Cusco is served by Alejandro Velasco Astete International Airport (CUZ), the main airport for tourism to the Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu. While primarily a domestic airport, it offers a surprising number of direct international flights from other South American countries, leveraging its status as a major tourist destination for arrivals into Cusco.
Travelers flying to Cusco will find essential domestic flights from Lima (LIM), which is the gateway from Peru's international network to Cusco. Other important domestic connections include from Arequipa (AQP) and Puerto Maldonado (PEM). Internationally, CUZ offers direct flights from several neighboring countries, including Santiago (SCL) in Chile, La Paz (LPB) in Bolivia, and Bogotá (BOG) in Colombia to Cusco. There may also be seasonal or charter flights from other destinations.
The market is served by Peruvian and regional South American airlines flying into Cusco. LATAM Perú and Sky Airline Peru operate the core domestic and some international routes to CUZ. JetSmart Perú provides low-cost competition on the route from Lima and Santiago to Cusco. Regional carriers like Avianca and Amaszonas operate the flights from Bogotá and La Paz to Cusco, respectively.
To secure cheap flights to Cusco, book well in advance, especially for peak tourism seasons (June-August, December). For domestic travel from Lima to Cusco, compare fares between LATAM, Sky Airline, and JetSmart. For direct international flights to CUZ, compare the available carriers. For travel from beyond South America to Cusco, the standard and most reliable strategy is to connect via Lima (LIM). Cusco's high altitude can affect flight operations, so allow flexibility in your itinerary and consider travel insurance when flying into CUZ.