Originally Posted by
JDiver
Cusco is a "hot and high" airport so flights arrive and depart early in the morning for reliability and better density altitude. (There's really good reason for all of this: my friend and cousin was on an aircraft whose crew did not respect density altitude limitations and attempted to fly out with an overloaded aircraft for current conditions, so when it lost an engine on departure from Cusco it crashed in the nearby mountains just above San Jerónimo with 8 crew and 92 passengers; only a third officer survived).
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Don't forget the airplane was a Lockheed L-188A Electra, not a jet, but yes they didn't respect density altitude, plus Lansa was fined also because of lack of maintenance and overloading. After few more incidents, Lansa stopped operations in 1972.
Now jets can depart from Cusco even after 4pm, but I always suggest morning flights. Not because of safety but less chance of delays. Since 2009, Cusco airport works with a PBN system, that, as I read, permits Boeings and Airbus to arrive and depart on difficult weather conditions. Right now that system is implemented in 11 peruvian airports. According to Lan Peru Mantainment and Operations manager, that helped a lot to reduce flight cancellations within Peru.
Originally Posted by
JDiver
Some day in the future, there will be a larger airport in the Sacred Valley .
I read is near Chinchero, not within the valley but close to it. There are wide flat lands near that town, better than the current airport where the surrounding hills create strong aafternoon winds. Unfortunately the construction has not started yet so I wouldn't dare to announce an opening date.