LIM-Spot1
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December 6, 2019Lima Jorge Chavez Airport Spotting Guide
- last modified on May 26, 2023
Jorge Chavez Internacional Aiport (LIM / SPJC) is the principal Airport of Peru and It is one of the most important airports in South America for both passenger transport and air cargo. It stands out for its enormous projections in the connection of flights between the Americas and uts strategic location has made it an important hub of the subcontinent. Serves more than 22,000,000 passengers and its cargo movement is 280000 TM per year. (LIM / SPJC) It’s located in the city of Callao, near the metropolitan area of Lima. Currently it has only one runway where civil and military traffic is handled. The airport has national routes to all the main cities of the country and international routes to the main cities of South America, Central America, North America and some others in Europe. Currently serves as HUB to the Avianca and LATAM Airlines.
Common airlines are Avianca, LATAM Airlines, Sky Airlines, JetSmart, Vivaair and Volaris, using mainly Airbus single aisle aircraft. From Europe you can see Air France, KLM, Iberia, Air Europa and PLUS. Furthermore you can catch all other major carriers from North and South America Some cargo airlines also arrive with B747, MD11, MD10, B767, B757, B737, An32, B727, but it is a bit unpredictable to know the exact arrival time.
This airport is the main operations center of the Star Peru and Peruvian Airlines airlines, airlines that operate with B737-300, B737-400 and B737-500 aircraft, as well as other airlines such as Wayra Peru that operates with Fokker 70, ATSA Peru operating with aircraft, Fokker 50, Beechcraft and Piper.
Don’t solely depend on the flight tracking websites to track arrivals. Most of the military traffic and ATSA don’t publish their ADSB data so they can pop up unexpectedly.
The area all around the runway was extra fenced recently by the airport/state, so reaching the fence got impossible now. Unluckily thus Lima spotting crew lost the best spot, but no way to get there now. Fenced and thus restricted area marked on the map.
Written by Clive Grant and Aldo Martinelli, Diego Jara. Last change: March 2023 (Spot 1 and 2 updated).
| Rating | |
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| Airport Information | |
| Runways | |
| 16L/34R | 3.507 m (11,506 ft) Asphalt |
| 16R/34L | 3.480 m (11,417 ft) Asphalt |
| Terminals | One for all flight operations. |
| Spotting Information | |
| Ladder | Not required at any of the described locations |
| Car/Public Transport | Car is recommended / required since all locations are far from the terminal and public transport options are very limited and it is not so easy and safe to arrive. You can rent a taxi for a few hours (cheap) and use it to ‘hide’ while not taking photos. |
| Restrooms | In position # 3 there is a gas station and there restrooms. |
| Drinks/Food | Recommended to bring snacks and drinks. |
| Hotels | The Costa del Sol Hotel and the Holiday Inn Airport Hotel is right across from the terminal. |
| Season | The best time is in the months between November and April, the other months the weather is not pleasant. |
| Security | Note: This airport is in a dangerous area because the danger of theft is very prone, please, when taking photographs at this airport try to go in a group, no robberies have been reported to the spotters, but many robberies have been reported to the people of the surroundings. It is recommended that you hide your equipment and personal items at all times, because there is the possibility of attracting criminals. It is recommended not to access any other place that is not marked on the location map to take pictures, because could dangerous. |
| Runway Usage | |
| 16L/34R | Major runway for arrivals, mainly on 16L |
| 16R/34L | New runway opened April 2023. Major runway for departures, mainly on 16R |
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Spot #1 – Gambetta Highway – 16L arrivals |
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| WHERE | This location is located on a side road of the Nestor Gambetta highway, To get to this point by private car from North to South, leaving the terminal turn left, continue until you reach an oval, turn by the roundabout and enter the Nestor Gambetta road. Then leave the higway and turn right into the small auxiliary road and after few meters there is a bus stop by the road. This is where you can park the car and take the photos from the sidewalk. If you approach from the south, pass the location and turn around at the roundabout. The spot can be very noisy, very dusty and very, very exposed and you might feel very vulnerable there.
