Juan Santamaría International Airport

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For the airport in San Jose, California, see Norman Y. Mineta San Jose International Airport.
Juan Santamaría International Airport (SJO)
AeropuertoJuanSantamaría.jpg
IATA: SJO – ICAO: MROC
Summary
Airport type Public
Owner Government of Costa Rica
Operator Aeris Holdings Costa Rica under ADC & HAS and Andrade Gutiérrez Concesores
Serves San José, Alajuela, Heredia, Cartago
Location Alajuela Province
Elevation AMSL 921 m / 3,022 ft
Coordinates 09°59′38″N 084°12′32″W / 9.99389°N 84.20889°W / 9.99389; -84.20889Coordinates: 09°59′38″N 084°12′32″W / 9.99389°N 84.20889°W / 9.99389; -84.20889
Website www.aeris.cr
Map
MROC is located in Costa Rica
MROC
Location in Costa Rica
Runways
Direction Length Surface
m ft
07/25 3,012 9,882 Asphalt
Statistics (2010)
Passengers 4,257,606
Source: Costa Rican AIP[1]

Juan Santamaría International Airport (Spanish: Aeropuerto Internacional Juan Santamaría) (IATA: SJO, ICAO: MROC) is the primary airport serving San José, the capital of Costa Rica. The airport is located near the city of Alajuela, 20 km (12 miles) west of downtown San José. It is named after Costa Rica's national hero, Juan Santamaría, a courageous drummer boy who died in 1856 defending his country against forces led by US-American filibuster William Walker.

The airport is a hub for Avianca TACA (TACA/Lacsa and the domestic Sansa Airlines), and focus city airport for Copa Airlines. It was the country's only international gateway for many years, but nowadays there is also an international airport in Liberia, Guanacaste. Both airports have direct flights to North and Central America and Europe, with the difference that Juan Santamaría International Airport also serves cities in South America and the Caribbean. According to the Ministry of Transportation, the airport will end all major operations in 2025 to become a secondary airport; its substitute will be the new airport in Orotina.

The airport's main runway allows for operations of large, widebody aircraft. Currently, some scheduled flights are operated with Airbus A330 and A340, and Boeing 747 and 767, for both passengers and freight. A Concorde landed in 1999 for that year's airshow.[2] The airport has also a small hangar (called the "NASA" hangar) where research aircraft are kept that operate in Costa Rica[3] including the Martin B-57 Canberra high altitude aircraft.[4]

Juan Santamaría International Airport was once the busiest airport in Central America, but currently it is ranked second after Tocumen International Airport in Panamá. In 2010, Juan Santamaría International Airport received 4.3 million passengers, most of them from international flights. In 2011, the airport was named the 3rd Best Airport in Latin America - Caribbean from the Airport Service Quality Awards by Airports Council International[5]

Only passengers that show a ticket are allowed to enter the terminal.

Contents

History [edit]

The airport was built to replace the previous one in downtown San Jose where Parque La Sabana is located today.[6] Funding was secured by the government in 1951 [7] and construction proceed slowly until it was officially inaugurated on May 2, 1958.[8] It was initially called "Aeropuerto Internacional el Coco" after its location of the same name in the province of Alajuela. It would later be renamed in honor of Juan Santamaría. In 1961 funding was secured to build the highway that connects the airport to downtown San José.[9]

No major changes were made to the terminal until November 1997 when the government issued a decree requesting participation of private companies to manage the operations of the airport.[10] After a few years of legal challenges and contract negotiations Alterra Partners was given a 20 year concession and started managing the facilities in May 2001.[10] It was also expected that the company would finish the necessary expansion and construction of new facilities, however in March 2002 Alterra announced it would cease any further construction due to disagreements over financing and airport use fee billing with the government.[11] The dispute was extended for a few years and problems started at the terminal; in 2005 the International Civil Aviation Organization pointed out that the airport did not comply with safety regulations.[8]

