Spain warns citizens against Nazca Lines flights after deadly crash, citing maintenance issues

Spain has issued a strong advisory urging its citizens to refrain from taking tourist flights over Peru's Nazca Lines, citing significant safety concerns following a deadly aircraft accident.

The Spanish Consulate in Peru updated its travel recommendations on June 3, 2026, to explicitly discourage these overflights. The advisory highlights that the aircraft used for such tours "do not meet maintenance and safety requirements equivalent to those in Spain." This warning underscores a perceived gap in aviation safety standards between the two countries.

The recommendation gains critical importance after a tragic incident on August 1, when a Cessna Caravan C-208 operated by Aerodiana crashed near Nasca. The plane, which had departed from Pisco for a Nazca Lines tour, was carrying 13 people, two crew members and 11 foreign tourists, including nationals from Spain, Italy, and Germany. All aboard perished in the crash.

In response to the accident, Peru's Ministry of Transport and Communications suspended Aerodiana's operations pending an investigation into the airline's compliance with aviation regulations. The investigation is being led by the Air Accidents Investigation Commission (CIAA). The identification of all 13 victims has been confirmed by the Legal Medicine Institute, with procedures underway to release the bodies to their families.