Juan Santamaría International Airport

Juan Santamaría International Airport (Spanish: Aeropuerto Internacional Juan Santamaría) (IATA: SJO, ICAO: MROC) is the primary airport serving San José, the capital of Costa Rica. The airport is located in the city of Alajuela, 20 km (12 miles) west of downtown San José. 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.

Juan Santamaría International Airport

Aeropuerto Internacional Juan Santamaría
Summary
Airport typePublic
OwnerGovernment of Costa Rica
OperatorAeris Holdings Costa Rica under ADC & HAS and Andrade Gutiérrez Concesores
ServesSan José, Costa Rica
LocationAlajuela Province, Costa Rica
Hub for
Focus city for
Elevation AMSL921 m / 3,022 ft
Coordinates09°59′38″N 084°12′32″W
Websitehttps://sjoairport.com/
Map
SJO
Location in Costa Rica
Runways
Direction Length Surface
m ft
07/25 3,012 9,882 Asphalt
Statistics (2019)
Passengers5,537,714
Passenger change 18–195.9%
Aircraft movements81,578
Movements change 18–193.4%
Source: Costa Rican AIP,[1] DGAC[2]

The airport is a hub of a local airline Sansa Airlines, bases for Avianca Costa Rica and Volaris Costa Rica, and a focus city for Copa Airlines. It was the country's only international gateway for many years, but nowadays there is also an international airport in Liberia, Guanacaste. Both airports have direct flights to North and Central America and Europe, with the difference that Juan Santamaría International Airport also serves cities in South America and the Caribbean.

Juan Santamaría International Airport was once the busiest airport in Central America, but currently it is ranked second after Tocumen International Airport in Panamá. In 2016, Juan Santamaría International Airport received 4.6 million passengers (both international and domestic). In 2011, the airport was named the 3rd Best Airport in Latin America - Caribbean from the Airport Service Quality Awards by Airports Council International[3]

History

The airport was built to replace the previous one in downtown San Jose where Parque La Sabana is located today.[4] Funding was secured by the government in 1951[5] and construction proceed slowly until it was officially inaugurated on May 2, 1958.[6] It was initially called "Aeropuerto Internacional el Coco" after its location of the same name in the province of Alajuela. It would later be renamed in honor of Juan Santamaría. In 1961, funding was secured to build the highway that connects the airport to downtown San José.[7]

Ground transportation

The road access to the airport is on an exit at Route 1, and near the exit to Alajuela. There is a parking area with surcharge, plus a bus stop with plenty of services to San Jose downtown (with no exact schedule but with 24-hours bus service and approximately one service every 10 minutes during working hours). Licensed taxis are available in the airport and will generally accept both colones and U.S. dollars, but not other currencies. Costa Rican taxis are red with yellow triangles on the doors, ubiquitous all over the country, plus there is a special airport taxi service that is licensed and employs orange taxis. While the rail line linking downtown Alajuela with San José's Atlantic Station passes in close proximity to the airport, there is no station serving the airport and no rail service of any kind to the airport.

Facilities
Terminal building and control tower.

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, 767 and 777, for both passengers and freight. A Concorde landed in 1999 for that year's airshow.[8] Previously, the airport had a small hangar, called the "NASA" hangar, to house research aircraft, like the Martin B-57 Canberra high altitude aircraft, that were being operated in Costa Rica.[9] After that mission was completed, the hangar was removed.[10]

Interior of the check-in hall

The largest operator in the airport is Avianca, followed by Copa Airlines which uses the Main Terminal (M). Sansa Airlines flights depart from the Domestic Terminal (D). No major changes were made to the terminal until November 1997 when the government issued a decree requesting participation of private companies to manage the operations of the airport.[11] After a few years of legal challenges and contract negotiations, Alterra Partners was given a 20-year concession and started managing the facilities in May 2001.[11] It was also expected that the company would finish the necessary expansion and construction of new facilities, however in March 2002, Alterra announced it would cease any further construction due to disagreements over financing and airport use fee billing with the government.[12] The dispute was extended for a few years and problems started at the terminal; in 2005, the International Civil Aviation Organization pointed out that the airport did not comply with safety regulations.[6] In July 2009, Alterra yielded the contract to a consortium composed of Houston-based Canadian-American company ADC & HAS and the Brazilian company, Andrade Gutierrez Concessoes (AGC) - subsidiary of the conglomerate Andrade Gutierrez.[13] In December 2009, Alterra Partners changed its name to AERIS Holdings, S.A.[13] In November 2010, Aeris announced it had finished the expansion and construction of new facilities with the installation of the 9th boarding bridge.[14]

