Local authorities confirm that sanitary measures for the entry and exit of passengers have already been approved, and so far the plan is to reopen the Juan Santamaría and Daniel Oduber international airports as of August 1.
Civil aviation officials confirm that the first flights that would be authorized to arrive at the air terminal in the Costa Rican capital would come from the U.S., Canada and Europe.
Restructuring of airlines, preference for direct flights, modifications in the routes operated and the use of smaller aircraft are some of the changes expected in the regional air market in the context of the new business normality.
Air traffic has virtually disappeared in the last three months, as governments in Central America have decided to close borders and suspend commercial flights to and from the region's airports as a result of the covid-19 outbreak.
Given the increase in port charges announced for 2020 and the high cost of aviation fuel, concern is growing among the airlines that use Costa Rica's Juan Santamaria airport.
According to a statement from the International Air Transport Association (IATA), Aeris, airport operator of the Juan Santamaria terminal, has confirmed that the rates will have a significant increase next year, because recent investments will be depreciated quickly to coincide with the expiration of the management contract in 2026.
In El Salvador, the contract for the financing, design, construction and operation of the San Oscar Arnulfo Romero y Galdámez International Airport Cargo Terminal is tendered under the Public-Private Partnership format.
The project contemplates two phases of development: Phase 1 consists of financing, design, expansion, construction, equipment, improvement of maintenance and operation of the existing Cargo Terminal.
In order to regain Costa Rica's air safety status, which was downgraded in May, the Federal Aviation Administration requested 22 amendments, of which 17 have already been completed.
After the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) conducted a reevaluation in October 2018 and met with Costa Rica's Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGAC) in February 2019 to analyze the results, the final opinion lowered the rating from Category 1 to Category 2.
Aeroman opened in El Salvador its sixth hangar, which has an area of two thousand square meters and capacity to maintain 14 narrow cabin aircraft simultaneously.
The new hangar, which began construction in March 2018 and whose investment in infrastructure amounted to $20 million, is located on land adjacent to the Oscar Arnulfo Romero International Airport.
The plan to build a new international airport in Orotina, which ex-president Solis presented grandiloquently last year, is not a priority for the current Costa Rican government.
A year and a half ago, the administration of President Luis Guillermo Solis announced that the international air terminal would open in a first phase in 2027, and the overall cost of the project was estimated at $2 billion.
Charges, taxes, high fuel prices and other costs at airport terminals can represent close to 30% of the value of air tickets in countries in the region.
Airlines that operate in the Latin American region face an uncompetitive market, since in 2018 these companies are projected to earn $2.95 per passenger, a figure much lower than the $15.67 estimated in North America or $7.58 in Europe, according to representatives of the International Air Transport Association (IATA).
The region has 20 international airports, of which 11 are located in Panama and Costa Rica, and the remaining nine are located in Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras and Nicaragua.
According to the report "Transportation in Central America: importance in the regional economy", prepared by the Secretariat for Central American Economic Integration, Panama is the country in the region that has the broadest airport infrastructure, since it has seven international airports, followed by Costa Rica and Honduras with four air terminals each, El Salvador and Guatemala with two each, and finally Nicaragua with an international terminal.
A US company has submitted an environmental impact study to build an international airport in Limón, Costa Rica, which will have a 4-kilometer runway, an 18,000 square meter passenger terminal and a 30,000 square meter warehouse.
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.
The new Metropolitan International Airport could start operating in 2027 with an estimated traffic of 7.8 million passengers, and an estimated $1.9 billion initial investment.
The government has presented the results of the siting study, basic design and master plan for the new airport, to be located in Orotina.
The Panamanian airline has presented a financial offer in cash and stock to acquire the second largest airline in the region after Latam Airlines.
The New York Times reported that the offer made by Copa Airlines consists of "... a merger that would value Avianca at more than $2 billion, or a 150 percent premium to its share price last week. [November 29]".
In five years the airline market in Central America has transformed from being a market dominated by two major airlines, to one with new entrants, lower prices and greater connectivity.
The arrival of so called "low cost" airlines to the region has resulted in a progressive reduction in the prices of tickets to fly between Central American countries. Between 2011 and 2014 the average cost without taxes for travelling between Costa Rica and El Salvador ranged from between $400 and $500, while in 2015 it costs $391.