QCOSTARICA – For a couple of months now, on numerous occasions we have seen two of Iberia’s Airbus 340 parked side by side at the Juan Santamaria (San Jose) airport.
The expansion of the terminal allows two or more of these giant aircraft, each with a capacity of up to 375 passengers in the standard variants, to use the terminal at the same time. In the case of the photo, gates 2 and 3.
Soon, British Airways will be making regular landings at SJO, and it will be interesting to see the B777 to the right and left of thee A340.
British Airways will by mid April be offering flights from London Gatwick to Juan Santamaria Airport twice a week in the summer season and three times a week during the winter. Wednesday and Saturday during the summer months and Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday in the winter.
“In less than 11 hours, you will be discovering the capital city San José before heading off onto your tropical rainforest adventure,” says the BA website.
For travellers to large airports this may not be of much interest, but, in Costa Rica, it is big.
It’s a great increase in flight service, but Juan Santa Maria Airport is the wrong place to be running it to; hemmed in by mountains and urban sprawl, and located 3,500 feet ASL. In my opinion, it is a dangerous airport to be running long-range aircraft of this size, to and from.