Flying to Peru This Week? A Papal Visit Is About to Squeeze Lima

Pope Leo XIV’s South America tour reaches Peru on Wednesday, November 11, and travelers in the country should plan around it. The US Embassy in Lima issued a security alert on November 9 covering the visit, which runs until November 16. The pope is due in Lima and Callao on November 11 and 12, Chiclayo and Cajamarca from November 13 to 15, Cusco and Pucallpa on November 15, and Lima and Callao again on November 16. Peru has also declared half-day holidays in Lima and Callao on November 11 and 12 and a full holiday on November 16.

The embassy expects crowded or closed airports, including Jorge Chávez International in Lima, and limited flights to Cusco, Cajamarca and Pucallpa. That matters because Cusco is the gateway to Machu Picchu. It also warns of checkpoints, road closures and tight hotel availability at higher prices. Its advice is to allow extra time to reach Jorge Chávez, confirm flights directly with airlines, watch for pickpockets in crowds, carry a copy of your passport and enroll in the State Department’s STEP program.

In Lima, the arrival on November 11 brings closures around the historic Plaza Mayor, including Avenida Tacna, Emancipación and Abancay, as well as Avenida Aviación in San Borja. The La Cultura station on Metro Line 1 will close during the evening event. On November 12, a youth vigil at the Estadio Nacional starts at 6 p.m., and the Metropolitano bus system and the Blue and Purple corridors will start running at 4 a.m. to handle the crowds.

Argentina, the previous stop, has been working under short airport restrictions. Buenos Aires’ Aeroparque had two-hour operating windows on November 9 and 10, Córdoba had restrictions on November 10, and Ezeiza International is affected on November 11, when the pope flies on to Peru. Anyone flying in or out of Buenos Aires on Wednesday should check with their airline. The visit is the first by a pope to Argentina since 1987.

Sources: US Embassy Lima, The Rio Times