KLM has resumed direct flights from Amsterdam to Liberia, Costa Rica.
President Carlos Alvarado shared an image of the Dutch flight after it arrived to the Guanacaste-area airport on Tuesday night: “This is the first in a series of returning flights and new connections to be announced this weekend,” President Alvarado said.
“We celebrate it because it contributes on the road to the recovery of tourism employment in our regions, for the benefit of many families.”
KLM, the world’s oldest operating airline, has also retaken flights from the Netherlands to Juan Santamaría International Airport near San José. That route resumed in November 2020.
The Dutch airline has served Daniel Oduber Quirós International Airport (LIR) since October 2019. The nonstop flight is blocked at more than 14 hours.
“Guanacaste is the second-largest region of Costa Rica,” Pieter Elbers, KLM’s CEO, said at the time. “The region is known for its beautiful nature, which makes it a unique holiday destination in combination with San José. All this makes Guanacaste Liberia a valuable addition to our KLM network.”
The Costa Rica Tourism Board and United Airlines celebrated the first of two new routes for the North American carrier to Juan Santamaría International Airport (SJO)
Thursday afternoon, the San José-area airport received a United flight direct from Los Angeles, which the Tourism Board (ICT) says is one of the cities “with the highest concentration of tourists interested in traveling to Costa Rica.”
“San Francisco and Los Angeles occupy the second and third places in the ‘top 3’ of the large cities or metropolitan areas of that country with the highest concentration of tourists interested in traveling to Costa Rica,” said Tourism Minister Gustavo Segura.
“[They are] tourists with the profile we are looking for: love of nature, culture and sustainability.”
The second inaugural flight will arrive Saturday evening from Denver.
The Los Angeles flight will operate five times weekly through the end of December with varying frequencies in 2021. The Denver flight will operate on Saturdays.
“United Airlines celebrates 30 years of flying to Costa Rica, and what better way to celebrate it than to open new routes to Los Angeles, California and Denver, Colorado — two world-class destinations,” said Carlos Granados Hernández, United Airlines Sales Manager for Costa Rica and Nicaragua.
With the new routes, Costa Rica’s largest international airport expects to end 2020 with direct connections to 20 cities across the world.
Costa Rica fully reopened its air borders to tourists on November 1. It requires that visitors purchase travel health insurance. Tourists do not need to quarantine on arrival or bring proof of a negative coronavirus test
The Canadian airline Sunwing announced that from December 23rd, 2018 and until March 31st, 2019, will fly from Vancouver, British Columbia, to Liberia, Guanacaste, with a Boeing 737 MAX 8.
The information of this new direct flight that will link Canada and Costa Rica was confirmed on Monday, June 11th, through a statement from the Costa Rican Tourism Institute (ICT).
The flight is scheduled to leave Vancouver on Sunday, December 23rd at 6 a.m. and arrive in Liberia at 3:10 p.m. and then leave Liberia on Sunday, December 30th at 5:30 p.m. and arrive in Canada at 5:30 p.m. 11:30 pm. The published times are in local hours of each country and are subject to changes without prior notice.
Sunwing Airlines jet
This is the 2nd flight that is announced for the province of Guanacaste in the current administration, because last Thursday, June 7th, the Government of Costa Rica and representatives of the company Aeromexico, reported a direct service, twice a week, between the Mexico City and Liberia.
6 years of conversations
In August 2011, Costa Rica and Canada signed an air transport agreement to open the door to commercial flights between both countries, without touching the United States land.
As a result of this agreement, in October 2012 the 1st flight of the Canadian airline WestJet arrived at the Daniel Oduber Quirós International Airport, in Liberia Guanacaste. And in April 2016 the airline Air Canada announced a new direct flight, between Montreal and Costa Rica, during the winter season in the northern hemisphere.
Ticos interested in taking advantage of the new Vancouver route require a visa
Currently, to obtain a Canadian transit or tourism visa, four forms must be filled out on a Canadian government website and taken in person to the offices of the International Organization for Migration (IOM), along with 2 photographs of the same size, passport, documentation that demonstrates rooting in the country, and the flight itinerary.
Before that, the person must pay at the Bank of Costa Rica, the cost of processing, about ¢ 36,000.
Last September, during a bilateral meeting, the Canadian Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau offered to review the procedure that Costa Ricans must take to obtain a visa that allows them to travel to that North American nation.
Trudeau was willing to soften the requirements, after the then president, Luis Guillermo Solis, told him about the difficulties faced by his countrymen to receive this migratory endorsement. Since then, no progress has been made on this issue.
Satisfaction in the sector
With the arrival of this new route to Daniel Oduber Quirós International Airport, tourists will have the opportunity to enter Guanacaste -one of the destinations by the preference of the North American markets.
Daniel Oduber Quirós International Airport
“At Coriport we celebrate Sunwing’s new flight from Vancouver to Daniel Oduber International Airport in Liberia. We have worked for hand in hand with the authorities to offer modern, innovative, climate-controlled and safe facilities”, said César Jaramillo, general manager of the Inter-American Investment Corporation (Coriport), which manages the airport in Liberia.
“It fills me with joy to give such good news in such a short time, because one of the commitments I have assumed during my administration is the strengthening of tourism in Mexico, the United States and Canada, markets of great importance for Costa Rica, by affinity issues and distance”, added Maria Amalia Revelo, Minister of Tourism.
Meanwhile, Andrew Dawson, president of Tour Operations for Sunwing, said he was “happy” to present Costa Rica as a destination for next winter”. In addition to being famous for its ecotourism and adventures, this popular destination is also noted for the quality of its accommodation and its people”, he said.
WOW! It seems like the new terminal was just completed. And now further expansion. So exciting. I expect this will only make it easier for our guests to enjoy the region, and entice even more airline connections from points all over the world!
Airport administrator Corporación Interamericana de Inversiones will invest $10.3 million to expand the terminal and increase its current capacity by about 20 percent.
Air France is ready for its first direct flight from Paris to San José on November 2th. Through its official Twitter account, the airline showed a 31-second video with some of the ‘most charming’ tourist destinations in Costa Rica such as Jacó, Poas Volcano, Celeste River, Uvita or La Fortuna de San Carlos. The first…
Exciting news! For easiest transfer to Tamarindo, try a domestic flight on Sansa or Nature Air. Or rent a car and see the country side on your way to the west coast and it’s stunning beaches. Certainly beats the chill of Toronto in the winter season!
Starting in December, Air Canada will increase the number of Toronto-San José flights it offers from five a week to 11.
You’ll find 2 major airlines providing domestic air service in Costa Rica, and both offer service to/from Tamarindo Airport (TMO). As the article suggests, much quicker and more comfortable than driving to most destinations. The planes are small, so seating can be limited. Also, pay attention to baggage restrictions.
Tico Times offers Costa Rica’s domestic flight information and other useful tips for all local travelers and foreign visitors.
Casa Tranquila - Beach Condo at Tamarindo Sunrise 
