- International travelers should arrive three hours early at the new Jorge Chávez terminal.
- The new facility triples the airport’s size to 270,000 square meters for 40 million passengers.
- Advanced biometric and 3D scanning technologies have been implemented to streamline security and immigration.
(LIMA, PERU) Lima’s Jorge Chávez International Airport has settled into its new terminal, and travelers still need to plan carefully. For international flights, the safest advice remains 3 hours early. For domestic flights, 2 hours early still works best, even in the upgraded space.
The airport fully moved into the new terminal on June 1, 2025, after a 12-hour switchover. The old terminal closed and is being converted into a shopping center. The new complex triples the airport’s size to 270,000 square meters and raises annual capacity from 23 million to 40 million passengers.
That growth is already visible. Nine months after opening, the airport is handling hundreds of daily flights, with 149 departing flights daily reported on March 24, 2026. The terminal now has 46 boarding gates, biometric border controls, 3D security scanners, and better digital tools. It is modern. It is also busy.
The journey through Lima’s new terminal
All flights now use the new terminal. There is no separate old-terminal operation. Entry is by vehicle only through the renovated Avenida Morales Duárez, the airport’s only access road. The route was upgraded with smart traffic lights at a cost of more than 40 million soles.
Passengers cannot walk in from the roadway. The terminal sits about 2 kilometers from the entry bridges, so every arrival and pickup depends on cars, taxis, shuttles, or buses. That makes traffic planning part of the airport experience, not an afterthought.
The building is arranged across four floors. Floor 1 handles arrivals and baggage claim. Floor 2 covers dining and connections. Floor 3 is for departures, check-in, security, and the Perú Suyo food zone. Floor 4 serves VIP lounges.
Digital screens, interactive maps, and a WhatsApp chatbot now help passengers find their way. The airport also has duty-free shops open to both international and domestic passengers. Cultural retail and food spaces, including Rumbo Perú and Nación Sazón, give the terminal a more local feel.
Why Lima travelers are still told to arrive 3 hours early
The new terminal is faster than the old one, but it is still absorbing heavy traffic. That is why the standard advice remains 3 hours early for international flights and 2 hours for domestic flights.
Check-in now averages 31 minutes, while immigration averages 43 minutes. Those numbers are better than before, but they leave little room for late arrival, heavy bags, or holiday crowds. Travelers with children or limited mobility should add 30 to 45 extra minutes.
Check-in desks usually open 3 to 4 hours before departure for international flights, though passengers should confirm with their airline. Many airlines now push online check-in 48 hours ahead to reduce lines at the airport.
Security and baggage through the new system
Security screening is one of the biggest changes at Lima. The airport uses 13 security lines and 3D tomography scanners. That means passengers do not need to remove laptops or liquids in the same way older systems required.
Off-peak security may take 15 to 30 minutes. Rush periods, especially 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., take longer. Those hours line up with the airport’s busiest departure waves.
Baggage claim on Floor 1 is more efficient than the old setup, with expanded carousels and clearer passenger flow. Self-bag drops also reduce handling time. Early signage problems have eased as the digital guidance system has matured.
Immigration at Lima: biometric controls and pre-registration
The biggest operational change for many travelers is the border process. Lima now uses a fully automated border control system with biometric checks, pre-registration tools, and more digital screening. According to analysis by VisaVerge.com, this places Lima among the more advanced airport arrivals systems in Latin America.
The system includes 19 ABC e-gates for facial and fingerprint scans. It also uses 21 self-service kiosks with biometric enrollment scanners. A pre-registration tool called Migracheck can be completed up to 48 hours ahead and cross-checks data against Interpol and Pacific Alliance databases.
Conventional counters still operate for minors, visa-required travelers, and anyone whose documents trigger a review. During early tests, more than 6,000 passengers were processed, and officials reported shorter waits than in the old terminal.
Travelers should remove hats and glasses before using the e-gates. They should also carry paper copies of visas and health documents as backup. Families and older travelers should plan extra time, even with additional staff available.
For official immigration and entry information, travelers can check Peru’s migration authority through Migraciones.
Getting to and from the airport
From central Lima, passengers should allow 1 hour or more by car. Traffic on Avenida Morales Duárez can stretch that longer during rush periods. The airport recommends registered taxis, official buses, and airport shuttles. Lima Airport Express services are part of the regular transport mix.
Drop-off and pickup zones are now better marked, but the access pattern still matters. The safest plan is to confirm the terminal route before leaving the city and to watch flight alerts through the airport’s WhatsApp service or airline apps.
Airlines including LATAM, Aerolíneas Argentinas, and Volaris are telling passengers to check app updates for gate changes. That matters because the terminal’s 46-gate layout is much larger than the old 19-gate facility.
What the new terminal means for immigration travelers
For visa holders and residents, the biometric system speeds entry and confirms identity faster than manual checks. For visa-required nationalities, the traditional counters still apply, so document readiness remains essential.
Travelers transiting through Lima should build in generous layovers. A 3-hour buffer is safer than a tight connection, especially if pre-registration, baggage transfer, or a secondary review is involved. The airport’s expanded capacity does not remove the need for timing discipline.
Families, elderly passengers, and travelers with reduced mobility have more on-site support than before. Still, the airport’s scale rewards early arrival. The new terminal is easier to move through than the old one, but it is also larger, busier, and more complex.
Cargo activity and private aviation plans are also growing, including developments tied to COSCO SHIPPING and a private aviation terminal at the old site. That shows Lima’s airport is becoming a larger regional hub, not just a passenger stop.
As of March 2026, the message for travelers is clear: Lima’s new terminal is modern, efficient, and far better organized than before, but the safest habit is unchanged. Arrive 3 hours early for international flights, 2 hours early for domestic flights, and give yourself more time when traffic, families, or border checks add pressure.
