With the arrival of more flights to the two main airports in Costa Rica, complementary businesses such as car rental and air catering services are benefitting.
In order to meet the increased demand generated by an increase in the arrival of flights and new airlines coming to the airports Daniel Oduber, in Liberia, and Juan Santamaría, in Alajuela, companies that provide complementary services are making new investments to expand their production capacity and improve the quality of their services.For example, several rent-a-car companies have invested in improving andexpanding their vehicle fleet.
Construction of four new boarding gates, a taxiway and expanding the lobby are some of the investment projects that the concessionaire of Juan Santamaria airport plans to carry out between 2017 and 2019.
The company granted the concession for running Juan Santamaria International Airport in Costa Rica, has announced that $100 million will be invested over a period of two years in various works at the terminal, which will be completed by January 2020.
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%.
The company managing San Jose International Airport will be issuing bonds in order to refinance bank debt assumed in the works to expand the terminal.
From a statement issued by Moody´s:
New York, September 18, 2015 -- Moody's Investors Service, ("Moody's") assigned a provisional rating of (P) Ba2 to Aeris Holdings Costa Rica S.A. de C.V.'s issuance of approximately US $127 million of senior notes ("Notes").
Of the 4,500 square meters of new commercial area in the Juan Santamaría, 850 square meters are available, which are expected to be tendered in June and July.
Café Britt is the first company that has moved into to this new area and left its old 299 m² premises available, and a competition is already underway to awarded them to another company. In addition to those premises, the only other space left is 550 m², in which the Costa Rica company Aeris, administrator of the terminal, will incorporate shops dedicated to selling clothes and accessories.
Works have started with the movements of land to build a new aircraft maintenance hangar at the international airport in San Jose, a project valued at $39 million.
From a statement issued by the Government of Costa Rica:
New aircraft hangar to be built at Juan Santamaria Airport
Under the supervision of the Technical Council of Civil Aviation, earthworks have started for the construction of a new aircraft maintenance hangar, with corresponding workshops and other facilities that will be occupied by Coopesa, in the Juan Santamaria International Airport.
A terminal for domestic flights and a new fire station are part of the works that the administration of San Jose International Airport plans to start in November.
This project includes two ramps for aircraft waiting at the new domestic terminal and a fire station in in the southern sector, and it is expected that construction will start in November this year.The investment for these two works to be carried out simultaneously amounts to $20 million and is expected to be completed during 2016.
The tourism minister has ruled out the possibility of building a new airport, arguing that the current one has sufficient capacity and there is a more urgent need for improving and expanding the one in Liberia.
Remodeling the Daniel Oduber Airport in Guanacaste is the option which the tourism minister, Wilhelm von Breymann has proposed, since the construction of a new terminal is not a priority and would involve a long process of preparing feasibility studies.
Two new boarding gates and one thousand square meters of commercial areas are to be built with an investment of $20 million at the main airport in Costa Rica.
3000 meters of construction will be added to the fourth stage of the airport that consists of "... In two boarding gates with their respective connecting sleeves which will be located east of the main building." While the second part of the project involves the construction of 1,000 meters dedicated to commercial areas.
Starting November 16th, Cubana Airlines will operate two weekly flights between Havana and San Jose.
From a statement issued by the Costa Rican Tourism Institute (ICT):
Cubana Airlines has announced it will fly directly to Costa Rica, starting from 16th of November this year.
The flights will go from the José Martí International Airport in Havana to Juan Santamaria International Airport, twice a week using an Antonov 158 with capacity for 85 passengers.
The elimination of LACSA routes, which in 2013 changed hands to Avianca, partly explains the reduction in landings and takeoffs at the two main airports compared to 2012.
In 2013 76.287 landings and takeoffs were recorded in the two major international airports in the country, while in 2012 this figure was 80.007, according to the National Directorate of Civil Aviation.
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 low-cost airline JetBlue has announced that from June 2013 it will operate daily flights between Hollywood International Airport in Fort Lauderdale and Juan Santamaria in Costa Rica.
At a press conference in Costa Rica, Jeff Goodell, Vice President for Government Affairs at JetBlue, said: "As the community of Costa Rica has found out JetBlue, offering legroom, movies on the back of every seat, free snacks and drinks, and a high level of service, we have been able to grow and continue our strong track record in the country. Due to this fact, we are proud to add the third route of JetBlue in Costa Rica. "
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.