It has been announced that starting from August 20 companies interested in developing an environmental feasibility study for the new Metropolitan Airport of Costa Rica, to be built in Orotina, may present their proposals.
Civil Aviation Authorities reported that the reference value for the environmental feasibility study of the air terminal is $1.1 million.
A contract has been awarded to a French-Spanish consortium to carry out the location study and master plan for the new airport in the Huetar Norte Zone.
From a statement issued by the President of Costa Rica:
February 9, 2018.The studies that will determine the feasibility of a New Airport for the Huetar Norte Zone are already underway, thanks to a contribution from the Central American Corporation of Air Navigation Services (COCESNA), of 228 million colones.
In 2018, $13 million will be invested in improvements at the airports of Puerto Jiménez, Palmar Sur, Upala, Guápiles, Pérez Zeledón and Barra de Tortuguero.
Among the works that will be carried out in the airports are the resurfacing of runways, improvements in the infrastructure at the airport terminals, installation of perimeter fences, among other things.
While the International Civil Aviation authority is putting out to tender feasibility studies, UNESCO has declared adjacent areas to be World Heritage Sites.
Editorial
As it is usual in the countries of the region, the money wasted will be paid by taxpayers, while it is unlikely that the state officials involved will stop collecting their salaries, let alone have to respond to their country for the outrages committed.
The Director of Civil Aviation has announced the recruitment of an international consultancy firm to determine the location of a major airport to replace Juan Santamaría in 2025.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation plans to open a large air terminal in the canton of Orotina in 2025, which will have the ability to receive double the amount of passengers as Juan Santamaria International Airport.
The International Airport at San Jose will have added capacity to handle 260,000 passengers a year, with two new boarding gates and another 1,000 square meters in commercial spaces.
As explained Vilma Lopez, deputy director of Civil Aviation, Aeris (manager of the terminal), will be the company in charge of the enlargement process in the east of the terminal, opposite Cooperativa Autogestionaria de Servicios Aeroindustriales (Coopesa R. L).
The current airport on the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica is easily flooded and lacks the necessary conditions for being an international terminal.
The abundant rainfall characteristic of the area often causes waters to flood the runway of the international airport, leaving it inoperative.
Now, an area has been identified which is "a flat, large unobstructed area west of the current terminal which could have the necessary characteristics for the new project."
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. "
A new satellite signal system, installed at the Juan Santamaria Airport in Costa Rica, will reduce the prohibitive zone of tall buildings in areas near the terminal.
Edwin Jimenez, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation, said the municipalities of Alajuela and Belen will be affected by these changes, because in those places there is interest in constructing buildings with heights of over twenty meters.
The hangar used by Servicios Aeroindustriales will relocate from its current position to make room for the terminal expansion at Juan Santamaria International Airport.
After 15 years of discussions, the government of Costa Rica and Self-Management Cooperative Aeroindustriales Services (Coopesa) have reached a final agreement for the relocation of the hangar where aircraft maintenance services are provided, which until now has sat on the north side of the passenger terminal at the international Airport, preventing the necessary expansion of the Juan Santamaría.
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.