The airport houses three business lounges for both special card holders and business class travellers; Avianca Club, Copa Club and VIP Lounge (for BAC Credomatic customers).[15]

Airlines and destinations

The following airlines have scheduled direct services to and/or from Juan Santamaría International Airport:

Passenger
Current domestic routes from SJO.
Current Americas routes from SJO.
Current European routes from SJO.
AirlinesDestinations
Aeroméxico Mexico City (resumes September 1, 2020)[16]
Air Canada Rouge Toronto–Pearson
Seasonal: Montréal–Trudeau
Air France Paris–Charles de Gaulle
Air Panama David, Panama City–Albrook
Air Transat Seasonal: Montréal–Trudeau
Alaska Airlines Los Angeles
American AirlinesCharlotte, Dallas/Fort Worth, Miami, New York–JFK
Seasonal: Phoenix–Sky Harbor
Avianca Costa RicaBogotá (resumes September 2, 2020),[17] Guatemala City, Managua, Miami, Panama City–Tocumen, San Salvador
Avianca El SalvadorSan Salvador (resumes August 18, 2020)[18]
Avianca GuatemalaGuatemala City
British AirwaysLondon–Gatwick
Copa AirlinesGuatemala City, Managua, Panama City–Tocumen (resumes September 4, 2020),[19] Tegucigalpa
Copa Airlines ColombiaPanama City–Tocumen
Delta Air LinesAtlanta, Los Angeles
Edelweiss AirZürich
IberiaMadrid
InterjetMexico City
JetBlueFort Lauderdale, New York–JFK, Orlando
KLMSeasonal: Amsterdam
LATAM PerúLima
LufthansaFrankfurt
Sansa AirlinesCosta Esmeralda, Drake Bay, Golfito, La Fortuna, Liberia, Limón, Palmar Sur, Puerto Jiménez, Quepos, San Isidro, Tamarindo, Tambor, Tortuguero
Spirit AirlinesFort Lauderdale, Orlando
United AirlinesHouston–Intercontinental, Newark
Seasonal: Chicago–O'Hare, Washington–Dulles
Volaris Costa RicaCancún, Guatemala City, Mexico City, San Salvador
WestJetToronto–Pearson
Wingo Bogotá
Arrival hall
Notes
  • ^1 Condor's flights to and from Frankfurt fly via Santo Domingo, the airline has rights to transport passengers solely from Santo Domingo-Las Americas to San Jose.

Cargo
AirlinesDestinations
ABX Air Guatemala City
Avianca Cargo Miami
DHL Aviation Miami, Los Angeles, Panama City-Tocumen
DHL de Guatemala Guatemala City
FedEx Express Memphis, Panama City
LATAM Cargo Brasil Miami
LATAM Cargo Chile Miami
Mas Air Mexico City
UPS Airlines Miami
Terminal facade

Statistics

Juan Santamaria International Airport is the largest and busiest airport in Costa Rica, having experienced a constant increase in traffic since its opening in 1958, boosted by the growing flow of tourists. The airport reached more than one million passengers per year for the first time in 1991 and having a record number of passengers in 2018. Traffic movements reached its highest number in 2017, while freight (in metric tons) reached a peak in 2011, with 98,609 tons.

