Peru’s Ministry of Transport and Communications announced that Cusco’s Alejandro Velasco Astete International Airport (CUZ) will reopen for commercial flights from 12:00 local time this Friday (GMT -5).
Peru’s second largest airport was closed yesterday following an attempted takeover of its facilities by protesters as part of ongoing protests after Pedro Castillo was ousted as president last December.
“The airport has coordinated with police and military forces to guarantee the safety of passengers and members of the aeronautical community, as well as to safeguard airport operations,” the agency said.
The Minister of Transport and Communications, Paola Lazarte, said yesterday at a press conference that “there was a simultaneous attack on three airports”, referring to Cusco, Arequipa and Juliaca.
Around 50 flights between arrivals and departures were cancelled in Cusco from yesterday afternoon until today, causing more than seven thousand passengers to be stranded. This is the third time in a month that authorities have had to close the airport as a result of incidents with protesters.
In December, Cuzco was closed for almost four days and the situation reached international relevance given the large number of foreigners who were stranded on the eve of the New Year holidays.
With 3.9 million passengers in 2019 before the outbreak of the pandemic, it is the second most important airport in Peru as it is the gateway to Machu Picchu.
Arequipa airport, the third largest in Peru, will remain closed, as will Juliaca airport, the fourth largest.
