(QCOSTARICA) With the goal of decongesting the use of airport facilities and avoid the long lines at immigration and customs, the new head of Civil Aviation (Aviación Civil), Enio Cubillo, considers it necessary to negotiate with the airlines to schedule their flights throughout the day, not just during the noon and evenings as traditionally occurs.
Typically, at the San Jose airport, it takes between 15 and 25 minutes from landing to immigration, customs and out the termimal door. However, at noon and evenings, when a number of flights arrive within minutes of each other, it can take from 45 minutes to an hour or more.
Cubillo says he would like to see the airlines use the little-used time slots during the late mornings, early afternoons and late evenings. However, according to Cubillo, Civil Aviation, in proposing changes, has to take into account if the flight is a transit route or final destination or if the aircraft will be staying overnight at the terminal.
Cubillo said that this (decongestion) is a priority for his first weeks as director. Another priority is to review the process of regulating the use of drones in Costa Rican airspace.
Cubillo has over 26 years experience in the aviation industry, including working for ten years as an avionics technician for Líneas Aéreas de Costa Rica (Lacsa).
“The infrastructure is vital to remain competitive, not only nationally but internationally,” said the new chief of Aviation.
The real problem with scheduling different arrival times at Costa Rica airports is the traffic congestion at the airline’s point of departure, usually a busy airport in the U.S. The inflexibility of scheduling different airline departure times at their point of origin in the U.S. will be the constraining factor in solving the congestion created for arrivals in Costa Rica.