Lima Airport Connection Fee Adds $11.86 to Some Ecuador Trips

Some Ecuador trips that connect through Lima now come with an extra airport charge.

Passengers who land at Jorge Chávez Airport in Lima to take another flight to a different country must pay a connection fee called the Tarifa Unificada de Uso de Aeropuerto, or TUUA.

The fee is $11.86 at Lima's new airport.

How The Fee Works

The charge applies to passengers using airports in Peru for a connection.

It does not matter whether the passenger bought the ticket through one airline or separate segments through different airlines. It also does not matter whether the Lima connection takes one hour or five hours.

The passenger pays the fee after getting off the plane. Card payments are collected at modules on the way to the connection lounge, while cash payments use other modules.

Passengers who pay in dollars with $10 or $20 bills may receive mixed change: part in dollars and small change in Peruvian soles.

Why Airlines Object

Airlines say the charge makes connections more expensive, reduces Lima's competitiveness as a hub, and could divert international traffic to other regional hubs.

Roberto Alvo, CEO of Latam and a member of the IATA board, said at the IATA AGM in Rio de Janeiro that the fee discourages passenger transit through Lima and creates uncertainty around Latam's $1.5 billion investment plan in Peru.

What This Means for Expats

This matters if you use Lima as a connection point from Quito or Guayaquil to cities in South America, Asia or Europe.

Quito and Guayaquil do not have some direct flights that Lima does, so many Ecuador-based travelers route through Peru. For a solo traveler, $11.86 is an annoyance. For a family, the cost can stack quickly; one Ecuadorian traveler going with family paid more than $40 extra just to pass through the terminal for another flight.

Before booking a route through Lima, compare the total cost and the payment hassle, not just the fare shown at checkout.