JetSMART Perú (JZ, Lima International) has completed its certification drive in Peru, securing its Air Operator's Certificate on March 21, 2022.
The ultra-low-cost carrier, a sister company of Chile's JetSMART and JetSMART Argentina, plans to operate its first flight in July 2022, although this is not yet fixed.
JetSMART Peru will launch with a fleet of three A320-200Ns plying a domestic network consisting of Lima International, Arequipa, Chiclayo, Cusco, Iquitos, Juliaca, Pucallpa, Puerto Maldonado, Piura, Tarapoto, and Trujillo Carlos Martinez de Pinillos. Chief Executive Estuardo Ortiz explained that Lima will remain JetSMART Peru's main base in the country, but stressed that it would also operate point-to-point routes bypassing the capital. The ULCC also plans to operate international services.
The carrier received its operating licence for domestic and international routes in the fourth quarter of 2021.
Owned by Indigo Partners, JetSMART is the third international LCC holding that enters Peru with its own unit, following fellow Chilean carrier SKY Airline (Chile) with SKY Airline Perú and Colombia's Viva (Colombia) with Viva Air Perú. Despite the growing LCC presence in the country, the ch-aviation capacities module shows that the dominant airline remains LATAM Airlines Perú, which currently has a 69% market share by weekly scheduled domestic capacity, against SKY's 17.6% and Viva's 2.6%. Other airlines operating scheduled domestic flights in Peru are Star Perú (10.1% market share) and ATSA Airlines (0.8%).
