Flying to Bolivia

Overview

Bolivia is relatively well-served by air, at least when you consider the countless airfields across the country. It also has around ten airports that handle more or less regular commercial flights.

Overall, three stand out in terms of activity: Cochabamba (domestic flights only), La Paz, and its major rival, Santa Cruz. The latter now sees more traffic—over four million passengers a year—than the capital, whose El Alto Airport (handling half as many passengers) has the drawback of sitting at 4,000 metres above sea level, compared to just 375 metres for Santa Cruz.

In short, from La Paz, you can only fly domestically or to a few South American cities, while Santa Cruz offers more options for the rest of the continent, plus Miami and—most importantly—the only direct European destination: Madrid, served by Air Europa or Boliviana.

Local airlines

The country has three airlines operating scheduled flights:

Boliviana de Aviación: the national carrier. It operates domestically and internationally, with flights to neighbouring countries, Miami, and Madrid. Its main base is Cochabamba.

Ecojet: founded in 2013, this small airline based in Cochabamba serves around ten airports in the country.

Transporte Aéreo Militar: owned by the military, TAM operates three or four regular commercial domestic routes, though its official domestic network is larger.

From France and Europe

There are no direct flights from France, and with only the Madrid-Santa Cruz route operated by Air Europa and Boliviana, direct connections from Europe to Bolivia are minimal. Most options involve flights via Madrid, Miami, or various Latin American cities, often requiring one, two, or even three stopovers. As a result, the total journey time can be long—at best 15 hours, sometimes nearly two days including layovers. Prices range from 900 to 1,400 €.

Choosing your flight

Bolivia is one destination where focusing solely on price isn’t wise. Airfare is expensive, especially during peak seasons (often nothing under 1,300 €), to the point where you might wonder if arriving in a neighbouring country like Peru isn’t a better option.

At most, look for good off-season dates when round-trip tickets hover around 800 €. It’s also crucial to check flight durations, as some routes can be extremely long. Finally, consider your arrival city: Santa Cruz offers more options and, unlike La Paz, is at a lower altitude (the capital’s airport sits above 4,000 metres).

From the Americas

North America

Everything goes through Florida, as the only flights to/from Bolivia depart from Miami to Santa Cruz.

Central America and the Caribbean

Only one city in this region has direct connections to Bolivia: Panama City, with Copa Airlines flights to Santa Cruz.

South America

Argentina: Santa Cruz (Aerolíneas Argentinas and Boliviana for Buenos Aires).

Brazil: Santa Cruz (Boliviana or Gol for three cities).

Chile: La Paz (Boliviana and LATAM for Iquique or Santiago), Santa Cruz (Boliviana and LATAM for Santiago or Iquique).

Colombia: La Paz (Avianca for Bogotá), Santa Cruz (Avianca for Bogotá).

Paraguay: Santa Cruz (Boliviana and Paranair for Asunción).

Peru: La Paz (Boliviana and LATAM for Lima), Santa Cruz (Boliviana and LATAM for Lima).