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.
New airlines and offers to add new frequencies would add by at least seven air routes to the current offer of air transportation from Costa Rica to Rio, Santiago and Havana.
Civil Aviation has announced the opening of these air routes for mid-August and the eventual operation between San Jose-San Salvador by the Salvadoran company VECA.
It is expected that by the end of the year routes will be opened going from San Jose to Miami, Managua and Panama City, by the Costa Rican airline Air Costa Rica (Tica Air International), which is completing the certification process with the Civil Aviation.
Air Costa Rica has started the process of gaining certification as an international operator and plans to begin charter flights in six months.
Air Costa Rica is the new brand name of Tica Air according to the Public Registry of the airline, which has launched the second phase of a certification process and expects to receive approval from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation within four to six months to operate as international airline.