Jorge Chávez International Airport

LIM SPJC  Lima, Peru

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LIM at a glance

  • What it is: Jorge Chávez International Airport is a major international airport serving Lima, Peru.
  • Codes: LIM on your ticket, SPJC on the radar.
  • How busy: the reference profile lists about 23.6 million annual passengers across 2 runways.
  • Main airline: LATAM Airlines bases aircraft here.
  • Local time zone: America/Lima (UTC-5), so every time shown for LIM is local rather than UTC.
23.6M
Annual passengers (reference)
2
Runways
1
Terminals
113 ft
Field elevation

About LIM

Peru's only major international airport and a key connecting hub on South America's Pacific coast. A brand-new terminal and second runway opened in 2025, tripling its footprint. It is the main gateway for travellers heading to Cusco and Machu Picchu.

Lima's Jorge Chavez International Airport opened in 1960 in the port city of Callao, replacing the elegant but outgrown Limatambo airport.

It is named for Jorge Chavez, the Peruvian aviator who in 1910 became the first pilot to cross the Alps, only to die when his aircraft crashed on landing at the end of the historic flight. The airport grew into Peru's overwhelming air gateway, funneling nearly all of the country's international traffic and serving as the connecting point between the Andean interior and the world.

A concession led by Fraport took over operations in 2001, and Jorge Chavez was repeatedly voted South America's leading airport even as its single terminal and single runway strained under tourism growth driven by Machu Picchu and Peruvian gastronomy. The response was the largest airport project in Peruvian history: a second runway and new control tower entered service in 2023.

A vast new terminal opened in June 2025, effectively giving Lima an entirely new airport on adjacent land. The expanded complex anchors the hubs of LATAM Peru and Sky Airline Peru and aims to make Lima the dominant hub of South America's Pacific coast.

How LIM operates today

Jorge Chavez now operates two runways and the sweeping new terminal opened in 2025, a generational leap from the cramped facility that preceded it. LATAM Peru runs its largest hub here, with Sky Airline Peru and JetSmart providing low-cost competition.

The airport serves as the natural connecting point between North America, Europe and the west coast of South America. Cargo is significant, led by perishable exports like blueberries and asparagus. The airport sits in Callao, wedged between the city and the Pacific, with the morning Cusco rush among its most distinctive traffic patterns.

Top routes from LIM

DestinationMain airlinesWhy it matters
Cusco (CUZ) LATAM, Sky Airline, JetSmart The Machu Picchu pipeline, one of South America's busiest domestic routes.
Bogota (BOG) Avianca, LATAM Links the Andean capitals and two rival connecting hubs.
Santiago (SCL) LATAM, Sky Airline, JetSmart The Pacific coast trunk route south, dense with business and VFR traffic.
Miami (MIA) American Airlines, LATAM The historic gateway route to the United States.
Arequipa (AQP) LATAM, Sky Airline Connects the capital with Peru's second city in the southern Andes.

Facts about LIM

  • Namesake Jorge Chavez was the first pilot to cross the Alps, in 1910, and died in a crash landing at the end of that flight.
  • A completely new terminal opened in June 2025, the largest airport project in Peru's history.
  • The airport is not in Lima proper but in Callao, a separate constitutional province.
  • Skytrax voted it South America's best airport multiple times during the 2010s.

Plane spotting at LIM

There is no official viewing area, but the coastal setting gives clear sightlines from spots around Callao, and the dawn wave of Cusco-bound departures alongside arriving overnight widebodies is the signature show. New to spotting? Start with our aircraft identification guide and the world's best spotting airports.

IATA / ICAO
LIM / SPJC
Location
Lima, Peru -12.022, -77.114
Time zone
America/Lima
Opened
1960
Hub for
LATAM Airlines Perú, Sky Airline Perú
Website
www.lima-airport.com

Airlines hubbed at LIM

LA · LAN LATAM Airlines Chile

Nearby and related airports

Geographically close airports and useful alternatives in Peru.

BOG El Dorado International Airport Bogotá, Colombia PTY Tocumen International Airport Panama City, Panama SCL Arturo Merino Benítez International Airport Santiago, Chile IPC Mataveri International Airport Hanga Roa, Chile

More airports and guides connected to LIM

Most of the tails you see here belong to LATAM Airlines. How a field like this runs day to day is covered in how airports work. The codes LIM and SPJC are explained in airport codes decoded.

Data sources and review

Reviewed 2026-07-29 by Flight-Tracker.net Editorial Team

Passenger, runway, terminal and hub figures are maintained as a reviewed reference snapshot, not a live operational record. Check the airport directly before travelling.

Read our airport data sourcing and review process, or inspect the machine-readable reference dataset.

Frequently asked questions about LIM

What is the airport code for Jorge Chávez International Airport?

Jorge Chávez International Airport uses the IATA code LIM on tickets and baggage tags, and the ICAO code SPJC in flight plans and on radar. The leading “S” in SPJC is the region marker: ICAO codes are grouped geographically, which is why airports near each other usually share their first letter or two while their IATA codes look unrelated.

How many runways does LIM have?

Jorge Chávez International Airport operates 2 runways across 1 passenger terminal. The field sits at 113 ft above sea level.

How busy is LIM?

This reference profile lists roughly 23.6 million annual passengers for Jorge Chávez International Airport. You can see aircraft observed departing, arriving and overhead on this page, taken from live ADS-B broadcasts.

Which airlines are based at LIM?

LATAM Airlines treat LIM as a hub or major base. Many other carriers serve the airport without basing aircraft there.

How many terminals does LIM have?

This reference lists Jorge Chávez International Airport with 1 passenger terminal. Check the airport or operating airline for the terminal assigned to a specific flight.

What time zone is LIM in?

Jorge Chávez International Airport runs on America/Lima, currently UTC-5. Flight trackers work in UTC internally, so the seven-day history on our flight pages is stamped UTC while the boards on this page are in LIM local time - worth remembering when the two disagree by a whole calendar day.

Can I track flights at LIM live?

Yes. The map on this page shows every aircraft broadcasting its position within about 55 km of Jorge Chávez International Airport. The boards split them into departures, arrivals and traffic passing overhead, all timed in America/Lima.