Peru: Chaos of cancelled and rescheduled flights after LATAM’s accident
Jorge Chavez International Airport (LIM), which serves the city of Lima, Peru, will be closed until further notice, after a LATAM Airbus A320neo collided with a Rescue and Fire Fighting Service (ARFF) vehicle while performing its take-off run.
Due to causes that need to be established, the vehicle invaded the runway and impacted the aircraft, causing the engine to detach and the right main gear to collapse due to friction against the runway, resulting in a fire.
According to a statement issued by LATAM, all crew members and passengers were evacuated and are being treated by medical personnel and psychologists if needed. On the other hand, two firefighters from the ARFF vehicle were confirmed dead.
20221118 Runway incursion LIM-JUL
See also: LATAM Airbus A320neo plane crash in Peru: What We Know
Given the magnitude of the accident, the concessionaire Lima Airports Partners reported that the airport would be closed until Saturday at 13:00 (local time). According to the latest NOTAM (Notice To Airmen) its only operational runway, 16/34, will remain closed due to an «aircraft obstruction».
The measure has as a direct consequence the cancellation and rescheduling of all flights bound for Lima. However, it is recommended to check the status of your scheduled flights in the coming hours through your travel agency and/or airlines.
Diversions
Lima is Peru’s main hub: consequently, commercial air traffic was almost paralyzed when terminal closure was decided. International flights crossing Peruvian airspace continued without problems, but the unavailability of Jorge Chavez airport forced several cancellations of long-haul and domestic connections.
According to Flightradar24, flight LA2297 bound for Cajamarca (CAJ) was the last plane to take off from Lima. The last flight to land was flight LA 2383 from Bogota (BOG).
At the time of the accident, 19 flights were flying to the airport and were forced to divert:
| Alternate destination | Flight | Carrier | Origin | Aircraft |
| Arequipa (AQP) | LA 2414 | LATAM | Santiago de Chile | Airbus A320 |
| Bogotá (BOG) | AV 53 | Avianca | Bogotá | Airbus A319 |
| Bogotá (BOG) | IB 6659 | Iberia | Madrid | Airbus A350-900 |
| Chiclayo (CIX) | LA2383 | LATAM | Quito | Airbus A320 |
| Iquitos (IQT) | PU 301 | Plus Ultra | Madrid | Airbus A340-300 |
| Newark (EWR) | UA 886 | United | Newark | Boeing 757-200 |
| Panamá (PTY) | KL 743 | KLM | Ámsterdam | Boeing 777-300ER |
| Panamá (PTY) | AF 448 | Air France | París | Airbus A350-900 |
| Panamá (PTY) | AA 379 | American | Miami | Airbus A321neo |
| Pisco (PIO) | CM 131 | Copa Airlines | Panamá | Boeing 737-800 |
| Pisco (PIO) | H2 5166 | SKY | Juliaca | Airbus A320neo |
| Pisco (PIO) | LA 2122 | LATAM | Arequipa | Airbus A319 |
| Pisco (PIO) | WQ 3903 | iAero Airways | Alexandria, USA | Boeing 737-800 |
| Pisco (PIO) | OB 2181 | Star Perú | Tarapoto | Boeing 737-300 |
| San José (SJO) | Q6 4110 | Volaris | San José | Airbus A319 |
| Santiago (SCL) | H2 2800 | SKY | Santiago de Chile | Airbus A320neo |
| Trujillo (TRU) | P5 7413 | Wingo | Bogotá | Boeing 737-800 |
| Trujillo (TRU) | LA 2309 | LATAM | Piura | Airbus A320 |
| Trujillo (TRU) | LA 2254 | LATAM | Talara | Airbus A320 |
Migrations of Peru informed that, in view of the emergency at Jorge Chávez International Airport, it has arranged to set up immigration controls at all airports where international flights have been diverted.
In the specific case of Pisco, immigration inspectors are traveling from Lima to control incoming international flights.
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