If you have any inclination to visit Machu Picchu – one of the greatest archaeological sites in the world, and certainly the biggest tourist draw in Peru – you are almost guaranteed to pass through Cusco Airport.

Cusco was once the capital city of the Inca empire, of which Machu Picchu once belonged. The city is situated close to the Sacred Valley of the Incas, and is a taxi/bus journey, plus a train journey from the ruined city.

This shot is taken from the departure lounge.

The airport at Cusco is well set up to handle the amount of tourists it receives every year, but due to the demanding terrain and the fact that it is situated in a built up area, operations are limited to mainly mornings. Night flying is not permitted.Therefore, most flights operate until early afternoon and then the airport falls silent until the next morning.

Airlines using Cusco are LAN Peru (Airbus A319s), Star Peru (BAe 146 and Boeing 737-200), Los Andes (DHC-6 Twin Otter), Aerocondor (Fokker F-27 and F50), Aerosur (Boeing 737-200).

Spotting from within the terminal is only possible once you go through to the departure lounge, which is situated in the pier. Even then, it is quite limited as jetbridges get in the way.

Around the airport, you can follow the road running parallel to the runway to get some good shots of aircraft on the runway and parked at the terminal. Some of the best photographs are possible along this road – which heads to Pisac – as it passes the end of the runway.

I recently flew to Cartagena in Colombia for a short trip away from Bogota. We flew on AeroRepublica EMB-190 and had a great experience – although the flight was a little bumpy going out, with the afternoon thunderstorms brewing around the coast.

Cartagena is a lovely old walled city, full of Caribbean charm, colourful buildings, endless vistas of the sea, sunsets, and great wining and dining experiences. But you’re here for the aircraft, so I’ll carry on.

The terminal at Cartagena Airport is very modern. And sadly it does not knowingly cater for the spotter at all. When arriving or departing, passengers funnel through a walkway which leads between the aircraft and the terminal. If you’re in the departure lounge, your view out of the window is of this walkway and its slatted wall. In order to see aircraft, you have to wait until they move, and with binoculars focussed on a gap, hope the registration passes by.

Nevertheless, once you walk to/from the aircraft, you do get a chance to see what’s on the smallish ramp. This usually includes MD-80s and F100s of Avianca, EMB-190s of AeroRepublica, 737-700s and DHC-8s of AIRES, and the odd US airline such as Spirit. Movements are fairly quiet – maybe 4 per hour at peak times.

Cartagena does play host to a number of biz jets each day, however. They park either to the side of the airliner ramp, or on the ramp on the opposite side of the runway. Also, there are a number of Air Force and Navy aircraft in residence, including Casa CN235s.

Around the terminal there are no obvious views of the aircraft, apart from on the road passing the end of the runway, where you’ll see aircraft just as they depart or land. I wouldn’t venture much around looking for holes in the fence, as there ‘s a strong military presence, and the housing area is quite poor around the airport.

AeroRepublica HK-4506 at Cartagena

AIRES 737-700s fly from Bogota

These two biz jets were in Cartagena in July 2009

Cartagena Airport from above