Lima Airport
A new hub for South America comes to life
The opening of the much-anticipated new terminal at Lima Jorge Chávez International Airport signals the start of a new era for aviation in Peru. Dermot Davitt reports.
Delegates to the ASUTIL Conference this week will encounter what Fraport-led Lima Airport Partners (LAP) has called a “new reference point” for aviation in Latin America, with the newly opened terminal at Jorge Chávez International Airport.
On the night of 31 May to 1 June, airlines, government agencies and commercial partners relocated from Lima’s old terminal. The opening was preceded by a two-week soft launch period involving four airlines to ensure an efficient start of operations and operational stability.
The new terminal serves both domestic and international travellers and is three times larger than the previous one. By the end of 2025, it will be expanded further to cover 270,000sq m, providing capacity for up to 40 million passengers annually.
The future-focused terminal has commercial services at its heart and a local feel in design and offer.
Active commercial space in the terminal spans around 27,000sq m, with 19,000sq m for retail, dining and other services, plus 8,000sq m for lounges. The latter includes 2,500sq m for prime airline user LATAM Airlines (which accounts for over half of traffic), with the balance managed by global specialist Collinson under a ten-year agreement, covering spaces in domestic and international departures, plus arrivals.
Peruvian landscapes and wildlife are behind much of the design inspiration
LAP recruited around 30 commercial partners for the new terminal, many of which were already well established at Lima Airport. These include Lagardère Travel Retail for duty free and food & beverage; Costa Rica-based Morpho Travel Experience for speciality retail as well as Peruvian companies such as Acurio Restaurants, Retail Services, Incalpaca, Grupo Michell among others for both F&B and speciality retail.
LAP Chief Commercial Officer Norbert Onkelbach told us in an interview last year as planning advanced that “customer-centrism is the basis of our vision. Our commercial marketplaces have been carefully and thoughtfully designed to maximise the experience of our visitors with solutions to engage, entertain and connect with the passengers travelling to and from Lima. We expect to be a gamechanger for the Latin American region and a reference in attending our passenger needs.
“Our retail strategy [with commercial design by Vancouver-based SmartDesign Group] is based on key principles: a strong sense of place and a permanent improved customer experience. That includes a client-focused brand and retail mix. By applying these principles, we aim to meet our commitment for a memorable customer experience and increased passenger satisfaction. This is quite a challenge for us.”
There is flexibility in the commercial operating models and how the retail portfolio is managed. On the one hand, this includes a ground-breaking profit-sharing contract for duty free (since January 2022) with Lagardère Travel Retail; other agreements covering the new terminal are based on the classic concession model, but all involve strong collaboration and partnership, said LAP.
The additional capacity allows Lima to challenge for primacy among South American hubs
The look and feel of the terminal is singularly Peruvian. A commercial central plaza where passengers dwell before departure delivers the opportunity to create a localised environment.
A food hall in each of the International and Domestic marketplaces presents a “dynamic environment” that celebrates Peruvian gastronomy.
The new terminal reflects Peru’s history and culture in other ways. Works created in partnership with local Peruvian artists are located throughout the terminal, representing the country’s three regions – the coast, the rainforest, and the mountains.
Fraport CEO Dr Stefan Schulte said last week: “The opening of the terminal is a milestone – not just for Fraport, but also for Peru and South America. Our goal is to make Lima one of the continent’s most important hubs, providing a boost to tourism, air cargo traffic and connectivity for all Peruvians.
“The opening of this flagship project clearly symbolises our commitment to Peru. We’ve worked together with our Lima Airport subsidiary and our partners to build the new terminal and the first Airport City in South America, connecting air travel with cargo, logistics, retail and hotels.”
An exterior view of the sleek new building
Partner’s message
Partner’s message
The Moodie Davitt eZine
Issue 345 | 4 June 2025
The Moodie Davitt eZine is published 6 times per year by The Moodie Davitt Report (MA Travel Retail). © All material is copyright and cannot be reproduced without the permission of the Publisher. To find out more visit www.moodiedavittreport.com and to subscribe, please email kristyn@moodiedavittreport.com