The Business Year Special Report
Juan José Salmón, CEO, Lima Airport
In light of the changing face of air travel, Lima Airport is adjusting its expansion plans accordingly and focusing on restoring passengers’ confidence in air travel.
What interesting developments in airport infrastructure will emerge as a result of COVID-19?
In terms of the pandemic’s long-term impact on Lima Airport’s infrastructure, we are in the process of developing our airport expansion project. We are already building a new runway. We were planning a new terminal but are currently reevaluating and redesigning that. The sanitation requirements will be here to stay, and there may be additional requirements for air circulation and ventilation in airports going forward. Social distancing will likely be phased out when we get a vaccination, and the world returns to normal. However, we are likely to see a more cautious approach by the public health authorities to safeguard against new viruses that might appear.
Are you optimistic about the possible benefits to the airport industry as a result of a new way of doing things?
This new way of doing things will be more related to technology, for example, touchless systems and face recognition so passengers do not have to stop or make contact with someone unnecessarily. We were planning to introduce such technologies in our new terminal at Lima Airport planned for 2024. Now, we are bringing forward some of that investment in technology. We are in talks with a number of companies to discuss the impact of implementing facial recognition so passengers can use a single ID check to go through check-in, security, immigration, and boarding. We are analyzing this because this is where the major efficiency gains will be in this situation. There will be greater efficiency and a much smoother process overall, though the only way to do so is with the help of technology. We hope to have a system in place by 4Q2021.
How well is the logistics infrastructure working alongside commercial passenger airlines to accommodate new trends in the logistics industry?
It was a smart move by airlines to use their commercial fleets to transport freight goods because their assets were not being used, and there was an important need to transport goods around the globe. Under normal circumstances, most air freight cargo in Peru is carried in the bellies of commercial flights, so when those passenger flights stopped that capacity was no longer available. There was great demand for outbound freight, and interestingly commercial airlines decided to use their planes to carry cargo to keep this freight moving and generate revenue for their companies. This is not sustainable in the long term, and we hope air traffic will gradually restart and cargo will once again be moved into the bellies of commercial passenger flights as usual.
What else can be done to restore confidence in air travel, and what is your outlook for commercial air travel in the future?
The outlook is challenging. 2021 will also be a strange year because we might see further waves of COVID-19. We have seen this happen in Europe and do not know what will happen in South America. That would place more restrictions on people traveling between locations. The outlook generally when talking to anyone in the industry is that air traffic as we knew it in 2019, pre-COVID-19, will not recover for the next four or five years.
How is the airport infrastructure in Peru and worldwide contributing to the fight against COVID-19?
In Peru, all the airports are working closely with each other to have consistent standards and learn from each other’s good practices. Again, from my communications with other airports in the region, we are all sharing information and trying to be as consistent as possible to restore passenger confidence. Technology will be the main driver. Technology is key for airports because we want a streamlined and contactless experience for all passengers. On the airlines side, they also need technology to reduce their costs and give passengers a better experience.
“In Peru, all the airports are working closely with each other to have consistent standards and learn from each other’s good practices.”