In July 2009 Alterra yielded the contract to a consortium composed of Houston-based Canadian-American company ADC & HAS and the Brazilian company, Andrade Gutierrez Concessoes (AGC) - subsidiary of the conglomerate Andrade Gutierrez.[12] In December 2009 Alterra Partners changed its name to AERIS Holdings, S.A.[12] In November 2010 Aeris announced it had finished the expansion and construction of new facilities with the installation of the 9th boarding bridge.[13]

Passenger, aircraft and cargo traffic results [edit]

Juan Santamaria International Airport is the largest and busiest airport in Costa Rica, having experienced a constant increase in traffic since its opening in 1958, boosted by the growing flow of tourists. The airport reached the million passenger for the first time in 1991, and it has been serving more than four million passengers yearly since 2007. On the other hand, domestic passenger have been relatively steady since the beginning, on an average of 200,000 passengers per year and reaching a peak of 330,000 in 1975.

Infrastructure and operations [edit]

The airport has 17 gates, nine of them with jet bridges. It is capable of housing 17 commercial airplanes at the same time. There are three waiting rooms built on the first floor of the airport, next to the VIP room, for regional and domestic flights.

A business/VIP lounge is located in the lower level of the main terminal, near Gate 4A. VIP Lounge Costa Rica is for business/first class passengers of selected airlines, travel companies, banks, Priority Pass program members, or any passenger who pays a fee. A diplomatic receptions room is situated in the main terminal and only open to diplomatic visitors.

The Costa Rican government charges a $29 USD departure fee, which can be paid in cash (dollars or colones) or by credit card. The fee can be paid at the airport or in advance at most hotels and banks.[14]

  • Building under construction

  • Construction at the airport

Ground transportation [edit]

There is a bus stop outside the airport for the Alajuela - San José and Alajuela - Heredia route in both directions.[15] Buses from other routes also stop there, however, visiting tourists not staying in the immediate downtown San José area are recommended[by whom?] not to attempt to figure out the bus system without fluent Spanish.[citation needed] It is better[citation needed] to arrange private meet and greet and transfer service which is easily done through a variety of transportation companies that service all areas of Costa Rica. The cost of a nice comfortable private van is usually the same as a regular taxi.[citation needed]

Licensed taxis are available in the airport and will generally accept both colones and U.S. dollars, but not other currencies. Licensed taxis are red with yellow triangles on the doors, additionally there is an airport taxi service that is licensed and employs orange taxis.

[16] You can hire your own private transportation directly from the Airport Exit!

Terminals, airlines and destinations [edit]

Main Terminal [M] [edit]

The major operator in the airport is TACA/Lacsa, followed by Copa Airlines. The following airlines have scheduled direct services to and/or from Juan Santamaría International Airport (as of September 2010):

Sansa Terminal [S] [edit]

All domestic flights depart from the Sansa Terminal.

Airlines Destinations Terminal
Aeroméxico Cancún, Mexico City M
Air Canada Toronto-Pearson [ends July 1, 2013] M
Air Canada Rouge Toronto-Pearson [begins July 2, 2013] M
Air Panama David M
American Airlines Dallas/Fort Worth, Miami, New York-JFK M
Avianca Bogotá M
Condor Frankfurt, Santo Domingo M
Copa Airlines Guatemala City, Managua, Panama City, San Pedro Sula, Tegucigalpa M
Copa Airlines Colombia Bogotá, Guatemala City, Panama City M
Delta Air Lines Atlanta, Los Angeles [begins July 2, 2013][17], Seasonal: Minneapolis-St. Paul [begins December 21, 2013] M
Frontier Airlines Denver M
Iberia Madrid M
Interjet Mexico City M
JetBlue Airways Fort Lauderdale [begins June 27, 2013],[18] Orlando M
Spirit Airlines Fort Lauderdale M
Sunwing Airlines Seasonal: Toronto-Pearson M
TACA Airlines San Salvador M
TACA Airlines operated by Aviateca Guatemala City M
TACA Airlines operated by Lacsa Bogotá, Brasilia, Cancún, Caracas, Chicago, Guatemala City, Lima, Mexico City, Miami, San Pedro Sula, San Salvador, Santiago de Chile, Santo Domingo, Tegucigalpa, Toronto-Pearson M
TACA Regional operated by Sansa Airlines Arenal, Drake Bay, Golfito, Liberia, Nosara, Palmar Sur, Puerto Jimenez, Punta Islita, Quepos, Tamarindo, Tambor S
TACA Peru Lima (ends June 16, 2013) M
United Airlines Chicago-O'Hare,[19] Houston-Intercontinental, Newark, Washington-Dulles[19] M
US Airways Charlotte, Philadelphia, Phoenix M

