Costa Rica's Daniel Oduber Airport Facing an Influx
Costa Rican authorities have publicly announced concern about the conditions in which Daniel Oduber International Airport located in Liberia is operating. The Costa Rican media outlet, El Observador officials feel that the influx of tourists is affecting the quality of service provided at the airport.
Meanwhile, the Minister of Tourism, William Rodríguez, said there is reports of larger amount of travellers on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays, and Wednesdays.
On the other hand, the Airline Association (ALA) warned about two specific problems.
The first complaint is the belts to transport luggage to the plane.
The second complaint is the large number of tourists who have to disembark the planes by stairs to a section across to the runway, walk around the grounds, stand in line outside the terminal, and wait when there is finally space to enter.
The airport, known for receiving the most tourists in the country, doesn’t have enough bridges or sleeves. This has also been an issue of the lack of air conditioning in areas of the airport.
The airport’s general manager, César Jaramillo, sees that the flow of visitors has increased since 2021. In his opinion, the service provided responds to the times and the operation is normal. He says he is aware of the changes required at this terminal.
The absence of bridges for visitors to move from the airplane to the terminal in a simple and safe way is one of the main complaints, both by the public and by the airlines.
Another complaint of the president of ALA, a representative of the airlines operating in the terminal, is that the transfer of baggage “collapses” due to the the screening equipment capacity. Airport personnel see that more investment is needed in the future but states that the airport continues to provide first service.
