Carlos Gutiérrez, general manager of Aetai, told this newspaper that on a regular date, there are approximately 130 passengers per flight and that during the scheduled closing hours, the most affected national trips would be, since they are the ones that usually have the most flights, in particular, between 5 am and noon.
According to information that this newspaper reviewed in the flight report of the Jorge Chávez airport – on the Lima Airport Partners (LAP) portal – during the scheduled schedule for the closure (from 12 am to 12 pm), on a regular day, we observe that there are about 160 flights approximately. Being a little more than 80 nationals and around 70 internationals.
Why was that schedule chosen?
Donald Castillo, General Director of Civil Aeronautics (DGAC) of the MTC, reported on Channel N that it was decided by a night schedule to generate less affectation to users. A day, he said, 500 flights are recorded and about 85 thousand passengers are mobilized at the airport. However, he also commented that this schedule could be extended to 1 PM, being total no longer 12 but 13 the closing hours of Jorge Chávez airport.
“A night schedule has been chosen because it is when we have less flights, what you want is to have a lower affectation, that time is enough. At first they were going to be 6 hours but we have decided to be more prudent and conservative so we opted for 12 hours. [Esta decisión] It has been agreed with all ‘stakeholders’ (airlines, suppliers, concessionaire, etc.)”, He said in an interview on Channel N.
In all this time, as reported by the general manager of Lima Airport Partners, Juan José Salmón, all the rolling material that the aircraft attend. There will be a phase of prior move from the administrative sectors so that they can be installed in the new airport.
Passenger information
Gutiérrez commented that to start providing information to the affected passengers, the DGAC or the MTC must issue a Notam (Notice to Airmen, notice to the aviators), which mentions the closing time of the Jorge Chávez airport in its entirety, with zero operations. With this, the airlines will communicate with each user who has a flight within the scheduled 12 hours of closure.
“You have to communicate to passengers that their flights will be canceled because there is no other. But the options have to be or reprogram or eventually the return of the passage, depending on what the affected passenger decides”He stressed.
For his part, Castillo de DGAC said the airlines will communicate with passengers according to their resources, times and itineraries.
Meanwhile, from LAP they also suggested that it be the users who contact airlines to coordinate what the reprogramming will be.
“Those who have bought an air passage for June 1, call their airlines because the flights will obviously be reprogrammed,” said Juan José Salmón, CEO of LAP.
What was not seen: how did it get to June 1?
For Gutierrez, this decision was made because and wanted to set a date on the calendar. “The idea was to continue advancing with the earrings we had regarding the integration of equipment and systems in the new Jorge Chávez terminal”He stressed.
The general manager of Aetai also said that hours before the announcement of the MTC, all parties had a meeting and on the basis of the last test on April 29, the opening of the new terminal was decided.
“Hours before the announcement of the MTC, we had a meeting with all the parties, we talked and agreed. For us, the high season begins in the fortnight of June. Therefore the date”He stressed.
Gutiérrez also explained that the first date proposed by the MTC was around May 20; However, there was no consensus, given the availability of crews (the calendars are already closed). “At the beginning of the month, there are more flights, you can have, reprogram crews, your breaks. As we know it will be a complex situation, it was decided esA closure”He said.
What will happen during May at the new terminal?
Throughout May, according to Gutierrez, various tests will be carried out in order to stress the system so that it works as a real operation. “At the meeting on Wednesday 30 we request various integral evidence with 2,000 – 3,000 fictitious passengers for I know Try all the stages -since passengers arrive until they pass through the Counter, by migrations, all security controls-”He said.
The general manager of Aetai also told us that although no one wants, a new postponement is always possible. While it is necessary to initiate operations, this cannot be specified without all systems being properly tested, tested and with the integration of appropriate equipment and systems.
“The commitment is to make this work and go in the best way. But if any topic is presented that will take place again, it will have to be done. It is not the idea, but if it is a matter of security, it is not discussed”He said.
