Peru reopens air and bus travel as GDP slumps

Peru reopened domestic air travel on Wednesday in a bid to reignite the economy as it announced a drop of 33% in GDP for May year-on-year. Long queues of passengers formed from dawn at the Jorge Chavez airport in the capital Lima with 17 domestic flights operating during the day. "We're opening together the Peruvian sky with our first flight from Lima to Cusco," Latin America's biggest airline LATAM said on Twitter. Air travel had been suspended for four months due to the coronavirus pandemic. Cusco, the ancient capital of the Inca empire, is the nearest airport to Machu Picchu, the ruins of an Inca citadel that is Peru's most visited tourist site. Authorities are hoping to re-open Machu Picchu, with a restricted number of visitors, on July 24. The first flight of the day, from Lima to the Amazonian city of Iquitos, left with an hour's delay. All airplane and bus passengers must wear face masks and facial protectors, according to the government's biosecurity regulations. Passengers must present an affidavit assuring that they are free of COVID-19 and have their temperature taken before boarding a flight. They will not be able to fly if showing any COVID-19 symptoms. Air passengers must also arrive three hours before their flights rather than the usual one hour for domestic travel.<br/>