Aeris, the operator of the Juan Santamaria international airport (SJO) or San Jose airport – expects about 2.5 million passengers coming and going through the terminal between December 2018 and April 2019.
The end of this year and beginning of the new year is one of the busiest time at Costa Rica’s main international airport, with a demand of up to 1,300 passenger arrivals and 1,400 passenger departures during peak hours.
The period also sees increased frequency of flights and destinations by the 13 airlines that operate out of the San Jose airport.
Moreso this year, Aeris expects, given the harsh winters “of other regions”.
According to the concessionaire, one of their goals is to ensure the first or last impression that a passenger can take from Costa Rica. “For that, we have coordinated a responsible plan together with the entire airport community in order to provide the best service to our operators, tourists and nationals. Being the main gateway to and from the country, the increase in traffic at this time of the year has a positive impact on the economy and competitiveness of Costa Rica; It is an important generation of employment within the industry and the revitalization of tourism,” said Rafael Mencía, Executive Director of AERIS.
Mencia added that the increase in passengers requires the deployment and execution of contingency plans for each one of the actors of the airport community, maximization of resources, extension of schedules and coordination of the Manager with 11 State institutions.
QTip 1: When planning travel to Costa Rica with arrivals and departures through the San Jose airport, keep in mind the peak periods of 11 am to 4 pm, when airport resources are strained to the max due to increased volume and number of flights arriving at the same time. Navigating immigration, baggage claim, and customs can take up to 60 minutes or more during this period.
