Cusco Airport: One Of A Kind

Intro

There are very few airports in the world like Cusco. It is ranked in the top 10 of the most dangerous airports to fly into due to the mountains surrounding the airport and the constant weather changes. One minute, it can be perfect and the next it's pouring rain and cloudy, much like with Machu Picchu.

Landing And Taking Off

Cusco seems to be more havily slot-restricted than London Heathrow, and that is saying something😅.

If we take a minute to look at the picture below, we will notice that on the right-hand side is tall buildings, and with mountains behind it's virtually impossible to initiate a landing from West to East.

Staple of the city it seems

So, what exactly does that mean for outbound and inbound flights? For outbound flights, there cannot be a plane anywhere near short final as it has to climb out above the mountains before either making a 180 turn to head to Lima or continuing on to La Paz/Bogota/Santiago.

We often see inbound aircraft get priority as the outbound flight will have to wait due to the solo approach. If we take a look at the photo below, we'll notice a plane getting ready to depart to the East just after a JetSmart plane had arrived from Lima.

One of the most amazing airports

Thankfully, during my takeoff and landing, the weather didn't delay us. However, we were ready to go 20 minutes early on departure, but an inbound aircraft made us wait for our slot😅. Intriguing that.

Leaving one of my favorite towns behind😒

Final Thoughts

Much like Paro airport, Cusco airport is one of the airports you must visit if you are an avgeek. However, be prepared for possible delays due to weather and slot restrictions when flying in and out. Remember, there is a great opportunity to do some plane-spotting by the baby Christ The Redeemer.