The economic losses left by the strike of air operators amount to S/ 40 million, according to Canatur

About 1,500 passengers were unable to travel to the interior of the country on Thursday due to the cancellation of domestic flights caused by the strike of air operators. Rocío Espinoza, Reputation Manager at Lima Airport Partners (LAP), the concessionaire of Jorge Chavez International Airport, said that during the morning, flights going to destinations such as Cusco, Trujillo, Ayacucho and Tacna were canceled.

“In the morning there were more than 15 flights canceled, I'm losing count. And up to 100 people can go on each flight. It is a major impact,” he stressed in RPP. Around noon, after a negotiation involving the Ministry of Labour and Employment Promotion, the situation returned to normal.

In this regard, Carlos Canales, president of the Peruvian National Chamber of Tourism (Canatur), said that it is estimated that some 10,000 passengers were harmed by this stoppage, and in airline tickets alone the losses amount to about 10 million soles. And counting tourist services such as accommodation, food, excursions, tourist transport, guides, souvenirs, tickets, etc. could reach an additional 30 million soles. “Today 40 million soles were lost to passengers flying by air alone. In addition to the incalculable damage to the image of the country,” he said.

For his part, Ricardo Acosta, manager of the Peruvian Association of Travel Agencies (Apavit), estimated that as a result of the strike there were approximately 8,000 people affected, 26 flights canceled and 45 flights affected. Not to mention that almost the entire chain related to the sector was affected such as guides, restaurants, porters, hotels, means of transport in general, warehouses, laundries, car rentals and many more.

He added that there are massive cancellations of future groups of foreigners who had scheduled trips to our country. And this is “mainly due to political instability, crime, constant strikes, roadblocks and what we are seeing every day”.

REASON FOR THE STRIKE

Carlos Canales pointed out that the strike is due to an irresponsible measure by the Minister of Labour and Employment Promotion, Betssy Chávez, who declared the strike of the Córpac controllers legal, “having violated a right of all Peruvians, which is the right transport, considered an essential service”. This, he says, adds to Córpac's inefficiency because yesterday the controllers were summoned, and this situation could be avoided.

He specified that especially the blockade was felt in the provinces, because there were flights that left Lima and could not land. “There were no controllers at the airports in the interior. On other occasions, personnel of the Armed Forces participated who are familiar with this work and could supply it. But this time it has not been foreseen”, he said.

Ricardo Acosta went further and called on President Pedro Castillo to take action in the face of these “calamitous events, which prevent the reactivation of the most important sector for the country's economy, such as the tourism sector”. The union also demands the immediate removal from office of Labour Minister Betssy Chavez, “and do not give her more time to see how our sector continues to collapse.”

For the head of Canatur, the feeling that remains of this unemployment, apart from losing money, is how the country is managed. He pointed out that this is in addition to what happened in the archaeological complex of Kuelap this week, where collapses occurred and that it also affected tourism.

SOMETHING THAT HASN'T BEEN SEEN IN A LONG TIME

In turn, Carlos Gutiérrez, general manager of the Association of International Air Transport Companies (AETAI), said he was outraged that flights were canceled nationwide because there was no air traffic control service. “This is something that has not been seen for quite some time, in fact, I think there are responsibilities that must be determined and sanctioned, if that is the case, because that is not acceptable in any way,” he said.

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