Latam Airlines announced that Cancellation of direct flights between Tucumán and Limaa connection that had been inaugurated just two days earlier and that marked the return of air service between the two cities after six years. The company said the measure was in response to the new airport tax that recently came into effect in the Peruvian capital, making stopovers more expensive and affecting the sustainability of several routes.
According to the airline’s Peruvian subsidiary, operations have ended will be suspended from March 29th. The service was planned with three weekly frequencies and was presented as an attempt to improve connectivity in northern Argentina and boost tourism and regional economic activity.
The company said more than 95% of passengers using this section had connecting flights to other international destinations. In this context is the application of the Unified Airport Use Rate (TUUA), which sets a fee of $12 per passenger in transit Jorge Chavez International Airporteventually made the route unusable.
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“The decision is complex, but connecting passengers are crucial to maintaining long-term flights,” they stated from Latam, while warning that the new tariff weakens Lima’s role as a regional hub compared to other connecting centers such as Bogotá or Panama, where no additional transfer fees are charged and connecting times are shorter.
The airline clarified that it will offer affected passengers various alternatives, such as a full ticket refund, travel rebooking or a transfer via other airports in the region.
The impact of the measure would not be limited to this route. Latam said it would also suspend or outright stop launching other services in 2026, including flights to Orlando, Curaçao, Florianópolis, Guatemala and Belo Horizonte.
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The CEO of Latam Group, Roberto Alvohad already warned of the consequences of the new tariff at a regional aviation industry forum in October. On that occasion, he warned that rising costs would cause passengers to avoid flights via Lima and force airlines to review their route networks.
The Latin American and Caribbean Air Transport Association (ALTA) also questioned the decision. Your President, Peter Cerdahighlighted that Latin America continues to be the region with the largest share of taxes and fees in the final price of tickets, with an average of 44%, well above the global standard.
Meanwhile, Latam reiterated its willingness to engage in dialogue with the authorities and actors of the Peruvian airport system to look for alternatives that allow maintaining regional connectivity and maintaining Lima’s competitiveness as a hub in South America.
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