Q TRAVEL – Volaris, the low-cost airline with service from San Jose, Costa Rica, will begin direct flights to Managua, Nicaragua starting in April.
The airline, in making the announcement Wednesday, said the flights will be daily leaving the Juan Santamaria international airport in San Jose (SJO) at 2:00pm and arriving at the Managua at 3:08pm.
The return flight leaves the Augusto César Sandino in Managua (MGA) at 3:48pm, arriving in San Jose at 4:49pm.
Tickets are already available for purchase at Volaris.com, with flights starting on Friday, April 7, 2017.
The cost of the (one way or ‘sencillo’) flight from San Jose starts at US$64.99 and from Managua prices start at US$85.22.
Volaris currently offers flights between Costa Rica and Guatemala and starting on February to El Salvador.
Fernando Naranjo, general manager of Volaris Costa Rica explained the low prices is to encourage tourism between Costa Rica and Nicaragua.
The arrival of low-cost airlines in Costa Rica resulted in a drop in prices for travel within the region. However, at the beginning of the year, the industry began a process of adjustment.
On January 10, Wingo cancelled flights from Costa Rica to Guatemala, the airline citing lack of market. Wingo continues with low-cost flights to Panama, competing with Air Panama and Copa Airlines.
Veca Airlines closed its flights to El Salvador, Guatemala and Nicaragua, fueling rumours of the airline’s financial problems.
Air Costa Rica announced it will not be offering direct flights to Guatemala due to the “volatility” of the market.
The number of seats available in low-cost airlines in Costa Rica increased 64% between 2015 and 2016. The market went from 432,261 low-cost seats in 2015 to 708,340 in 2016, according to the Official Airline Guide (OAG) and the Instituto Costarricense de Turismo (ICT) – Costa Rican Tourism Board.