In this case it is possible to stay further down the track on a gravel parking area, next to some trees. This area can be full of cars of people just parking and taking rests. But that again provided reassurance, and there is also security guards right by the building next to the trees which did the same. We felt quite comfortable here, we didn’t feel conspicuous and we could see every vehicle coming up as there was no way to approach from behind. The only disadvantage is that you see the arrivals very late. The way to get there by public transport is to take an informal minibus in front of the airport from the south to the north (it will cost S / 1.00 Pen / $ 0.30 Centavos de dollar), ask to get off at the stop ” Aguki ”, and walk some meters to the oval and turn left on the Nestor Gambetta road walk a few meters and reach the bus stop on the road. Also In taxi |
| WHAT | You can take pictures from there to the planes in final approach to runway 16L in the afternoon. |
| TIME | From noon and Afternoon until sunset in Spring and Summer only. |
| MISC. | There are no bars or snack bars, take sunscreen. At the end of the track there are some trees providing shadow. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | A330/763 = 50mm; 737/320 = 100mm; 777/747 = 30mm |
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Spot #2 – Gas Station – 16L arrivals |
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| WHERE | This location is a few meters from Elmer Faucett Avenue, it is a position for photos in the morning until noon. To get to this point by private transport it is from South to North, leaving the terminal turn left, continue until you reach an oval, turn by the oval and return to Elmer Faucett Avenue in the North to South direction, enter the station of services ” Primax ”, enter two blocks through the dirt road until you reach a small snack shop, there you can park and take photos. In public transport, take an informal minibus in front of the airport from the south to the north (it will cost S / 1.00 Pen / $ 0.30 Centavos de dollar), ask to get off at the stop ” Aguki ”, and cross the track, walk two blocks through the dirt road until you reach a small snack shop. Also by taxi indicating to take it to the ”óvalo 200 millas” |
| WHAT | You can take pictures from there to the planes in final approach to runway 16L in the morning. Usually lorries parking up on the fence which obscured our view of the approach. In this case move a bit further back the road to get a better view of the approach path if you don’t wanna miss the possibility to photograph an unexpected (military) movement. |
| TIME | From early morning to noon. |
| MISC. | There is a small snack shop at the gas station. Snacks, drinks and a toilet is provided. There are also places where you can cover yourself from the sun. Most people in this area going about their work and other than a few odd glances we didn’t feel unsafe, though we remained vigilant. There were always plenty of people around and you’re right next to a petrol station so there was some reassurance from that. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | A330/763 = 80mm; 737/320 = 120mm; 777/747 = 60mm |
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Spot #3 – Gas station / Market – 16L arrivals |
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| WHERE | This position is located in a gas station, a few meters from the oval of Elmer Faucett Avenue. To get to this point by private transport it is from South to North, leaving the terminal turn left, continue until you reach an oval, enter the service station and park in the parking lots. Also by taxi indicating to take it to the ”óvalo 200 millas” |
| WHAT | You can take pictures from there to the planes in final approach to runway 16L in the morning. |
| TIME | From early morning to noon. |
| MISC. | There is a market, where there is also a restaurant, bathrooms, atm, places to sit and rest. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | A330/763 = 30mm; 737/320 = 70mm; 777/747 = 18mm |
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Spot #4 – “La Regla” Hill – Arrivals 16L |
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| WHERE | This spot can be found of the local hill called “La Regla” north of the airport boundaries. Although it takes a bit to get there the results are really worth the climbing as you’ll have a spectacular view. You can get there walking from Elmer Faucett Avenue, but there are two ways to climb the hill – both marked on the map. Way 1: Go up some stairs at the southern side, then climb the slope carefully because there are no railings. Way 2: Access is through the back of the hill through a cemetery, then climb the hillside by a marked path, be careful because there are no safety railings. |
| WHAT | You can take pictures from there to the planes in final approach to runway 16L. |
| TIME | From early morning to noon with light or in the evening as nice sunset shots. Only useable in summer and then mostly from sunrise till morning and then in the late afternoon till sunset. |
| MISC. | Area is a bit unsafer and heat haze is also a big problem, so rather only recommended in the early morning/late evening = extreme hours as it’s very hot and the photos will be distorted. On this site there are no bathrooms, no shops nearby, there is no shade, wear sunscreen.
Important recommendations: Do not go alone, this site is located in a dangerous area, there is a lot of danger being stolen, going in a group and staying away from unknown people, hiding personal belongings at all times, leaving if suspicious activity is detected. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 200-400mm B737 or A319 = 250mm / B767 or A330 180mm / B777 or B747 130mm |
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Spot #5 – Minka Mall Parking – 16L departures |
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| WHERE | The spot is located in the parking of the pretty huge Minka mall. Once arrived there go to the second floor of the parking lot. |
| WHAT | This spot is for the RWY16L departures. The airport is not visible from here. |
| TIME | From 2pm to 6:30pm in summer. |
| MISC. | The spot is located on a mall, so you’ll have all the facilities of being here (there are many restaurants, stores and bathroom to access). If possible be in a car and keep low profile. There are no problems with police but the security of the mall will check you and some of them could ask you to leave. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | For narrow body planes 300-400mm, for widebody planes between 150 and 300mm |
Are there any views from rooms at the Holiday Inn?
Hi! My friend and I have just returned from 2 days spotting in Lima and I thought I might add my experiences for the benefit of anyone else considering. There were two of us and we had rented a car for the purposes. Anyone considering doing the same should be aware that Lima traffic is total, utter anarchy and may come as a shock! It might be a better and cheaper option to rent a taxi for a day and take that worry off your mind.
