Lima Perú Airport
LATAM Airlines Peru suspended the launch of its flights between Lima (LIM) and Orlando (MCO), a route that was scheduled to debut this Sunday, October 26. The decision is the latest direct consequence of a bitter dispute between airlines and the airport operator over a new passenger fee. The route’s suspension will last at least until November 30, 2025.
At the center of the conflict is the new Tarifa Unificada de Uso de Aeropuerto (TUUA) for Transfers. As reported by LATAM Airlines Peru in its initial statement, the airport concessionaire Lima Airport Partners (LAP) will begin applying this USD 12.67 charge to all international connecting passengers starting Monday, October 27.
The Orlando cancellation is the second route casualty attributed to the new fee, following LATAM’s recent decision to definitively cancel its service between Lima and Havana (HAV). Sky Airline also previously cited the fee as a reason for canceling its Lima-Cancún (CUN) route.
The ‘Battle of Lima’
The suspensions escalated a conflict that had been brewing publicly at the ALTA AGM & Airline Leaders Forum 2025 in Lima. In a series of tense panels, the CEOs of Latin America’s largest airlines issued stark warnings, labeling the new tax a “great mistake” and “competitive suicide.
We are pushing with all our energy for Peru to impose it,” joked Pedro Heilbron, CEO of Copa Airlines, whose Panama (PTY) hub is a direct competitor. “Colombia is also pushing… they have the fireworks ready to launch that day.”
Dropping the sarcasm, Heilbron warned that a hub must be “efficient and competitive” and that this tax “promotes other hubs.”
Roberto Alvo, CEO of LATAM Airlines Group, called the move “short-sighted public policy,” arguing that the airport already profits from connecting passengers and “we are charging them twice.”
His colleague, Manuel van Oordt, CEO of LATAM Airlines Peru, was more blunt about the competitive disadvantage. “We have two very efficient competitors very close: Bogotá and Panama,” he explained. “Panama not only doesn’t charge a fee… it is also connected to double the cities that Lima is… It’s impossible to attract passengers if we are going to charge them.”
CEOs of ultra-low-cost carriers echoed the warning. José Raúl Vargas, CEO of Sky Airline Peru, noted the fee makes Stopover programs to promote tourism “unviable” and will eventually hurt non-connecting flyers. Insofar as the cost of passing through Lima increases, there are flights that are no longer justified,” he said. “And as there is less supply, what will happen is that fares for Peruvians will become more expensive.”
Facing the unified airline offensive, Juan José Salmón, CEO of Lima Airport Partners (LAP), remained firm, defending the fee as an non-negotiable contractual right essential to recovering the $2 billion invested in the new airport terminal.
“LAP is a private airport operator,” Salmón stated. And the only way we have to recover the investment is through tariffs.
He emphasized that the fee is not a surprise. “This possibility of charging a fee to a connecting passenger was born 12 years ago. It wasn’t born a week ago,” he said, confirming the charge begins October 27.
The Common Enemy: State Bureaucracy
Despite the clash, all participants—including LAP’s Salmón—found common ground in criticizing Peru’s “paralyzing” political instability and state bureaucracy.
“Since 2018… we have had 17 ministers of transport,” Salmón revealed. “And that evidently adds complexity… it’s a tragedy.”
The airline CEOs agreed, pointing to populist regulations from Congress and chronic infrastructure failures at regional airports as systemic brakes on the industry’s growth.
Alternatives for Affected Passengers
LATAM stated that passengers with tickets for the Orlando route between October 26 and November 30 will be notified with alternative travel solutions, likely via other hubs.
Passengers who do not accept the proposed itinerary can manage one of the following options at no cost through the “My Trips” section of the airline’s website:
- Date change in the same cabin, subject to availability.
- Flight or route change, connecting through other hubs or choosing Miami (MIA) as an alternative destination.
- Full refund of the ticket and ancillary services.
For passengers traveling from or to the U.S., a refund will be processed automatically if they reject the proposed changes.
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