El Alto International Airport (IATA: LPB) (ICAO: SLLP), El Alto. This is the world's highest international airport; at 13,313 ft/4,058 m above sea level, it's almost half as high as a jetliner's cruising altitude, and takeoffs require a longer runway due to the thin air. There is an airport departure tax of US$25 for international flights, Bs15 for domestic flights.
Most South American airlines (TAM, LAN, TACA, etc.) serve El Alto Airport as well local airline Aerosur. Most international flights will make a stop over in Santa Cruz to pick up or drop off passengers. American Airlines is currently the only U.S. carrier serving Bolivia, with one daily flight from Miami.
Aerosur (a newer, private airline) also serves major domestic destinations. LAB (Lloyd Aéreo Boliviano) was Bolivia's national airline until April 2007, when services were suspended by the Bolivian government due to financial problems.
While you may be in the practice of racing to immigration when you get off a plane, in order to avoid long queues, forget about this in La Paz. Take things very easily or you will be seriously out of breath and may suffer medical complications. Just walk slowly to the immigration area.
From the airport, the official rate for a taxi into central La Paz is Bs 60 (about US$9). Shared vans cost about Bs 4 (US$0.50). When returning to the airport, please give yourself plenty of time if taking the bus. Often they are full once they pass near Plaza San Francisco, especially during rush hour 5-7PM.
If you are taking a TAM flight OUT of La Paz airport be VERY careful to verify which airport it is leaving from, some TAM flights leave from the El Alto Intl airport and others from the military base airport. I got mistakenly dropped off early morning by the taxi driver at the Military airport which is about 2 km from the Intl airport and had no choice but to catch a cab back for the ripoff price for 30 Bs (for 2 km!) as it was early morning!
The Most Frequently Asked Travel Questions about La Paz
Where To Stay & Best Hotels in La Paz - updated May 2024
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