SJO passenger totals, 2000–2019 (millions)
Source: DGAC
Number of passengersPercentage changeNumber of movementsFreight (tonnes)
1960 209,624–––
1965 216,16209.6%14,8279,839
1970 381,278016.3%28,67319,808
1975 759,098018.1%33,41721,727
1980 658,15402.5%33,01321,712
1985 617,47400.3%24,99027,282
1990 987,870010.8%35,56972,419
1995 1,839,17503.8%52,40288,249
2000 2,160,86904.3%72,42877,137
2005 3,243,440012.2%72,13164,338
2010 4,257,60605.0%87,38485,164
2011 3,857,58809.4%72,67498,609
2012 3,872,46700.4%67,00294,775
2013 3,797,61601.9%62,59885,022
2014 3,917,57303.2%73,30786,741
2015 4,494,875014.7%82,83575,329
2016 4,595,35502.2%85,73173,633
2017 5,092,060010.8%90,04482,712
2018 5,230,38202.7%78,89791,152
2019 5,537,71405.9%81,57892,072
Source: Directorate General of Civil Aviation of Costa Rica

Top international destinations
Busiest international routes to and from SJO (Jan. 2018 – Dec. 2018)
AirportArrivalsDeparturesTotal2014-2015Carriers
1 Panama City, Panama1 405,608 415,602 821,210 00.62% Air Panama, Avianca, Copa
2 Houston, United States2 211,017 204,318 415,335 08.89% Southwest, United
3 Mexico City, Mexico 189,358 191,635 380,993 016.67% Aeroméxico, Interjet, Volaris
4 Fort Lauderdale, United States 188,381 188,457 376,838 017.51% Jetblue, Southwest, Spirit
5 San Salvador, El Salvador 182,658 185,483 368,141 01.68% Avianca, Volaris
6 Miami, United States 146,658 149,607 296,265 01.00% American
7 Atlanta, United States 127,362 128,674 256,036 07.45% Delta
8 Guatemala City, Guatemala 126,354 123,937 250,291 017.06% Avianca, Copa, Volaris
9 Bogotá, Colombia 109,184 108,389 217,573 06.48% Avianca, Wingo
10 Madrid, Spain 96,489 101,827 198,316 02.03% Iberia
11 Los Angeles, United States 90,317 86,237 176,554 035.57% Alaska, Delta
12 Newark, United States 91,460 83,374 174,834 02.16% United
13 Lima, Perú 68,203 72,427 140,630 076.71% LATAM, Avianca
14 Orlando, United States 53,046 54,702 107,748 05.96% Jetblue, Spirit
15 Dallas, United States 51,585 53,735 105,320 02.90% American
16 Toronto, Canada 51,136 46,897 98,033 08.79% Air Canada, Air Transat, WestJet
17 Paris, France 47,348 46,619 93,967 0290.75% Air France
18 Managua, Nicaragua 44,560 46,125 90,685 041.84% Copa
19 Frankfurt, Germany 40,980 42,908 83,8883 0103.89% Lufthansa, Condor
20 Cancún, Mexico 32,461 33,403 65,864 035.78% Viva Aerobus, Volaris,
21 Zurich, Switzerland 31,959 32,244 64,203 075.42% Edelweiss
22 London, United Kingdom 26,996 27,620 54,616 00.76% British Airways
23 Charlotte, United States 27,183 24,233 51,416 02.00% American
24 Tegucigalpa, Honduras 26,578 19,771 46,349 00.09% Avianca, Copa
25 Amsterdam, Netherlands 16,756 15,166 31,922 0554.01% KLM
Source: Directorate General of Civil Aviation. Air Transportation Statistical Yearbook (Years 2017,[20] and 2018[21]).
Notes:

^1 Avianca and Copa fly to Panama City-Tocumen Airport, and Air Panama flies to Panama City-Albrook Airport. The data here is for traffic between SJO and all airports in Panama City.
^2 United and Spirit fly to Houston-Intercontinental Airport, and Southwest flies to Houston-Hobby Airport. The data here is for traffic between SJO and all airports in Houston.
^3 Includes passengers to Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. The German airline Condor flies between San José and Frankfurt making a stopover in Santo Domingo, and the airline has the right to transport passengers between SJO and SDQ and vice versa only. However, the data about passengers flying to and arriving from Santo Domingo only are not defined by the DGAC, and not comparable yearly. Also, Lufthansa started to fly directly from FRA to SJO and return on March 29, 2018

