city, which has an airport. After that, you can take a bus or car to Puno, about one and a half hours away from Juliaca.
You must fly to a nearby city like Ica to see the Nazca Lines. Once you arrive, take a bus or car to reach the Nazca Lines. These are only two examples.
4. No direct flights between cities
In Peru, you cannot fly directly between cities. It would be best if you always stopped in Lima first.
For example, you will need two flight tickets from Cusco in southern Peru to Piura in the north. First, you fly from Cusco to Lima, and then you take another flight from Lima to Piura.
There are no direct flights between these two places. The same problem happens with cities in the same area. You will need to fly from Arequipa to Puno. Arequipa is a city near the Colca Canyon.
Puno is near Lake Titicaca. However, this flight will stop in Lima, north of both cities. Please take note of this fact.
Peruvian deals flight
Here are tips for booking cheap flights. Low-cost airlines in Peru usually offer cheap tickets at the end of the month, and big companies like LATAM lower their prices during national campaigns.
Other e-commerce companies do the same. For example, during CyberWow at the end of April and Cyber Monday in late November, you can find great deals on flight tickets.
We suggest flying on weekdays if you want to buy a flight ticket during an average time. Choose arrival and landing days between Tuesday and Thursday. These days are less busy, so fewer people travel then. On the other hand, people often travel from Friday to Sunday, and the ticket cost for these days will be expensive
Frequently questions
1) What are the leading airlines in Peru?
- LATAM Airlines Peru: The largest carrier in the country, part of the LATAM group.
- Avianca Peru: A subsidiary of the Colombian airline Avianca.
- Sky Airline Peru: A low-cost airline, part of the Sky Group.
- Peruvian Airlines: A domestic airline that mainly serves internal routes.
2) Are there low-cost airlines in Peru?
Yes, the low-cost airlines operate are
- Sky Airline Peru
- JetSMART Peru
3) What are the main airports in Peru?
- Jorge Chávez International Airport (Lima)
- Alejandro Velasco Astete International Airport (Cusco)
- Rodríguez Ballón International Airport (Arequipa)
- Capitán FAP Carlos Martínez de Pinillos International Airport (Trujillo)
- FAP Francisco Secada Vignetta International Airport (Iquitos)
4) What do you need to fly within Peru?
Generally, to fly within Peru, you’ll need:
- Identification: Peruvian citizens use their DNI, while foreigners need a passport.
- Flight ticket: This can be shown digitally or in paper format for the check-in
- Health requirements: Check any health-related rules. Depending on the situation, these may include wearing masks or getting COVID-19 tests. What services do airlines offer on domestic flights within Peru?
5) Is flying within Peru safe?
Yes, flying within Peru is generally safe. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGAC) regulates air travel, and airlines follow international safety standards. As with any country, checking reviews and airline reputations before booking is wise.
6) Does Peru have an aviation authority aviation authority in Peru?
Yes, it does. The Peru Aviation Authority (DGAC) oversees civil aviation in Peru. It regulates all aircraft, pilots, and airports.
“TRAVEL OPENS YOUR HEART, BROADENS YOUR MIND, AND FILLS YOUR LIFE WITH STORIES TO TELL”
We hope we have helped you with your airline choices if you are planning a trip to Peru. As you can see, there are a variety of airlines to choose from, depending on your budget and your destination. Book your tour to Peru today a memory to last a lifetime. In this way, you have no excuses for not reaching your Peruvian destination and get unforgettable remembers. And remember that the experts of Machu Travel Peru are ready to assist you with any Peruvian destination that you want to visit.
Peru has so much to offer, it can be hard to know where to start. With many years of experience in the tourism sector, Machu Travel Peru is happy to help with anything regarding your trip to Machu Picchu and any tours around it. Make your Machu Picchu experience an unforgettable one!
