New Airline Routes to Open in Costa Rica

According to Costa Rica's Civil Aviation Administration, several new routes could be launched between Costa Rica and various destinations in the Americas during the coming months.  The agency has already provided approval for new routes for two carriers and approval for a third carrier is currently pending with the agency.
Avianca, of Colombia, is scheduled to open new routes that will run between San José and Santiago, Chile as well as San José and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Both routes are scheduled to include stopovers in Bogotá, Colombia. Operation of the routes, which are already approved, is scheduled to begin August 16.
In addition, the Civil Aviation Administration has given approval to Cubana de Aviación for a non-stop flight to Havana, Cuba. Flights could begin as soon as next month. More routes may also open soon as JetBlue Airways, the low cost carrier from the U.S., has taken steps to open a new route from Liberia, Guanacaste to Boston. If the route is approved, the service could begin in early November.

A new local carrier, Air Costa Rica, may also receive approval later in the year, according to DGAC Director Álvaro Vargas. Air Costa Rica has already applied to receive licensure for the operation of three routes that will operate between San José and Miami, Nicaragua, and Panama. The company will also provide charter flights to San Andrés, Colombia.

Ticos Air, another local carrier, began the approval process last year. Currently, the company is awaiting formal requests for routes.

In the coming weeks, VECA, a Salvadoran carrier, is expected to submit a formal application that would allow the company to operate in Costa Rica as well as launch a route between San Salvador and San José.

Two more airlines have also requested a meeting with DGAC, according to Vargas, in order to discuss the requirements for launching routes. Those airlines include Transaero Airlines, from Russia, and Azul Linhas Aéreas Brasileiras.