Existing airports, with their obvious limitations, are unable to deal with the passenger numbers predicted for 2025.
The Spanish firm Ineco, which has developed a diagnostic report at the request of the authorities of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGAC by its initials in Spanish), estimated that within 12 years, San Jose International Airport will become obsolete and will be unable to guarantee the mobilization of 7 million passengers a year, at a growth rate of 4.8% annually.
Among the works scheduled in Costa Rica’s main airport is the extension of the remote ramp from its current 75,000 meters to 91,000 meters.
Next year San Jose International Airport will extend its operational capacity with new works, with an investment of $15 million.
Elfinancierocr.com quoted Luis Carlos Araya, Vice minister of Air Transport, who said "This allows us to streamline the process of entry and departure of aircraft both for cargo and passengers. In addition, it will improve efficiency, since aircraft will not have to be towed and can therefore enter on their own. "
The international airport in the capital of Costa Rica, will be too small to meet the air traffic needs of Costa Rica in the next 10 years.
In 1996 the U.S. consultancy firm TAMS Inc. "recommended the Civil Aviation authority to move the administration of Juan Santamaria Airport into private hands, while a new terminal was being built", which should be operational in 2020.
The low cost Canadian airline Westjet has requested permission to fly from October 2012 two weekly flights between Daniel Oduber Airport and Toronto Pearson International Airport.
Westjet is already flying charter flights between the two airports, and has now presented to the Civil Aviation Technical Council (Cetac) of Costa Rica "a request to fly from Toronto to Daniel Oduber Airport on a fixed schedule from 29 October."
The new daily flight by Mexican company Interjet between the two capitals will increase competition and will certainly contribute to reasonable rates being applied on this route.
The Mexican low-cost online Interjet aims to fly once a day between Mexico City and San Jose, Costa Rica, with an Airbus A320 craft for 150 passengers.
The information was confirmed by Luis Carlos Araya, vice minister for Air Transport.
The Government has discarded plans to build a 'mega-airport' between Sierpe and Palmar de Osa and is proposing a terminal to attend to charter and corporate flights.
Concern from environmentalists, because the construction would take place near the great Térraba-Sierpe marsh, along with complaints from the tourist industry about the impact on a region that lacks sufficient hotel facilities, contributed to the change in plans.
The current agreement allows for national airlines (TACA through Lacsa) to fly to any destination in Colombia without any restrictions.
This agreement also will allow "the airline to collect passengers in a country like Panama and bring them to the South American nation, and equally, pick up passengers there and take them to any destination in South America and the Caribbean", said Luis Carlos Araya, Costa Rican Vice Minister of Air Transport, to Nacion.com .