Alejandro Velasco Astete International Airport facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Alejandro Velasco Astete International Airport
Aeropuerto Internacional Alejandro Velasco Astete
|
|||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Aerial overview of CUZ
|
|||||||||||
| Summary | |||||||||||
| Airport type | Public | ||||||||||
| Operator | CORPAC S.A. | ||||||||||
| Serves | Cusco | ||||||||||
| Focus city for | LATAM Perú | ||||||||||
| Elevation AMSL | 10,860 ft / 3,310 m | ||||||||||
| Coordinates | 13°32′08″S 71°56′37″W / 13.53556°S 71.94361°W | ||||||||||
| Map | |||||||||||
 CUZ
Location in Peru
|
|||||||||||
| Runway | |||||||||||
|
|||||||||||
| Statistics (2016) | |||||||||||
|
|||||||||||
Alejandro Velasco Astete International Airport (CUZ) is a busy airport in the city of Cusco, in southeastern Peru. Cusco is a very popular place for tourists in Latin America. The airport handles many flights from inside Peru and some international flights too.
Even though it's close to the city center, which limits its size, it's still Peru's second most important airport. In 2016, over 3.2 million passengers used this airport!
Contents
Why the Airport Has This Name
The airport is named after a brave Peruvian pilot, Alejandro Velasco Astete. In 1925, he was the first pilot to fly an airplane across the mighty Andes mountains. This amazing first flight went directly from Lima to Cusco.
Later that year, in September, he sadly crashed and died. This happened while he was trying to avoid hitting people watching an airshow in the city of Puno. Because of his important flights in Peruvian aviation history, the airport was named in his honor.
Airport History and Future Plans
The airport first opened its doors in December 1964. For a short time, from 1998 to 1999, American Airlines flew planes like the Boeing 757-200 to Cusco from New York City. These flights stopped because the airport had limited services. Also, the Peruvian government did not allow the airline to carry passengers between Lima and Cusco.
A big change is coming for the airport! On February 3, 2017, the Peruvian President announced plans for a new airport. This new airport, called Chinchero International Airport, will be built in Chinchero, about 30 minutes from Cusco. It is expected to open by 2025. Once it opens, Velasco Astete Airport will close. The new airport is designed to handle up to 6 million passengers each year.
Airport Design and Features
Alejandro Velasco Astete Airport has many features to serve the large number of tourists visiting Cusco. It was one of the first airports in Peru to use jetways. Jetways are the movable bridges that connect the airport terminal directly to the airplane, making it easy for passengers to board.
The runway is paved and is very long: about 3,400 meters (11,155 feet) long and 45 meters (148 feet) wide. The runway needs to be this long because of the airport's high elevation. At high altitudes, the air is thinner, or less dense. This means planes need more runway space to get enough lift to take off. Also, airplane engines produce less power in thin air. Because of this, planes climb more slowly and at a shallower angle after takeoff.
Due to tall mountains on three sides, this airport has only one main direction for flights. Planes can only land from the south, using runway 28. They can only take off in the opposite direction, from runway 10.
Airlines and Destinations
| Airlines | Destinations |
|---|---|
| Avianca | Bogota
|
| JetSmart Perú | Arequipa, Lima
|
| LATAM Perú | Arequipa, Ayacucho, Lima, Puerto Maldonado, Santiago de Chile, Trujillo |
| Sky Airline Peru | Lima |
Airport Statistics
Getting to the Airport
Taxi services are available right outside the airport's arrival area. The cost of a taxi ride depends on how many people are traveling and where you want to go. You can also find shuttle services for transportation, like Cusco Airport Shuttle and Cusco Shuttle.
Past Accident
On August 9, 1970, a plane called LANSA Flight 502 crashed shortly after taking off from Cusco airport. It was a Lockheed L-188A Electra, a plane with four engines. Most of the people on board, and two people on the ground, sadly died in this accident.
An investigation found that the accident happened because of incorrect piloting and poor plane maintenance. A memorial, which is a large white cross with a nameplate, has been put up for the victims near where the crash happened.
See also
In Spanish: Aeropuerto Internacional Alejandro Velasco Astete para niños
