TICO BULL – The closure of the San José (Juan Santamaria – SJO) international airport due to the volcanic ash from the Turrialba has caused many to ask the question, why not divert flights to Liberia (LIR)?
The problems for doing so, to the best of my understanding, are as such:
- The Liberia airport cannot handle the volume of flights and passengers at any one time
- Liberia is 3/4 hours away from San José, the logistics of transferring thousands to San José, I believe are not within any contingency plane (if any plan does exist).
- I don’t believe there are enough hotel rooms around the airport to accommodate the number of passengers arriving at night.
- International aviation rules don’t permit an airline landed in Liberia to then transfer them to the San Jose airport. Normally, any flight diverted to Liberia is for a temporary situation, the airplane sits on the tarmac (with all the passengers) waiting on clearance from San José.
In the situation like last night (Thursday, March 12), when the closure of the San Jose airport is for an extended time, Panama City (Panama) is the best solution for flights already on route to Costa Rica.
There is the option of Managua, about the same flying time as Panama, but I have never heard of a flight diverted to Nicaragua. In the situation of last night, flights headed to Costa Rica not having departed were grounded.
If anyone has a better understanding of this, please use the comment sections below or email me.
Thanx for the fast response!
I get why they’d divert them to Panama if they had to put them up in hotels & all (lots more & nicer options there).
“International aviation rules . . ” that part I don’t get the logic (but I do live in CR – the land of not lots of logic) – especially since flights don’t all come in at the same time & people could get into SJ lots earlier (than by having to overnight)/faster by busing/shuttling them down. Could save lots more $$ also (if their flight was early enough)
Maybe it’s time for CR to make a contingency plan so they could also keep the $$ within the country (novel concept).
(I have too much logic for my own good sometimes [fyi – I’ve been in tourism for over 20 years & come from a family of airline pilots so I know it can be done – with “proper” planning])
Rainbows, I agree with your analysis completely. The real issue is lack of logic and proactive problem solving, rather than reactive problem solving. Oh, how the Latin mind works!?
You mentioned that flights were grounded which had not left, but what of the ones that had? Did they go to Panama City?
Give the prediction of a major eruption by Turrialba in the very near future, it is time for Costa Rica to come up with a contingency plan, whether it involves diverting to airports in country or not. Some sort of shuttle system with the cooperation of existing bus companies should be established for such situations. Since many people flying into SJO are headed to the central and southern Pacific coast, the contingency plan might provide for some shuttle service directly to that area, rather than sending everyone to the central valley only to have to be shuttled again to the coast.
Diverting a San Jose bound flight to Panama instead of Liberia is like a Dallas Texas bound flight being diverted to Mexico City instead of Houston Texas. Its just Backwards and wrong. Passengers could hire a taxi at LIR be in SJO in three hours.