QCOSTARICA – British Airways returned to Juan Santamaría International Airport – San Jose airport – after just over 18 months of suspending its operations in the country.
Starting Thursday, December 9, European travelers have one more option to fly to and from Costa Rica, three times a week, connecting the city of London with the main Costa Rican air terminal.
The first British Airways flight in 2021 returned to the country after 7 pm Thursday with a B772 aircraft and 300 passengers on board. While the return to the British capital took place shortly after 9 pm with 160 travelers.
The airline returns to Costa Rica right at the start of the high season. During December, the airline will offer three flights a week: on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays.
To date, the Juan Santamaría International Airport (SJO) connects with 25 destinations around the world, through the operation of 21 international airlines.
“This is the return of a highly anticipated business partner. With British Airways we recover most of the airlines that facilitate mobility between Juan Santamaría airport and Europe, specifically connecting with the city of London and attracting an ideal prospect of tourists for our country, with a high level of education, love for nature and culture, in addition to boosting the economy for the duration of their stay,” said Ricardo Hernández, CEO of Aeris, the airport manager.
The reactivation of these operations is the product of the coordinated work between Aeris and the Instituto Costarricense de Turismo (ICT) – Costa Rican Tourism Board, representing an opportunity for the country to accelerate the recovery of air traffic and enhance the image of Costa Rica as a safe destination.
“With the return of British Airways, one of the most important airlines in Europe, Costa Rica regains the air connectivity it had with the United Kingdom before the pandemic. This is a temporary flight, it will be active until Easter and will return again in October 2022. We hope that British Airways will significantly strengthen the numbers of visitors to our country, particularly from the city of London, where we are very well positioned as a wellness destination. , adventure and nature,” stated Gustavo Alvarado, the new Minister of Tourism.
“We are honored to play our role in reuniting families and friends with their loved ones after so long apart. The safety of our clients and colleagues has always been at the center of everything we do. We know that some customers have not flown for a long time, we can assure them that we have a range of measures against covid-19 to provide stress-free and hassle-free travel,” added Vladimir Salgado, British Airways Sales Manager for Costa Rica.
