The new £970k airport that 'looks like Europe' despite being 7,000 miles away

A new terminal at a capital city airport has partially opened after months of delay. The project, which began in 2019, cost a whopping $1.3bn (£970,000) and will increase the airport's capacity to 40 million passengers per year.

The new Jorge Chávez International Airport terminal, which serves Lima in Peru, is part of a broader project which includes new hotels, logistics areas, an air cargo transfer center and new customer warehouses. It began its operational phase on May 15 and will fully open on June 1. Despite being just under 7,000 miles away from Europe, one of the first passengers to arrive at the terminal said it "looks like" the continent.

Gonzalo Waisman, 22, was on the first flight into the new terminal from Argentina which arrived at 8pm. As he passed through immigration control, the following message was broadcast: "Welcome to the new Jorge Chávez.

"Today, we open the doors of this new terminal with the excitement of connecting more destinations, more stories, and more people. Thank you for being part of this take-off. Your journey begins here."

Gonzalo, from Argentina, said the airport is "very modern" and passengers received a very warm welcome upon their arrival. He said: "The airport is very modern, very good. They gave us many gifts, so I’m very happy.”

Gonzalo added: "Congratulations to all Peruvians for the new airport; I’m very happy to be here."

Only four international airlines are currently operating flights to and from the new airport. It is hoped that all boarding systems, immigration, security and passenger services will be running smoothly before the full launch on June 1.

Raúl Pérez Reyes, the Minister of Transport and Communications, said this phase is crucial for ensuring the terminal has a safe and efficient transition. He hopes that the terminal will be able to operate without any issues as soon as it fully opens.

Gonzalo said not all of the airport systems were fully operational when he arrived. However, he added: "Everything looks very modern, so congratulations to Peru for this."

The new terminal is located next to the current airport which handled 24.5 million passengers in 2024, according to Aviaci Online. This made Lima’s Jorge Chávez Airport the sixth busiest airport in Latin America and the Caribbean.

The wider expansion project saw the construction of a new control tower and a second runway which opened in 2023. However, the new terminal has been a subject of controversy for over a year.

It was due to open last December but airlines were concerned about it launching during peak holiday season. The official opening date was then postponed to January 29 and then again to March 30.

It was alleged that the relevant operational tests had not been completed to the required standards. The new terminal then welcomed its first passengers later than expected on May 15.