Travelers moving between Chile, Argentina, and Peru awoke to a bruising day of disruption as a wave of delays and cancellations rippled through Santiago, Buenos Aires, and Lima. LATAM Airlines and Chilean low cost carrier Sky Airline were among the most affected, with a total of 18 delays and 5 cancellations striking key regional routes. The knock on effects extended across South America’s most important air corridors, snarling itineraries for business travelers, tourists, and families at the height of the Southern Hemisphere summer season.
A Morning of mounting disruption in Santiago
The first signs of trouble emerged at Comodoro Arturo Merino Benitez International Airport in Santiago, where a cluster of delayed departures for Buenos Aires and Lima quickly turned into broader schedule chaos. Early flights that typically set the rhythm for the day’s operations left the gate late or were held at the stand, compressing turnaround times and squeezing already tight airport resources.
LATAM, the dominant carrier at Santiago, bore the brunt of the initial disruption. Several of its morning and early afternoon departures to Buenos Aires and Lima faced extended delays, which in turn pushed back subsequent rotations for aircraft and crew. Delays of more than an hour became increasingly common as ground handling teams and airport controllers tried to reset flight flows without triggering additional cancellations.
Sky Airline, which operates a dense schedule of regional flights from Santiago, also saw its operations fray. Popular cross border services to Buenos Aires, including both Aeroparque Jorge Newbery and Ezeiza connections, encountered schedule slippages as aircraft arriving late from domestic Chilean cities turned around behind plan. For passengers on these routes, the result was a series of rolling delays that grew from minor inconveniences into missed connections and wholesale itinerary changes.
Buenos Aires airports buckle under pressure
By mid day, the disruption was clearly visible in Buenos Aires. At Ministro Pistarini International Airport, better known as Ezeiza, departure boards showed a growing line of delayed flights from Santiago and other regional origins, while Aeroparque Jorge Newbery, the city airport handling many regional services, struggled to absorb late arriving aircraft and crews.
Authorities in Argentina had already been reporting a high volume of operational issues, with more than one hundred delays and several cancellations across carriers at Buenos Aires airports on the previous day. Against that strained backdrop, new delays and cancellations involving LATAM and Sky Airline flights arriving from or returning to Santiago and Lima pushed the system close to breaking point.
Passengers landing in Buenos Aires to connect onward to domestic destinations such as Córdoba, Mendoza, or Bariloche found themselves forced to rebook or accept long waits in crowded terminals. The tightly scheduled evening wave of departures, vital for same day connections across Argentina, became increasingly difficult to operate on time as late arriving inbound flights compressed aircraft and crew availability.
Lima joins the disruption triangle
While much of the immediate attention fell on Santiago and Buenos Aires, Lima’s Jorge Chávez International Airport also experienced the fallout. LATAM’s extensive network using Lima as a connecting hub meant that delays on Santiago and Buenos Aires sectors quickly propagated through its schedule.
Several LATAM services linking Lima with Santiago, and onward to Buenos Aires, operated behind schedule or were canceled outright as the airline sought to preserve the integrity of longer haul connections to North America and Europe. This tri city network, normally one of the most reliable and heavily used in South America, became a choke point for the many travelers who rely on Lima as a one stop link between the Southern Cone and the rest of the continent.
For Peruvian travelers heading to Chile or Argentina for business or tourism, the impact was immediate. Afternoon and evening flights that typically allow same day arrivals for meetings, events, or weekend breaks instead turned into overnight stays, rerouting through alternative hubs, or outright trip cancellations. Airport hotels near Lima’s terminal reported a surge in last minute bookings as stranded passengers searched for rooms.
Counting the damage: 18 delays and 5 cancellations
Across the three cities, aviation data for the day showed 18 significant delays and 5 outright cancellations specifically involving LATAM Airlines and Sky Airline on routes touching Santiago, Buenos Aires, and Lima. While the absolute numbers may seem modest compared with large scale global disruptions, their concentration on a handful of critical regional corridors amplified the impact on passengers.
On high demand routes such as Santiago to Buenos Aires, even a small cluster of delayed or canceled flights can displace hundreds of travelers, particularly during peak travel periods. Aircraft operating these sectors often perform multiple daily rotations, so a delay of even sixty to ninety minutes on an early leg can cascade into later flights, reducing operational flexibility for airline schedulers.
The cancellations had an outsized effect. When flights were dropped entirely, replacement options were limited, with many same day departures already near capacity. Passengers were frequently rebooked onto flights the following day or re routed through secondary hubs in Brazil or other countries, adding travel time and complexity to journeys that are usually as straightforward as a short hop across the Andes.
