(QCOSTARICA) Daniel Oduber Airport (LIR), in Liberia, Guanacaste, became the third terminal in the world this Friday with the ACI Airport Health Accreditation (AHA) in the face of the coronavirus pandemic.
The airports of Los Cabos, Mexico and Istanbul, Turkey, are the first two to have received this recognition.
Airports Council International (ACI)’s Airport Health Accreditation program recognizes the commitment to health and welfare of passengers, airport staff and the public, by supporting airports assessing the new health measures and procedures introduced as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic in accordance with ICAO Council Aviation Restart Task Force (CART) recommendations and in alignment with the joint EASA and ECDC Aviation Health Safety Protocol and ACI EUROPE’s Guidelines for a Healthy Passenger Experience at Airports.
The Guanacaste terminal receives that accreditation days before it restarts commercial flights since its closure due to the pandemic, on March 18.
On September 5, the Liberia airport is scheduled to receive the first arrivals from Newark, New Jersey (EWR).
The airport operator, Coriport, confirmed that the United flight will be weekly and that on October 6, Air Canada will make its first re-appearance from Toronto, Canada.
Last Wednesday, the Minister of Tourism, Gustavo Segura, announced that starting in September, Costa Rica will allow commercial flights from New York’s JFK and La Guardia and New Jersey’s Newark airport with residents from six states, New York, New Jersey, New Hampshire, Maine, Vermont and Connecticut.
On August 1, Costa Rica authorized flights from Canada, the United Kingdom and the European Union to the San Jose (SJO) airport, keeping the Liberia airport inactive, since most of the flights to the Guanacaste airport come from the United States.
“Without a doubt, this accreditation is one more example to the world that the doors of Guanacaste and Costa Rica are open, and they can come with all the confidence that their passage through the airport is carefully monitored,” said Coriport manager, César Jaramillo
The director of ACI for Latin America, Rafael Echevarne, affirmed that the voluntary accreditation process has the main objective of restoring the confidence of travelers in airports, at a time when the virus continues to spread around the world.
“The impact of the pandemic has been devastating for the economies of our countries and the reactivation of air transport is essential for economic recovery. The AHA program will help restore passenger confidence in air travel, ”Echevarne said.
Costa Rica’s entry protocol for foreigners
Costa Rica applies a rigorous entry protocol for foreigners who visit the country.
They must present a COVID-19 test carried out 48 hours before the trip and with a negative result; In addition, they must pay for health insurance (from abroad or purchased locally) that covers accommodation and medical expenses in case of illness, as well as fill out a health form.
U.S. citizens arriving from JFK, La Guardia and Newark airports must also certify, by way of their driver’s license, that they reside in the states considered safe by the Costa Rican health authorities.
