Liberia Airport Temporary Hours For Runway Upgrade
The Daniel Oduber Quiros International Airport in Liberia has new operational hours from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. The Ministry of Public Security stated. They have implemented this schedule to allow the company MECO to carry out the runway improvement works.
Authorities emphasized that this operational schedule is temporary, while much-needed repairs are being done. Minister of Security, Mario Zamora, informed that both the Airport Police and the Immigration Directorate, including immigration officers and other personnel, have modified their strategy to assist passengers.
“I met with the administrative authorities and the institutions involved in its operation, to effectively serve passengers in terms of service and safety,” said Minister Zamora. The runway work will continue until next July, a plan has been implemented at the terminal to ensure that current services remain the same.
Zamora stated that, with the support of the United States, additional facilities have been established for canine units to assist in detecting drugs and explosives. Between January and March 2024, 318,732 tourists entered the International Airport. This represents an increase of 28.6% compared to the same quarter of 2023.
Although the airport’s general manager, César Jaramillo, recognizes that the flow of passengers has increased since 2021, in his opinion the operation is normal. He says he is aware of the quality that is required to be provided in this terminal and says that they are doing it.
“Although we have had good growth in 2021 to 2024 inclusive, we still have good capacity,” commented Jaramillo.
However, in his opinion, two specific situations are causing difficulties for him, which are unrelated to the administration itself.
Lack of personnel from the Air Surveillance Service and Immigration Police that causes lines to form during peak hours
The construction of the new runway by the MOPT has already begun, so they were forced to organize flights in a 12-hour window and no longer 20 hours because works take place from 9 pm to 9 am
Visitation at the Liberian terminal is growing at a much faster rate than at the Juan Santamaria International Airport. The airport located in Alajuela received 565,308 passengers in the same period, marking an inter-annual increase of 11.1%.
According to data from the Costa Rican Tourism Institute (ICT) during the first quarter of this year, 884,264 people arrived in the country by air, representing an increase of 16.8%.
With these figures, the Liberia terminal registers a higher growth rate than other airports in the country. Recently, the Minister of Tourism, William Rodríguez, acknowledged that this terminal is not providing a first-class service and that it is falling short in terms of capacity. He also mentioned that work needs to be done to ensure a proper response to the growing demand.
