QCOSTARICA — The closure of the Guanacaste Airport (LIR) in Liberia, Costa Rica, of two days (November 15 and 16) left 5,671 tourists who had their international flights leaving the country stranded.
That was only on the first day of the disruption, according to Coriport, the administrator of said air terminal.
The closure will also affect flights arriving in Guanacaste, the province hardest hit by more than a week of constant rain, resulting in floods and closed roads. In total, 5,443 visitors were expected to arrive for both days.
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The decision to close the airport was taken by the Dirección General de Aviación Civil (Civil Aviation).
Some 50 flights between arrivals and departures were suspended, affecting destinations such as Denver, Alaska, Miami, New York, Houston, Dallas Fort Worth and Atlanta, among others.
“We ask passengers not to travel to the airport under these conditions, rather we ask them to coordinate with the airlines regarding the earliest departure date,” said César Jaramillo, general manager of the Guanacaste Airport.
The administration also indicated that the Guanacaste Airport networks can be monitored for more updated information.
Civil Aviation explains its decision
Luis Miranda, deputy director of Civil Aviation, assured that the institution made that decision due to the effects of the rains on the landing strip. According to the official, this situation ended up causing it to have to be intervened.
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He stated that the problems, added to the rains, prevented the regular maintenance of the infrastructure. He also stated that the actions are expected to last a couple of days.
The Guanacaste Airport is expected to reopen on Sunday.
Miranda rejected the assertion that the airlines made that decision or that they pressured for the closure.
“The decision was made by Civil Aviation after evaluating the conditions of the runway and the impossibility of making repairs in the context of heavy rains,” he said.
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He acknowledged that the airport manager is always in conversation with the airlines and informed them that they would close the terminal, which they accepted.
Read more: Costa Rica’s high season challenges Liberia airport capacity
Rafael Sánchez, president of the Asociación de Líneas Aéreas (Association of Airlines) said “We were not the ones who made the decision not to operate. Civil Aviation made the decision to close the airport because it has two or three potholes (on the runway) that could not be repaired due to the weather conditions and obviously, since there is an airport closure, we cannot operate,” he said.
Sánchez added that the state of the runway is not a new issue.
“We have been insisting on the need for repairs. Everyone already knows what the history of the repair of the runway at the Guanacaste Airport has been, I am not going to go into those details because it is not my responsibility,” he said.
In addition to Guanacaste Airport, Costa Rica has 13 airstrips and national airports in areas declared in emergency.
These are the Buenos Aires aerodrome and the airports of Carrillo, Coto 47, Bahía Drake, Golfito, Nosara, Palmar Sur, Puerto Jiménez, Punta Islita, La Managua in Quepos, Pérez Zeledón, Tamarindo and Tambor.
According to Miranda, despite the inclement weather, all operate normally, but Civil Aviation constantly evaluates their operation.
San Jose airport is not affected, for now
The Juan Santamaría International Airport, or San Jose airport (SJO) managed by Aeris, reported that the air terminal, for now, is operating normally.
“At the moment, the Juan Santamaría International Airport is operating normally. There are no cancellations, delays or diversions on the flights scheduled for this Friday, November 15. It is recommended that you check the status of your flight and stay in contact with your airline,” said the airport manager in a statement.
Tourism in Guanacaste has been strongly impacted by the rains from storms Rafael and Sara.
Many routes and access roads to tourist destinations are impassable, and flooding and mud slides is preventing work in the sector.
Tourism associations report problems in communities such as Filadelfia, in the canton of Carrillo, and Santa Cruz, mainly due to flooding, but also roads damaged by mud.
Costa Rica’s high tourism season officially began on Friday, November 15, following the traditional ending of the rainy season and the country transitions into the dry season.
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