Underlying causes: strain on crews, fleets, and infrastructure
The disruption did not occur in a vacuum. In recent months, regional carriers have been navigating a challenging operating environment marked by labor negotiations, crew shortages, and congested airspace over key hubs. LATAM, which only recently emerged from a period of industrial tension with its pilots following an eight day strike, has been gradually rebuilding schedule resilience while accommodating new demand patterns and fleet utilization plans.
Operational margins remain thin. Airlines throughout Latin America are working with carefully balanced rosters and aircraft allocations, leaving little room for error when disruptions occur. A single aircraft taken out of service for unscheduled maintenance, or a crew reaching its regulated duty time limit because of earlier delays, can force schedule changes that ripple across multiple cities.
At the infrastructure level, major airports like Santiago, Ezeiza, Aeroparque, and Lima are operating near or at capacity during peak hours. Ground congestion, runway sequencing challenges, and tight gate availability mean that any delay is harder to absorb. In such conditions, a day with challenging weather, minor technical issues, or air traffic control restrictions can quickly escalate into broader travel chaos.
Human stories behind the statistics
Inside the terminals, the human cost of disruption was on full display. Families traveling from Lima to Buenos Aires for long planned vacations queued at rebooking desks searching for alternatives. Business travelers shuttling between Santiago and Buenos Aires complained of lost meetings and rearranged conferences. Students returning from summer exchanges in Chile watched their departure times slide back, hour by hour, with little certainty.
Travelers reported long lines at check in counters and customer service points for both LATAM and Sky Airline in Santiago. In Buenos Aires, passengers arriving late from Chile faced tight connections that quickly became impossible, forcing them to negotiate overnight stays or seek space on already full flights to destinations across Argentina.
Flight attendants and ground staff found themselves on the front lines, juggling operational demands with the need to provide clear information and calm frustrated travelers. While airlines pushed updates through mobile apps, text messages, and airport displays, many passengers still preferred face to face explanations, adding further pressure to already stretched airport teams.
What affected passengers can do now
For travelers caught up in the disruption across Santiago, Buenos Aires, and Lima, the immediate priority is to secure confirmed onward travel and any assistance to which they are entitled. Airlines encourage passengers to use digital channels, including mobile apps and call centers, to check their latest flight status and explore rebooking options before heading to the airport. In many cases, itineraries can be modified remotely, reducing time spent in queues.
Depending on the origin, destination, and cause of delay or cancellation, passengers may be eligible for meal vouchers, hotel accommodation, or partial refunds. While compensation frameworks differ between South American jurisdictions and are generally less standardized than in some other regions, travelers should keep boarding passes, booking confirmations, and receipts for any additional expenses incurred, as these documents may be required during later claims or complaints.
Experts recommend that passengers whose trips are time sensitive consider building extra flexibility into itineraries that rely on tight connections in Santiago, Lima, or Buenos Aires. Booking earlier flights, allowing longer layovers, and traveling with carry on luggage where possible can help reduce vulnerability to cascading delays. For those planning complex multi country trips across South America, working with experienced travel advisors can provide additional support when disruptions strike.
Implications for regional travel and the months ahead
The latest bout of travel chaos across Santiago, Buenos Aires, and Lima serves as a reminder of both the importance and fragility of South America’s main air corridors. These cities form the backbone of regional connectivity, linking domestic networks to long haul routes that connect the continent with North America, Europe, and beyond. When operations at these hubs falter, the effects are felt from Patagonia to the Caribbean.
In the short term, LATAM Airlines and Sky Airline are expected to adjust schedules, reposition aircraft, and reassign crews to restore stability. Passengers over the next several days may still experience minor timing adjustments as airlines work through the knock on effects of the initial disruptions. However, carriers will also be keen to preserve customer confidence during a season that is critical to their financial performance.
Looking further ahead, the incident underlines the need for continued investment in airport infrastructure, air traffic management, and operational resilience throughout the region. As travel demand continues to grow and more travelers choose air over long distance bus or car journeys, the pressure on key hubs will only increase. Airlines, regulators, and airport operators will need to cooperate closely to ensure that isolated events do not trigger disproportionate waves of disruption.
For now, travelers bound for or transiting through Santiago, Buenos Aires, and Lima are advised to stay informed, remain flexible, and allow extra time for their journeys. The skies over the Southern Cone remain among the busiest and most scenic in the world, but in moments like these, they also highlight how interconnected, and occasionally fragile, modern air travel has become.