Airports blocked in protests to resume operations between Monday and Tuesday
Peruvian authorities have informed that Juliaca Airport will resume operations this Monday, while Ayacucho Airport, the most affected by the protests, will do so on Tuesday, according to Transport Minister Paola Lazarte.
“Thanks to the joint work of the National Police and the Armed Forces, which have helped to restore public order, operations are being restored at the airports attacked during the violent demonstrations, as well as free transit on the country’s highways,” Lazarte said, as reported by Andina news agency.
In the case of Arequipa, Lazarte indicated that the airport is still closed. However, measures have been taken to restore and repair the perimeter fence, which will be completed on Monday.
“In view of the acts perpetrated in the last few days aimed at damaging the night operations of said air terminal, on the eve contingency lights were moved that will allow them to recover the night operation this month, before the end of the year”, Lazarte has highlighted.
“We can carry 500 passengers a day at night, in addition to the daily daytime flights”, explained Lazarte in statements to RPP radio station.
In the case of Cusco Airport, operations have already been reestablished with the help of the National Police and the Armed Forces; while in the case of Ayacucho airport, traffic is expected to resume on Tuesday 20. “This is because we have also worked immediately to repair the perimeter fence and restore the damaged walls,” said Lazarte.
“In the case of the Juliaca airport, in Puno, the same situation exists and tomorrow, December 19, it could resume operations thanks to the repair of the perimeter fence and the damaged infrastructure,” he said.
The minister explained that in Juliaca there has been no damage as in the case of Arequipa, where equipment to support night navigation has been affected. “We have already initiated actions to be able to solve in a timely manner and provide conditions of order and security. The Armed Forces are providing considerable support”, he emphasized.
Regarding the tourists who have not been able to travel and other people who need to travel, Lazarte has indicated that they are working in coordination with the Ministries of Defense and Foreign Trade and Tourism to identify them. In addition, air bridges have been established and humanitarian trips have been programmed, prioritizing first those stranded people who, due to health conditions, needed immediate transportation.
ROAD BLOCKADES Regarding the roadblocks, Minister Lazarte has indicated that this is “a dynamic situation”, concentrated mainly in the south of the country.
“In the south we still have mobility a little restricted in some points, such as in Ayacucho, where a curfew was declared to avoid acts that could harm public safety, and in Puno. In the rest of the country the situation is much smoother”, he emphasized.
Lazarte participated this Sunday in a Council of Ministers with the Prime Minister Pedro Angulo at the head, where the actions deployed to assist the population were also evaluated.
Angulo reiterated the Government’s commitment to dialogue as a way to solve the problems and stressed that the measures taken by the Government in response to the acts of violence are yielding results.
