Juan Santamaría International Airport
Encyclopedia
Juan Santamaría International Airport is located in Alajuela Province
, about 20 km (12.4 mi) from downtown San José, Costa Rica
. It is a hub airport for TACA
/Lacsa
, and focus city airport for Copa Airlines
. It is named after Costa Rica's national hero Juan Santamaría
, a courageous drummer boy who died in 1856 defending his country against forces led by US-American filibuster
William Walker. The airport, which is Costa Rica's primary international airport, serves a great number of tourists from Canada
, Europe
and the United States
. There are three other international airports in the country, but of those only the Daniel Oduber International Airport in Liberia
, Guanacaste
is served by major airlines. Currently, Juan Santamaría with 4.1 million passengers, is the second busiest airport in Central America after Tocumen International Airport
in Panamá
.
The airport's main runway allows for operations of large, widebody aircraft. Currently some scheduled flights are operated with Airbus
A330
and A340
, and Boeing
747
and 767
, for both passengers and freight. A Concorde
landed in the year 1999 for that year's airshow. The airport's major airlines are TACA
/Lacsa
with its international network and TACA's subsidiary Sansa for domestic flights. The airport has also a small hangar (called the "NASA
" hangar) where they keep research aircraft that operate in Costa Rica. Among the most relevant aircraft operated from this hangar is the WB-57F high altitude aircraft.
The Costa Rican government charges a $26 USD departure fee, which can be paid in cash (U.S. dollars or equivalent in Colones
) or may be paid by Credit Card. The fee can be paid at the airport or in advance at most hotels and banks.
A Diplomatic Receptions Room is situated in the main terminal and only open to Diplomatic visitors.
Licensed taxis are available in the airport and will generally accept both Colones
and U.S. dollars
, but not other currencies. Licensed taxis are red with yellow triangles on the doors, additionally there is an airport taxi service that is licenced and employs orange taxis.
, followed by Copa Airlines
, Continental Airlines
and American Airlines
. The following airlines have scheduled direct services to and/or from Juan Santamaría International Airport (as of September 2010):
Alajuela Province
Alajuela is a province of Costa Rica. It is located in the north-central part of the country, bordering Nicaragua to the north, and clockwise the provinces Heredia, San José, Puntarenas and Guanacaste...
, about 20 km (12.4 mi) from downtown San José, Costa Rica
San José, Costa Rica
San José is the capital and largest city of Costa Rica. Located in the Central Valley, San José is the seat of national government, the focal point of political and economic activity, and the major transportation hub of this Central American nation.Founded in 1738 by order of Cabildo de León, San...
. It is a hub airport for TACA
Grupo TACA
TACA is the trade name "brand" comprising a group of five independently IATA-coded and -owned Central American airlines, whose operations are combined to function as one and a number of other independently owned and IATA-coded regional airlines which code-share and feed the TACA brand system...
/Lacsa
Lacsa
Lacsa , is the national airline of Costa Rica and is based in San José. It operates international scheduled services to over 35 destinations in Central, North and South America. All international services are now operated by Grupo TACA...
, and focus city airport for Copa Airlines
Copa Airlines
Compañía Panameña de Aviación, S.A., operating as Copa Airlines ', is an airline based in Panama City, Panama, and serves as Panama's flag carrier...
. It is named after Costa Rica's national hero Juan Santamaría
Juan Santamaría
Juan Santamaría , is officially recognized as the national hero of the Republic of Costa Rica. A national holiday in Costa Rica, Juan Santamaría Day, is held every April 11 to commemorate his death....
, a courageous drummer boy who died in 1856 defending his country against forces led by US-American filibuster
Filibuster (military)
A filibuster, or freebooter, is someone who engages in an unauthorized military expedition into a foreign country to foment or support a revolution...
William Walker. The airport, which is Costa Rica's primary international airport, serves a great number of tourists from Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
and the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. There are three other international airports in the country, but of those only the Daniel Oduber International Airport in Liberia
Liberia, Costa Rica
Liberia is the capital and largest city of Guanacaste province, Costa Rica, located northwest of the national capital, San José.-Summary:With more than 35,000 inhabitants, Liberia is the regional hub of the Costa Rican northwest. The city center features a modern church, as many Costa Rican towns...
, Guanacaste
Guanacaste Province
Guanacaste is a province of Costa Rica located in the northwestern part of the country, along the coast of the Pacific Ocean. To the north it borders Nicaragua. To the east is the Alajuela Province, and to the southeast is the Puntarenas Province. It is the most sparsely populated of all the...
is served by major airlines. Currently, Juan Santamaría with 4.1 million passengers, is the second busiest airport in Central America after Tocumen International Airport
Tocumen International Airport
Tocumen International Airport is an international airport located from Panama City, Panama. In 2006, it underwent a major expansion and renovation program in order to modernize and improve its facilities...
in Panamá
Panama
Panama , officially the Republic of Panama , is the southernmost country of Central America. Situated on the isthmus connecting North and South America, it is bordered by Costa Rica to the northwest, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The...
.
