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 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.
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.
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.
The country has strengthened a key factor in the tourism industry, which had suffered a blow when Avianca / Taca stopped operating its regional hub at the Juan Santamaria Airport.
The available seats going to the airport terminal in the main tourist area of Costa Rica, Daniel Oduber International Airport, increased by 57%.
Between 6 pm and 9 pm at the Tobias Bolanos Airport can operate domestic flights under the responsibility of the pilots, as there will be no service tower controller.
The runway of the airport will be enabled as of 1. December, 6 pm to 9 pm, for local tourist flights, and from 9 pm to 6 am for ambulance flights.
The measure corresponds to the pressure from tourism entrepreneurs, who were seriously affected by the closure of night operations in October. See "Costa Rica: Opposition to Airport Curfew".
Despite not operating at night, the international airport in northern Costa Rica received 755,000 passengers during 2014, with the proportion of business travelers increasing.
The increase in air traffic at Daniel Oduber airport in Liberia is mainly due to the expansion in infrastructure made in 2012, which increased the capacity for new airlines and because of this also attracted more passengers.
United Airlines will fly twice a week to Chicago and three times a week to Washington.
The airline United Airlines has announced an increase in the frequency of direct flights between Costa Rica and the U.S. From 6 to 31 March, the San Jose-Chicago route will have two flights a week, on Saturdays and Sundays, while the San Jose-Washington route will have three flights, on Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays.
From 23rd to 25th of February representatives from airlines, airports and the tourism industry will be reviewing air services in the region.
More than 400 aviation professionals, representatives from 70 airlines, 25 authorities for tourism and airports will meet from 23rd to 25th February in El Salvador in the seventh edition of Routes Americas, an event aimed at developing new routes and expanding connectivity .
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.
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