Air traffic control stoppage: annoyance and frustration of travelers due to flight cancellations

The strike of the Unified Union of Air Traffic Controllers of Peru (SUCTA) of Corpac that took place for several hours this Thursday morning damaged at least 1500 passengers who were were planning to travel from Jorge Chavez International Airport to air terminals in the interior of the country for, mainly, sightseeing during Easter.

Rocío Espinoza, Reputation Manager at Lima Airport Partners (LAP), said that flights to destinations such as Cusco, Trujillo, Ayacucho and Tacna had been canceled during the morning.

“In the morning there are 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 told RPP.

FLIGHT TO CUSCO HAD TO RETURN

One of the damaged flights had already left Lima at 5:45 a.m. and was heading to Cusco. However, 20 minutes into the trip, the aircraft had to return to Lima as it had been informed that it would not be able to land at the Velasco Astete airport in the imperial city due to the lack of personnel in the control tower.

The passengers, many of them foreigners, were stranded without news of what would happen to their trip. Those who already had paid tours and train tickets showed their discomfort at having lost these reservations.

“We were already in the departure lounge and they took us out another door. They just told us to talk to the call center, but they don't even know they're canceled,” an indignant Mexican passenger told Canal N, who was traveling with his partner with the intention of getting to know Machu Picchu.

“We already had everything paid for, including the tour to the Mountain of Seven Colors. We spent about 2000 dollars. We have been told that it is not the responsibility of the airline and that we call the call center,” said his partner.

LIFTED STOP

Around 11 am, the Unified Union of Air Traffic Controllers of Peru (SUCTA) and Corpac officials reached an agreement to lift the strike .

Jorge Perlacios Velásquez, Chairman of Corpac's Board of Directors, indicated that all cancelled flights will be rescheduled in the coming hours.

In addition, he said that the flights affected by the strike, which began at 7 am this Thursday, will be rescheduled in the next few hours.

In addition, he indicated that Corpac's Central Airnavigation Management will communicate with airlines to reactivate air traffic.

LATAM HAD AFFECTED FLIGHTS

In the morning, LATAM Airlines Peru reported that “due to the strike of air traffic controllers some domestic flights are suffering damage. Seeking to mitigate the inconvenience that this may cause in the transportation of our customers and protect their safety, we will offer flexibilities to our affected passengers for exchanges and/or returns without any penalty.”

They also indicate that they “maintain constant monitoring of the situation and ask the competent authorities to immediately resolve this incident” and regret “the inconvenience this situation has caused its passengers”.

Jorge Chávez Airport indicates that it is working with a small number of air traffic controllers due to this stoppage and this situation has caused several of the flights within the country to fail to leave on time.

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