The airport's main runway allows for operations of large, widebody aircraft. Currently some scheduled flights are operated with Airbus
Airbus
Airbus SAS is an aircraft manufacturing subsidiary of EADS, a European aerospace company. Based in Blagnac, France, surburb of Toulouse, and with significant activity across Europe, the company produces around half of the world's jet airliners....
A330
Airbus A330
The Airbus A330 is a wide-body twin-engine jet airliner made by Airbus, a division of EADS. Versions of the A330 have a range of and can accommodate up to 335 passengers in a two-class layout or carry of cargo....
and A340
Airbus A340
The Airbus A340 is a long-range four-engine wide-body commercial passenger jet airliner. Developed by Airbus Industrie,A consortium of European aerospace companies, Airbus is now fully owned by EADS and since 2001 has been known as Airbus SAS. a consortium of European aerospace companies, which is...
, and Boeing
Boeing
The Boeing Company is an American multinational aerospace and defense corporation, founded in 1916 by William E. Boeing in Seattle, Washington. Boeing has expanded over the years, merging with McDonnell Douglas in 1997. Boeing Corporate headquarters has been in Chicago, Illinois since 2001...
747
Boeing 747
The Boeing 747 is a wide-body commercial airliner and cargo transport, often referred to by its original nickname, Jumbo Jet, or Queen of the Skies. It is among the world's most recognizable aircraft, and was the first wide-body ever produced...
and 767
Boeing 767
The Boeing 767 is a mid-size, wide-body twin-engine jet airliner built by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. It was the manufacturer's first wide-body twinjet and its first airliner with a two-crew glass cockpit. The aircraft features two turbofan engines, a supercritical wing, and a conventional tail...
, for both passengers and freight. A Concorde
Concorde
Aérospatiale-BAC Concorde was a turbojet-powered supersonic passenger airliner, a supersonic transport . It was a product of an Anglo-French government treaty, combining the manufacturing efforts of Aérospatiale and the British Aircraft Corporation...
landed in the year 1999 for that year's airshow. The airport's major airlines are TACA
Grupo TACA
TACA is the trade name "brand" comprising a group of five independently IATA-coded and -owned Central American airlines, whose operations are combined to function as one and a number of other independently owned and IATA-coded regional airlines which code-share and feed the TACA brand system...
/Lacsa
Lacsa
Lacsa , is the national airline of Costa Rica and is based in San José. It operates international scheduled services to over 35 destinations in Central, North and South America. All international services are now operated by Grupo TACA...
with its international network and TACA's subsidiary Sansa for domestic flights. The airport has also a small hangar (called the "NASA
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
" hangar) where they keep research aircraft that operate in Costa Rica. Among the most relevant aircraft operated from this hangar is the WB-57F high altitude aircraft.
The Costa Rican government charges a $26 USD departure fee, which can be paid in cash (U.S. dollars or equivalent in Colones
Costa Rican colón
The colón is the currency of Costa Rica. The plural is colones in Spanish, but English speakers often say colons instead. The ISO 4217 code is CRC....
) or may be paid by Credit Card. The fee can be paid at the airport or in advance at most hotels and banks.
Infrastructure
The airport has 17 gates, 9 of them with jetbridges. It is capable of housing 17 commercial airplanes at the same time. There are 3 waiting rooms built on the first floor of the airport, next to the V.I.P room, for regional/domestic flights.Operations and administration
The airport was operated by Alterra Partners from 2001 to 2009 as part of a plan to improve the airport by the Costa Rican government. As of July 1, 2009, the privately owned Houston-based Canadian-American company ADC & HAS and the Brazilian company, Andrade Gutierrez Concessoes (AGC) - subsidiary of the conglomerate Andrade Gutierrez - took over the operations and administration of Alterra Partners as the previous operators and administrators (AGI, Bechtel, SRL) had mismanaged the airport and its construction and were in non-compliance of the concession contract. The debt financing was arranged through the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC). In Dec 2009, Alterra Partners changed its name to AERIS Holdings, S.A. and the new operators/administrators of the concession installed a new management team with the objective of making it a world class airport. The management team is composed of Carlos Plass as CEO (former CEO of Santiago International Airport in Chile), Tom Bartlett as COO (former COO of the Houston Airport System in Houston) and Rafael Mencia as CFO (former CFO of Aerodom, the company managing the concession for Santo Domingo Airport and five other airports in the Dominican Republic). Under this management, the construction for the expansion of the terminal is on schedule and is expected to be completed by Dec 1, 2010, with part of the terminal (including the new immigration hall) to be inaugurated May 1, 2010.Statistics
International parking positions
- Boarding Bridges: 9
- No Boarding Bridges: 2 (Positions 1 and 11)
Lounges
A business/VIP lounge is located in the lower level of the main terminal, across gate 4A. 'VIP Lounge Costa Rica' is the only lounge of this kind in the Juan Santamaria airport, and is exclusively for business/first class passengers of selected airlines, travel companies, banks, Priority Pass program members. Also, any passenger can use the lounge for a fee.A Diplomatic Receptions Room is situated in the main terminal and only open to Diplomatic visitors.