Firstly, we were primarily interested in military movements, of which there were relatively few (at least, considering the amount of military aircraft at the airfield), so be aware if that is also your primary interest. However, we did also get a few airliners “of interest” and for the civvie spotter there is plenty on offer here.
We only used spots 1 and 2. Spot 2 was our first port of call in the mornings. Our experience was that we were initially quite nervy as it was a sort of rough looking area but we soon realised that it’s pretty much mostly people going about their work and other than a few odd glances we didn’t feel unsafe, though we remained vigilant. There were always plenty of people around and you’re right next to a petrol station so there was some reassurance from that.
We parked on the roads parallel to the main road (behind the yellow gates), however we found that very often lorries were parking up on the fence which obscured our view of the approach, and, given that mil and ATSA etc didn’t track, one of us went and found spots to stand in throughout the morning to keep an eye on the approach just in case. It came in handy a couple of times. We did also see a few military helicopters on approach to the base, which were behind us so not great for the sun but worth photographing anyway. We considered that you might be able to park a bit further back from the fences and get better shots of them, but that’s very much a gamble nor can I can’t speak to the safety of being further back from there. You might consider the regular spot 2 for the afternoon to get better light on any helicopters on approach to the base if they use that line regularly.
It’s worth noting for the guide that there was one (1) urinal at the petrol station which came in handy (maybe there are more, or less, normally). Photos from here were good until midday, although you do get limited shooting time once they clear the fence.
We used spot 3 as a well equipped point for stocking up – there’s a good shop and there are toilets.
Spot 1 we went to in the afternoons. We were concerned about going here but Aldo gave us some pointers as to where to go and we ended up driving to the very end of that track to a spot where there is a line of trees providing good shade. The area was full of cars of people just parked up doing…whatever they were doing or taking rests, but that again provided reassurance, and there were also security guards right by the building next to the trees which did the same. We felt quite comfortable here, we didn’t feel conspicuous and we could see every vehicle coming up as there was no way to approach from behind.
Once the light swings this is a great location for photos, however, from that far end of the track you have very little warning of aircraft on approach, especially anything that isn’t tracking. You will need to keep a constant eye on the trees above the flags for anything appearing, keep your camera ready and be prepared to jump out of your car with a second’s warning to get the shot! Certainly will help in a group, and the shade is beneficial in preventing weariness! Had no issues at this spot otherwise and it was perfectly possible to just sit in the car all afternoon with the camera ready. We saw the “main” location from spot 1 and I personally wouldn’t want to be there in a group or otherwise. It looks very noisy, very dusty and very, very exposed and I would feel very vulnerable there.
In both locations, we kept our cameras out of sight unless shooting, generally tried to keep a low profile as far as two Europeans sat in a car can be, had plenty of water and despite the comments above we made sure to remain vigilant throughout. I would never claim the concerns about safety were unfounded and I would, of course, advise to take heed of the warnings above if you are considering this and remain very careful yourself. It’s probably not one to do alone for sure. However, we found Lima to be perfectly spottable and while we didn’t get the An-32s we were keen to get, we did get the Naval Fokker 60 and a few others which were great catches.
A long way to come from the UK but hopefully one day I can come back for those Antonovs!
Hi Sam, thank you very much for the detailed feedback from your journey. Great to hear that you suffered no safety issues at Lima.
I picked some of your impressions and added these to the guide.
-Julian
I spent the afternoon at spot #1 and was happy with the photos. Lots of traffic, dust, and noise though. I rented a taxi for a few hours (it was cheap) and used that to ‘hide’ while not taking photos. I was more worried about thieves than the authorities, though the majority of people here are working in the cargo warehouses. Be aware of the the proximity of Callao, which is a real rough part of town. The taxi driver was terrified I was going to get mugged. Don’t be the dork standing around with an expensive camera hanging around your neck, it won’t end well for you. But I think if you use common sense this spot will be productive.
Just a heads up, don’t solely depend on the flight tracking websites to track arrivals. Most of the military traffic and ATSA don’t publish their ADSB data so they can pop up unexpectedly. That’s how I misses the ATSA Antonov (facepalm).
Hi, good to hear that you had a successful spotting session at Lima without getting robbed 😀
Hey, a friend and I are going spotting at Lima next week and were planning on using this spot. We’ve rented a car. Where did you park for this? parking on the guide on this page seems to be on the side of the highway. You parked in that parking area on the west side?
Hi Sam, the road at point 1 has an auxiliary road where you can park your car.
Hi Aldo, I think the description was a bit confusing so I have changed it. Thanks for clarifying!
-Julian
Thank you!