passengers will be caught off guard by an unexpected cost
En los pasillos del aeropuerto Jorge Chávez, donde millones de viajeros hacen escala cada año, se avecina un cambio silencioso que podría alterar el equilibrio entre la recuperación económica del sector turístico y las necesidades de inversión en infraestructura. A partir del 27 de octubre, Lima Airport Partners planea cobrar una tarifa de transferencia de $12.67 a los pasajeros en tránsito, una categoría que hasta ahora no pagaba nada por usar las instalaciones durante su escala. La Asociación Peruana de Agencias de Viajes y Turismo, Apavit, pide una pausa: no para negar el derecho del operador a recuperar su inversión, sino para recordar que el momento en que se introduce un cambio importa tanto como el cambio mismo.
- Lima Airport Partners tiene previsto activar el cobro en menos de dos semanas, sin que pasajeros ni agencias hayan recibido información clara sobre qué implica ni cómo afectará sus reservas ya realizadas.
- El sector turístico peruano aún no ha recuperado los niveles de visitantes internacionales previos a la pandemia, y las agencias operan con márgenes ajustados que hacen especialmente sensible cualquier nuevo costo al viajero.
- Apavit advierte que los pasajeros en tránsito podrían llegar a Lima y encontrarse con un cargo inesperado que nadie les comunicó al momento de comprar su boleto, generando confusión y malestar.
- La tarifa no es solo un ingreso para el operador: el 55.5% restante iría a un fideicomiso estatal para el desarrollo aeroportuario, lo que convierte la disputa en un asunto de política pública, no solo comercial.
- Apavit ha solicitado formalmente la postergación del cobro y convoca a un diálogo entre el Estado, el operador y los actores del turismo para encontrar un acuerdo que no sacrifique la competitividad del destino Perú.
Las agencias de viajes peruanas han alzado la voz contra una nueva tarifa de transferencia de $12.67 que Lima Airport Partners planea cobrar a los pasajeros en tránsito en el aeropuerto Jorge Chávez a partir del 27 de octubre. Hasta ahora, quienes hacen escala en Lima no pagan ningún cargo por usar las instalaciones durante su conexión, una condición que cambiaría en menos de dos semanas si el operador avanza con sus planes.
Apavit, que agrupa a miles de agencias en todo el país, reconoce que el operador ha invertido en infraestructura y tiene derecho a recuperar esos costos. Sin embargo, el gremio sostiene que el momento es el equivocado: el turismo internacional hacia Perú todavía no ha vuelto a los niveles prepandemia, las agencias trabajan con márgenes estrechos y los viajeros ya enfrentan presiones económicas. Introducir un nuevo cargo ahora, argumenta Apavit, podría frenar una demanda que el sector no puede permitirse perder.
Hay además un problema de comunicación. Muchos pasajeros que ya compraron sus boletos no saben que al llegar a Lima encontrarán un costo adicional que nadie les mencionó. Esa sorpresa, advierten las agencias, genera insatisfacción y daña la imagen del destino. De la tarifa recaudada, Lima Airport Partners retendría cerca del 44.5% para cubrir operaciones e inversiones; el resto iría a un fideicomiso estatal destinado al desarrollo aeroportuario.
Apavit ha pedido formalmente la postergación de la medida y llama a una mesa de diálogo entre el Estado, el operador y los representantes del turismo. El objetivo, según el gremio, es alcanzar acuerdos que equilibren los intereses financieros del aeropuerto con las necesidades de un sector que considera motor esencial de la economía peruana. La asociación cierra su llamado con una idea simple: las políticas que tocan la experiencia del viajero deben construirse con cuidado, consenso y conciencia del momento que se vive.
Peru's travel agencies are pushing back against a new fee that Lima Airport Partners plans to introduce at Jorge Chávez International Airport starting October 27. The charge—a transfer tariff of $12.67 per passenger—would apply to travelers making connections through Lima, a category that currently pays nothing for the privilege of using the airport's facilities during their layover.
The Peruvian Association of Travel Agencies and Tourism, known as Apavit, made its concerns public this week, arguing that the timing is simply wrong. The group represents thousands of travel agencies across the country, both those selling tickets domestically and those receiving international visitors. Their position is straightforward: while they acknowledge that Lima Airport Partners has invested heavily in airport infrastructure and deserves to recover those costs, now is not the moment to introduce another charge on passengers already dealing with economic headwinds.
Currently, the airport collects a unified usage fee—the TUUA—from passengers departing Lima, with the amount varying depending on whether the flight is domestic or international. Transit passengers, however, have never paid a transfer fee. That changes in less than two weeks if the airport operator proceeds as planned. Apavit worries that many travelers will be caught off guard, arriving at their connection point only to discover an unexpected cost that was never mentioned when they booked their tickets back home.
The travel industry is still recovering from the pandemic's blow. International tourism to Peru has not returned to pre-crisis levels, and agencies—both those selling tours and those receiving tourists—are operating with tighter margins than they would like. Adding a new fee to the passenger experience, Apavit argues, could further dampen demand at a moment when the sector can least afford it. The association also flagged a communication problem: passengers and travel agents alike have had little warning or clarity about what this new charge means for them.
Apavit has formally asked Lima Airport Partners to delay the fee's implementation and to pause the plan while stakeholders gather to talk. The group wants the state, industry representatives, and other tourism actors to sit down together and work out an arrangement that serves both the airport operator's financial interests and the traveling public's needs. The revenue from the transfer fee would be split, with Lima Airport Partners keeping roughly 44.5 percent—about $5.64 per passenger—to cover investment, operations, and maintenance. The remainder flows to the Peruvian state through a trust fund designated for airport development.
Apavit closed its statement by emphasizing that tourism is a vital engine for Peru's economy. Any policy that touches the traveler's experience, the association said, needs to be made with care and awareness of current conditions. The call is for dialogue, consensus, and collaborative work toward a tourism sector that is competitive, sustainable, and accessible to all.
Notable Quotes
This is not the right moment to apply a new charge— Apavit (Peruvian Association of Travel Agencies and Tourism)
Tourism is an essential engine for the national economy, and any measure affecting the traveler's experience must be taken with responsibility and sensitivity to the current context— Apavit
The Hearth Conversation Another angle on the story
Why would travel agencies care so much about a fee that passengers pay directly to the airport?
Because agencies sell the whole experience—the price, the convenience, the lack of surprises. When a new charge appears that wasn't in the original quote, it damages trust. Agencies end up fielding angry calls from customers who feel misled.
But $12.67 isn't a huge amount. Why is timing the real issue here?
It's not about the size of the fee. It's that the tourism sector is still limping along after the pandemic. International arrivals haven't bounced back. Agencies are operating on thin margins. Adding friction to the customer experience—especially unannounced friction—could push some travelers to choose other destinations.
So Apavit isn't saying the airport shouldn't recover its investment?
No. They're saying the airport absolutely should. But they're asking for a conversation first. Maybe the fee gets implemented differently, or phased in, or there's a grace period. The point is to avoid blindsiding passengers and damaging Peru's competitiveness as a destination.
What happens if Lima Airport Partners ignores the request and implements it anyway?
That's the real question. Apavit has no legal power to stop it. But public pressure and industry complaints could create political pressure on the state to intervene. The airport operator might find itself in a PR battle it didn't anticipate.