Ground transportation
There is a bus stop outside the airport for the Alajuela - San José route in both directions. Buses from other routes also stop there however for the visiting tourist not staying in the immediate downtown San Jose area, it is not recommended to attempt to figure out the bus system unless fluent Spanish is spoken. It is better to arrange private meet & greet and transfer service which is easily done through a variety of transportation companies that service all areas of Costa Rica. The cost of a nice comfortable private van is usually the same as a regular taxi.Licensed taxis are available in the airport and will generally accept both Colones
Costa Rican colón
The colón is the currency of Costa Rica. The plural is colones in Spanish, but English speakers often say colons instead. The ISO 4217 code is CRC....
and U.S. dollars
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
, but not other currencies. Licensed taxis are red with yellow triangles on the doors, additionally there is an airport taxi service that is licenced and employs orange taxis.
Main Terminal [M]
The major operator in the airport is TACA/LACSAGrupo TACA
TACA is the trade name "brand" comprising a group of five independently IATA-coded and -owned Central American airlines, whose operations are combined to function as one and a number of other independently owned and IATA-coded regional airlines which code-share and feed the TACA brand system...
, followed by Copa Airlines
Copa Airlines
Compañía Panameña de Aviación, S.A., operating as Copa Airlines ', is an airline based in Panama City, Panama, and serves as Panama's flag carrier...
, Continental Airlines
Continental Airlines
Continental Airlines was a major American airline now merged with United Airlines. On May 3, 2010, Continental Airlines, Inc. and UAL, Inc. announced a merger via a stock swap, and on October 1, 2010, the merger closed and UAL changed its name to United Continental Holdings, Inc...
and American Airlines
American Airlines
American Airlines, Inc. is the world's fourth-largest airline in passenger miles transported and operating revenues. American Airlines is a subsidiary of the AMR Corporation and is headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas adjacent to its largest hub at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport...
. The following airlines have scheduled direct services to and/or from Juan Santamaría International Airport (as of September 2010):
Sansa Terminal [S]
All domestic flights depart from the Sansa Terminal.Charter airlines
Cargo airlines
- ABX AirABX AirABX Air, Inc., formerly Airborne Express, is a cargo airline headquartered at Wilmington Air Park in unincorporated Clinton County, Ohio, United States, near the City of Wilmington. ABX Air operates scheduled, ad hoc charter and ACMI freight services. It also provides flight support services and...
- Air Transport InternationalAir Transport InternationalAir Transport International LLC is an airline based in Little Rock, Arkansas, USA. It operates worldwide cargo and combi charters for the express package industry and freight forwarders, as well as for the United States Department of Defense and the automotive industry. It also wet-leases aircraft....
- DHLDHLDHL Express is a division of the German logistics company Deutsche Post providing international express mail services. DHL is a world market leader in sea and air mail....
/ DHL Aero ExpresoDHL Aero ExpresoDHL Aero Expreso S.A. is a cargo airline based in Panama City, Panama. It is wholly owned by Deutsche Post World Net and operates the group's DHL-branded parcel and express services in Central and South America. Its main base is Tocumen International Airport, Panama City.- History :The airline was... - Euro Atlantic Cargo
- Florida West International AirwaysFlorida West International AirwaysFlorida West International Airways is an American cargo airline based on the grounds of Miami International Airport in unincorporated Miami-Dade County, Florida, USA. It operates scheduled and charter services worldwide, with its main markets in Latin America, the Caribbean and the USA...
- LAN Chile CargoLAN Chile CargoLAN Cargo S.A. is a cargo airline based in Santiago, Chile. It is the cargo subsidiary of LAN Airlines operating cargo flights in South America and North America. Its main base is Miami International Airport.- History :...
- Líneas Aéreas SuramericanasLíneas Aéreas SuramericanasLíneas Aéreas Suramericanas is a cargo airline based in Bogotá, Colombia. It operates domestic cargo charters and international services to North and South America, Mexico, and the Caribbean. Its main base is El Dorado International Airport, Bogotá.- History :...
- Martinair Cargo
- MasAirMasAirAerotransportes Mas de Carga, S.A. de C.V., operating as MasAir, is a cargo airline based in Mexico City, Mexico. It operates scheduled cargo services in Mexico and to the USA, Brazil, Ecuador and Colombia...
- Southern AirSouthern AirSouthern Air Inc. is a United States airline based in Norwalk, Connecticut, United States.A U.S. FAA part 121 supplemental cargo carrier and portfolio company of Oak Hill Capital Partners, Southern Air, through an all-Boeing fleet of 777Fs, 747-400BCFs and 747-200s, provides a wide range of...
- UPSUnited Parcel ServiceUnited Parcel Service, Inc. , typically referred to by the acronym UPS, is a package delivery company. Headquartered in Sandy Springs, Georgia, United States, UPS delivers more than 15 million packages a day to 6.1 million customers in more than 220 countries and territories around the...
External links
- Dirección General de Aviación Civil de Costa Rica Costa Rican Aviation Authority