South America Flight Advice

Flying to South America is possible from wherever you are in the world.

For most travellers you will fly into a major South American hub and take an onward flight to your destination.

We can help look for international and South America flights and offer competitive prices.

Note: It is often better value for travellers from outside the UK and Euro zone to buy international flights from a flight agent in your country of residence.

We can still get good deals on flights within South America (see below).

Contact us for help and advice.

Air passes in South America

Lots of international airlines have partnerships with carriers in South America.

Good deals can often be found by buying a South America air pass, especially if your international airline has a partnership with the South America airline.

The rules and fares are incredibly complicated, please contact us and we will be happy to provide quotes and advice in conjunction with our tours.

Below we have included a guide to flights in and around South America.

International flight guide

From UK regional airport KLM and Air France are good options connecting in Europe. American and United may offer connections via the USA.

From the UK Direct flights from the UK:

• British Airways to Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo, Buenos Aires and Lima.
• Norwegian to Buenos Aires.
• LATAM to Sao Paulo and connections to other cities.
• AVIANCA to Bogota and connections to other cities.
• Iberia, Air France, Klm, Lufthansa and Air Europa are options connecting in Europe.
• American, United and Delta via the USA. Air Canada via Canada.

From mainland Europe

Flights to most South American capitals from different European hubs; Paris, Amsterdam, Madrid, Frankfurt and Rome.

You can fly with KLM, Air France, Avianca, Alitalia, Lufthansa, Air Europa, Iberia, LATAM, Boliviana, Swiss or Aerolineas Argentinas.

From the US

Flights to most South American capitals are available from Miami, New York, Dallas, Los Angeles, Atlanta & Houston.

Airlines that operate between the USA and South America are Delta, American Airlines, United, Spirit, Avianca, LATAM and Copa.

From Australia

Direct flights available to Santiago and Buenos Aires, then change for any other destination within South America.

Check Qantas, LATAM and Air New Zealand.

From Canada

From Canada to South America you can get direct flights from Toronto into most major hubs in South America. Air Canada has direct flights.

From South Africa

If you are travelling to South America from South Africa there are flights with LATAM and South African Airways between Johannesburg and Sao Paulo and then connections with other carries to mother cities.

From Middle East

There are flights with Emirates, Qatar and Turkish.

From Asia

There are no direct flights from Asia to South America. Connections via Europe, North America or Australia.

Domestic flights in South America

There are a wide range of carriers in South America and most capital cities are well connected. Lots of international airlines have partnerships with carriers in South America.

Good deals can often be found by buying a South America air pass, especially if your international airline has a partnership with the South America airline.

Argentina

Buenos Aires, the capital of Argentina, has two airports:

1) Aeropuerto Internacional de Ezeiza “Ministro Pistarini”, commonly known as Ezeiza. The majority are international flights.

2) Aeroparque Internacional “Jorge Newbery”, commonly known as Aeroparque.

Domestic flights and some international flights to neighbouring countries. If you are connecting from an international flight to a domestic flight or vice versa, make sure you know which airports you are flying in and out of and that you have plenty of time to connect between airports. A taxi, in reasonable traffic between the airports, will take approximately an hour.

Most major cities in Argentina have airports and have flights connecting them with Buenos Aires. The domestic network is like a wheel with Buenos Aires the hub and the cities at the end of the spokes. This means that flying from one regional city to another will probably mean a connection in Buenos Aires.

There are direct flights linking Iguazu to Salta, Mendoza to Bariloche, Bariloche to El Calafate and El Calafate to Ushuaia.

Main carriers are: Aerolineas Argentinas, Austral (part of Aerolineas Argentinas), LATAM. Routes and schedules are subject to frequent changes.

Bolivia

Bolivia’s airports for International Flights are La Paz and Santa Cruz.

BOA serves, Cobija, Cochabamba, La Paz, Santa Cruz, Sucre, Tarija.

Smaller aircraft are used by: AMASZONAS serve Tarija, Sucre, La Paz, Rurrenabaque, Uyuni, Trinidad, Cochabamba, Santa Cruz

Brazil

Sao Paulo is the main entry and departure city for people travelling to and from Brazil, followed by Rio de Janeiro. Other cities such as Salvador, Manaus and Florianopolis do offer international and regional flights.

Brazil covers nearly half the surface area of South America. The country is covered by a web of domestic air routes linking most cities.

The principal domestic airlines are LATAM, GOL and AZUL.

Chile

Chile’s hub airport is the capital Santiago located in the centre of the country. This is where the majority of international flights arrive and depart.

Due to Chile’s thin, long geography, domestic flights are divided into those north and those south of Santiago. If you wish to fly between cities which are north and south of the capital you will need to change planes in Santiago.

Easter Island flights depart from Santiago.

Antarctica and Falklands flights depart from Punta Arenas. La Paz in Bolivia is also served from Iquique and Arica.

Domestic flights in Chile are operated by LATAM, Sky Airline and JetSmart.

Ecuador

Ecuador’s international gateway cities are Quito and Guayaquil.

Domestic destinations from Quito are Coca, Cuenca, Esmeraldas, Galapagos (Baltra), Galapagos (San Cristobal), Guayaquil, Loja, Manta and Santa Rosa.

Domestic destinations from Guayaquil Cuenca, Esmeraldas, Galapagos (Baltra), Galapagos (San Cristobal), Latacunga, Loja, and Quito.

Domestic carriers are AVIANCA, TAME and LATAM.

Peru

Peru’s international gateway is Lima although you can fly from Cusco to La Paz, Bolivia and from Arequipa to Santiago de Chile.

There are domestic flights to Peru’s major cities from Lima. There are also flights from Cusco to Puerto Maldonado, Puno and Arequipa as well as between Julica and Arequipa.

Flying between Peruvian cites will more than likely mean a connection in Lima.

The main domesitc carriers are LATAM, AVIANCA, Star Peru and Peruvian. LC PERU operates flights with small aircraft to smaller cities from Lima such as Huaraz and Pisco.

Paraguay

Paraguay’s international gateway airport is Asuncion. LATAM offers domestic flights between Asuncion and Ciudad del Este.

Guyana

Guyana’s international gateway is Georgetown airport.

Domestic flights in Guyana are operated by small aircraft which have strict weight restrictions.

Flight schedules can also easily be affected by weather conditions. Any domestic flights will usually be included in your itinerary.