The manager of the Juan Santamaría airport provided insights into the eventual reopening of the airport for regular flights. Airlines push for a start date to be set but this will depend on the course of the covid-19 pandemic in the country.
The start date was originally scheduled for July 1st but the third phase of reopening the country had to be put on hold due to a second wave of covid-19 cases. The manager explained that this is just one step back and there will be many steps forward.
It’s important not to be the last country in the region to reopen borders because if that were the case we may lose flights and tourists to other countries that opened to them first.
There is great interest from airlines to return to Costa Rica as well as from tourists because Costa Rica has a low number of covid-19 cases in comparison to other countries in the region so it is seen as safer. The estimate is that when the airport is reopened there will be 18 airlines and that eventually all 30 will come back.
At the moment, doctors from the CCSS are serving at the airport for the arrival of the few flights that are coming in but this will not be sustainable with increased traffic. Protocols for social distancing and safety in the airport have been submitted for approval.