Accidents and incidents
  • On May 23, 1988 a leased Boeing 727-100 (TI-LRC) operating the route San Jose-Managua-Miami, collided with a fence at the end of the runway in the Juan Santamaria International Airport, crashed at a nearby field next to a highway, and caught fire. The excess of weight in the front part of the airplane was the cause of the accident. There were no fatalities out of the 23 occupants.
  • On January 16, 1990, SANSA Flight 32 crashed into the Cerro Cedral, a mountain shortly after take off from Juan Santamaria International Airport. All 20 passengers and 3 crew on board died in the crash.
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See also

References
  1. AIP - Part 3 Aerodromes Archived 2011-09-27 at the Wayback Machine
  2. (in Spanish) Resumen Estadístico del Transporte Aéreo 2019. Archived 2018-04-13 at the Wayback Machine
  3. "ASQ Award for Best Airport in Latin America - Caribbean" Archived 2012-02-18 at the Wayback Machine Airports Council International. 14 February 2012. Retrieved 2012-04-13
  4. Calvo, Rodrigo (2011-03-27). "Los mil rostros de La Sabana". La Nacion (in Spanish). Costa Rica. Archived from the original on 2011-04-04. Retrieved 2012-08-07.
  5. "En primber debate fueron aprobados el Arancel de Aduanas y la Ley de Pagos Internacionales". La Nacion (in Spanish). Costa Rica. 1951-11-26. Archived from the original on 2016-01-22. Retrieved 2015-12-26.
  6. Rojas, Ronny (2008-07-09). "El Santamaría incumple normas de seguridad". Al Dia (in Spanish). Costa Rica. Archived from the original on 2008-09-17. Retrieved 2012-08-07.
  7. "Hace 50 años, Sábado 11 de marzo de 1961". La Nacion (in Spanish). Costa Rica. 2011-03-11. Archived from the original on 2011-10-07. Retrieved 2012-08-07.
  8. Delgado, Edgar (1999-01-28). "Concorde impuso récord". La Nacion (in Spanish). Costa Rica. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2012-09-01.
  9. Ponchner, Debbie (2005-07-02). "Hoy despega de suelo tico la misión TCSP de la NASA". La Nacion (in Spanish). Costa Rica. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2012-09-01.
  10. Ponchner, Debbie (2007-05-05). "NASA realizará gran misión científica desde suelo tico". La Nacion (in Spanish). Costa Rica. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2012-09-01.
  11. Feigenblatt, Hazel (2001-05-05). "Aeropuerto a manos privadas hoy". La Nacion (in Spanish). Costa Rica. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2012-08-07.
  12. Loaiza, Vanessa (2002-03-15). "Suspenden obras en aeropuerto". La Nacion (in Spanish). Costa Rica. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2012-08-07.
  13. Loaiza, Vanessa (2009-12-04). "BID presta $45 millones para ampliar Juan Santamaría". La Nacion (in Spanish). Costa Rica. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2012-08-07.
  14. Loaiza, Vanessa (2010-11-10). "Concluye modernización de aeropuerto Santamaría". La Nacion (in Spanish). Costa Rica. Archived from the original on 2010-11-14. Retrieved 2012-08-07.
  15. "VIP Services - Juan Santamaría International Airport". sjoairport.com. Retrieved 2020-01-06.
  16. "Safety Precautions: COVID-19". Aeroméxico. July 2020. Retrieved July 19, 2020.
  17. "Avianca plans its international flights from Colombia". Nicolás Larenas (in Spanish). July 2020. Retrieved July 29, 2020.
  18. "Avianca reviews the restart of its flights in Central America". Nicolás Larenas (in Spanish). August 2020. Retrieved August 8, 2020.
  19. "Copa Airlines would restart its flights to these international destinations". Nicolás Larenas (in Spanish). July 2020. Retrieved August 4, 2020.
  20. Anuario Estadístico de Transporte Aéreo 2017. Dirección General de Aviación Civil de Costa Rica
  21. Anuario Estadístico de Transporte Aéreo 2018. Dirección General de Aviación Civil de Costa Rica

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