The Canadian low-cost airline Sunwing, that also operates seasonal flight services from over 30 local Canadian gateways, started operations this week between Vancouver International airport (YVE) and the Daniel Oduber International airport (LIR) in the Guanacaste of Liberia.
The flight operates weekly on Sundays with a Boeing 737 MAX.
Sunwing, based in Toronto, Canada, will operate the Vancouver connection until March 31, 2019.
“The Canadian tourist is one of the most interesting in Costa Rica and the different tourist attractions of the country, fleeing the cold of winter to be received by the Costa Rican sun motivates hundreds of tourists to choose us as their favorite holiday destination, for that we serve the tourist with quality and excellence,”said César Jaramillo, manager of Coriport, the Liberia airport manager.
Direct flights from Canada to Costa Rica took off from 2012 after the signing of the air transport agreement to open the door to commercial flights between both countries, without the need to fly through the United States.
In addition to Sunwing, Montreal based Air Transat operated multiple fligths weekly to San Jose (SJO) and Liberia and Canada’s national carrier, Air Canada, with daily service to San Jose from Toronto and Montreal.
For the Costa Rican Tourism Institute, the Vancouver flight also benefits the economy of hundreds of Guanacaste families that are positively impacted by the increase in tourists in high season.
“We are pleased to receive the first flight of the company Sunwing on the Vancouver-Liberia route and expand the possibilities of tourism growth in Guanacaste, with flights and aeronautical technology that allows us to reach new destinations. We continue working to strengthen the national tourism industry, which generates 8.2% of the Gross Domestic Product, “said Maria Amalia Revelo, Minister of Tourism.