Charter airlines [edit]

Airlines Destinations
TACA operated by Lacsa Cancún, San Andres Island, San Juan

Cargo airlines [edit]

Accidents and incidents [edit]

  • On January 16, 1990, SANSA Flight 32 crashed into the Cerro Cedral, a mountain shortly after take off from Juan Santamaria International Airport. All 20 passengers and 3 crew on board died in the crash.

Pictures [edit]

  • Gates 4 and 5 at the mid passenger terminal

  • American Airlines Boeing 757 parked at Terminal 1

  • Control tower

  • Gates 13, 14, 15, and 16

  • Interior where Gates 1, 2 & 3 are located.

  • Aircraft at the terminal

  • Sansa terminal

  • Terminal buildings and main runway, 2003

  • Check-in counters in the main terminal

References [edit]

  1. ^ AIP - Part 3 Aerodromes
  2. ^ Delgado, Edgar (1999-01-28). "Concorde impuso récord". La Nacion (in Spanish) (Costa Rica). 
  3. ^ Ponchner, Debbie (2005-07-02). "Hoy despega de suelo tico la misión TCSP de la NASA". La Nacion (in Spanish) (Costa Rica). 
  4. ^ Ponchner, Debbie (2007-05-05). "NASA realizará gran misión científica desde suelo tico". La Nacion (in Spanish) (Costa Rica). 
  5. ^ "ASQ Award for Best Airport in Latin America - Caribbean" Airports Council International. 14 February 2012. Retrieved 2012-04-13
  6. ^ Calvo, Rodrigo (2011-03-27). "Los mil rostros de La Sabana". La Nacion (in Spanish) (Costa Rica). 
  7. ^ "En primber debate fueron aprobados el Arancel de Aduanas y la Ley de Pagos Internacionales". La Nacion (in Spanish) (Costa Rica). 1951-11-26. 
  8. ^ a b Rojas, Ronny (2008-07-09). "El Santamaría incumple normas de seguridad". Al Dia (in Spanish) (Costa Rica). 
  9. ^ "Hace 50 años, Sábado 11 de marzo de 1961". La Nacion (in Spanish) (Costa Rica). 2011-03-11. 
  10. ^ a b Feigenblatt, Hazel (2001-05-05). "Aeropuerto a manos privadas hoy". La Nacion (in Spanish) (Costa Rica). 
  11. ^ Loaiza, Vanessa (2002-03-15). "Suspenden obras en aeropuerto". La Nacion (in Spanish) (Costa Rica). 
  12. ^ a b Loaiza, Vanessa (2009-12-04). "BID presta $45 millones para ampliar Juan Santamaría". La Nacion (in Spanish) (Costa Rica). 
  13. ^ Loaiza, Vanessa (2010-11-10). "Concluye modernización de aeropuerto Santamaría". La Nacion (in Spanish) (Costa Rica). 
  14. ^ Barquero, Marvin (2011-11-01). "Salir del país le costará $2 más". La Nacion (in Spanish) (Costa Rica). 
  15. ^ Bus schedule horariodebuses.com.
  16. ^ [1] Transportationincostarica.com.
  17. ^ http://news.delta.com/index.php?s=43&item=1922
  18. ^ http://finance.yahoo.com/news/jetblue-expands-costa-rica-fort-160000717.html;_ylt=A2KJ3CYxBvdQeU4AfO3QtDMD
  19. ^ a b http://finance.yahoo.com/news/united-announces-international-domestic-routes-153000543.html;_ylt=A2KJ3Cay9NFQqnUAiX3QtDMD

External links [edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Juan Santamaria International Airport
Institutions of Costa Rica
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