IATA Says Lima’s New Transfer Fee and Airport Snags Threaten Jorge Chávez’s Hub Ambitions

Overview

• IATA leaders at the Wings of Change Americas event on Wednesday said talks with Peru over the new transfer charge are stalled and signaled no meetings until a new government takes office.
• The transfer fee for connecting passengers has applied since December 2025 at about US$11.86 per flight segment, and airlines say it now makes Lima one of the costliest places to connect in the region.
• Airlines have dropped at least eight international routes from Lima, including Orlando, Curaçao, Florianópolis and Tucumán, and industry groups project long‑term growth could slow to 0–3% a year through 2041 if the fee stays in place.
• IATA added that the new terminal’s benefits are blunted by weak coordination across agencies, noting early immigration staffing fell short and urging a gradual ramp‑up to avoid fresh bottlenecks.
• Airport owners counter that connection charges are standard and part of Lima’s concession, and ACI‑LAC warned Peru could hurt legal certainty as the government considers scrapping the domestic version of the fee.