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Juan Santamaría International Airport

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Juan Santamaría International Airport
Aeropuerto Internacional Juan Santamaría
Summary
Airport typePublic
OwnerGovernment of Costa Rica
OperatorAeris Holdings Costa Rica under CCR S.A.
ServesSan José, Costa Rica
LocationAlajuela Province, Costa Rica
OpenedMay 2, 1958; 68 years ago (1958-05-02)
Hub for
Operating base for
Volaris Costa Rica
Elevation AMSL921 m (3,022 ft)
Coordinates9°59′38″N 84°12′32″W / 9.99389°N 84.20889°W / 9.99389; -84.20889
Websitewww.sjoairport.com
Map
SJO/MROC is located in Costa Rica
SJO/MROC
SJO/MROC
Location in Costa Rica
Runways
Direction Length Surface
m ft
07/25 3,012 9,882 Asphalt
Statistics (2025)
Total Passengers6,707,096
Aircraft movements107,822
Source: Costa Rican AIP,[1] DGAC[2]

Juan Santamaría International Airport (IATA: SJO, ICAO: MROC) is the primary international airport serving San José, the capital of Costa Rica. The airport is located in Alajuela Province, 20 kilometres (12 mi; 11 nmi) northwest of downtown San José. It is named after Costa Rica's national hero, Juan Santamaría, a drummer boy who died in 1856 defending his country against forces led by William Walker, an American filibuster. It is the biggest and busiest airport in Costa Rica and second in Central America, transiting more than 5 million passengers per year before COVID.

The airport is a hub for Avianca Costa Rica, Costa Rica Green Airways, Sansa Airlines, and Volaris Costa Rica, and a focus city for Avianca El Salvador and Copa Airlines. It was the country's only international gateway for many years, before the opening of the international airport in Liberia, Guanacaste. Both airports have direct flights to North and Central America and Europe, but Juan Santamaría International Airport also serves cities in South America and the Caribbean.

Juan Santamaría International Airport was once the busiest airport in Central America, but is currently second after Tocumen International Airport in Panama. In 2022, Juan Santamaría International Airport received 5 million passengers (international and domestic).

History

The airport was built to replace the previous one in downtown San Jose, where Parque La Sabana is located today.[3] The government secured funding in 1951[4] and construction proceeded slowly until the airport was officially inaugurated on 2 May 1958.[5] It was initially called "Aeropuerto Internacional el Coco", after its location of the same name in the province of Alajuela. It was later renamed in honor of Juan Santamaría. In 1961, funding was secured to build the highway connecting the airport to downtown San José.[6] In 1981, a five-year development plan was drawn for the airport. Subsequently, a new runway was built, and navigation aids including approach lights, a VHF omnidirectional range (VOR), an instrument landing system (ILS), distance measuring equipment (DME), and a radar were installed.[7]

Facilities

The airport's sole runway allows operations of wide-body aircraft. Currently, some scheduled flights are operated with Airbus A330, A340, and A350, and Boeing 747, 767, 777, and 787, for both passengers and freight. A Concorde landed in 1999 for that year's airshow.[8] Previously, the airport had a small hangar, called the "NASA" hangar, to house research aircraft like the Martin B-57 Canberra high-altitude aircraft, that were being operated in Costa Rica.[9] After that mission was completed, the hangar was removed.[10] Internationally, the largest operator in the airport is Avianca and all their branches, followed by Copa Airlines, which uses the Main Terminal (M). Domestically, the largest airline is Sansa Airlines, and their flights depart from the Domestic Terminal (D). The largest U.S. airlines at the airport by number of destinations served all year long are jetBlue and United Airlines, and the largest European airline at the airport is Iberia, which is the only European airline that flies daily all year long between Europe and San José, and which operates from their base at Madrid airport using Airbus A330-200 and an Airbus A350-900XWB (especially in European winter season).[citation needed]

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.[11] After several years of legal challenges and contract negotiations, in May 2001, Alterra Partners received a 20-year concession and started managing the facilities.[11] It was also expected that the company would finish the necessary expansion and construction of new facilities; in March 2002, however, Alterra announced it would cease any further construction due to disagreements over financing and airport use fee billing with the government.[12] The dispute lasted several 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.[5] 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)—a subsidiary of the conglomerate Andrade Gutierrez.[13] In December 2009, Alterra Partners changed its name to AERIS Holdings, S.A.[13] In November 2010, Aeris announced it had finished the expansion and construction of new facilities with the installation of the 9th boarding bridge.[14]

The airport houses three business lounges for both special card holders and business class travellers: Avianca Club, Copa Club, and VIP Lounge (for BAC Credomatic customers).[15]

Airlines and destinations

The following airlines have scheduled direct services to and/or from Juan Santamaría International Airport:

Passenger

AirlinesDestinations
Aeroméxico Mexico City–Benito Juárez[16]
Air Canada Montréal–Trudeau,[16] Toronto–Pearson[16]
Air France Paris–Charles de Gaulle[16]
Air Transat Montréal–Trudeau[16]
Seasonal: Québec City (begins 15 December 2026), Toronto–Pearson[16]
Alaska Airlines Los Angeles[16]
American Airlines Charlotte,[16] Dallas/Fort Worth,[16] Miami
Seasonal: Chicago–O'Hare[17]
Arajet Santo Domingo–Las Américas[16]
Avianca Bogotá[16]
Avianca Costa Rica Bogotá,[16] Buenos Aires-Ezeiza,[16] Cartagena,[16] Guatemala City,[16] Guayaquil,[18] Medellín–JMC,[16] Mexico City–Benito Juárez,[19] Miami,[20] New York–JFK,[16] Panama City–Tocumen,[21] Quito,[22] San Salvador,[16] Washington–Dulles[23]
Seasonal: Chicago–O'Hare,[16] San Pedro Sula[16]
Avianca El Salvador San Salvador[16]
Breeze Airways Tampa (begins 3 October 2026)[24]
British Airways Seasonal: London–Heathrow (begins 25 October 2026)[25]
Copa Airlines Guatemala City,[16] Managua,[16] Panama City–Tocumen[16]
Costa Rica Green Airways Quepos,[16] Tambor
Delta Air Lines Atlanta, [16]
Seasonal: Los Angeles[16]
Edelweiss Air Zurich[16]
Frontier Airlines Seasonal: Atlanta,[16] Orlando[16]
Iberia Madrid[16]
Iberojet Madrid[26]
JetBlue Fort Lauderdale,[16] New York–JFK[16]
KLM Amsterdam[16]
LATAM Perú Lima[16]
Lufthansa Frankfurt[16]
Porter Airlines Seasonal: Toronto–Pearson (begins 2 December 2026)[27]
Sansa Airlines Bocas del Toro,[16] Drake Bay,[28] Golfito,[28] La Fortuna/San Carlos,[28] Liberia (CR),[28] Managua,[16] Limón,[29] Nosara Beach,[28] Puerto Jiménez,[28] Quepos,[28] Tamarindo,[28] Tambor,[28] Tortuguero[28]
Southwest Airlines Austin (begins 13 March 2027),[30] Orlando[31]
Seasonal: Denver[16], Nashville[32]
United Airlines Houston–Intercontinental,[16] Newark,[16] San Francisco[33]
Seasonal: Chicago–O'Hare,[16] Denver,[34] Los Angeles,[16] Washington–Dulles[16]
Viva Monterrey[35]
Volaris Cancún[16]
Volaris Costa Rica Cancún,[16] Guadalajara,[16] Mexico City–Benito Juárez,[36] Orlando,[36]
Wingo Medellín–JMC[37]
Departures hall
Terminal facade

Statistics

Interior of the check-in hall

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 more than one million passengers per year for the first time in 1991 and having a record number of passengers in 2024. Traffic movements and freight (in metric tons) also reached a peak in 2023.

Number of passengersPercentage changeNumber of movementsFreight (tonnes)
2020[38] 1,716,792Decrease69.0%35,80876,280
2021[39] 2,963,551Increase72.6%62,01492,420
2022[40] 4,936,391Increase66.6%87,004100,909
2023[41] 6,222,889Increase26.1%95,896102,478
2024[42] 6,500,549Increase4.5%91,524100,770
2025[43] 6,707,096Increase3.2%107,822108,906

Ground transportation

The road access to the airport is on an exit at Route 1 and near the exit to Alajuela. There is a parking area with surcharge and a bus stop with plenty of services to San Jose downtown (with no exact schedule but with 24-hour bus service and approximately one service every 10 minutes during working hours). Licensed taxis are available in the airport and will generally accept both colónes and U.S. dollars, but not other currencies. Costa Rican taxis are red with yellow triangles on the doors, ubiquitous all over the country, and there is a special airport taxi service that is licensed and employs orange taxis. Although the rail line linking downtown Alajuela with San José's Atlantic Station passes in close proximity to the airport, it does not serve the airport, and there is no rail service of any kind to the airport.

Accidents and incidents

  • On 20 August 1977, a Monarch Aviation Convair CV-880 struck trees and crashed 2.5 km (1.6 mi) southeast of SJO shortly after takeoff probably because the aircraft was overweight with cargo. All 3 occupants died.[44]
  • On 23 May 1988, LACSA Flight 628, a leased Boeing 727-100 (TI-LRC) operating the route San Jose-Managua-Miami, collided with a fence at the end of the runway in the Juan Santamaria International Airport, crashed at a nearby field next to a highway, and caught fire. The excess of weight in the front part of the airplane was the cause of the accident. There were no fatalities out of the 23 occupants.[45]
  • On 16 January 1990, SANSA Flight 32 crashed into the Cerro Cedral, a mountain, shortly after takeoff from Juan Santamaria International Airport. All 20 passengers and 3 crew on board died in the crash.[citation needed]
  • On 3 September 2007, a North American Rockwell Sabreliner 70 registration N726JR aborted the takeoff from runway 07. The airplane ran off the right side of the runway into the grass. The landing gear collapsed as the plane skidded and turned 180 degrees. The aircraft was written off.[46]
  • On 7 April 2022, DHL Aero Expreso Flight 7216, a Boeing 757-27A operated by DHL Aviation en route to Guatemala City skidded off the runway while performing an emergency landing due to a hydraulic problem. The aircraft was written off because the tail section broke off; however, there was no fire or injuries reported.[47]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "AIP" (PDF). Part 3 Aerodromes. Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 September 2011.
  2. ↑ "Anuario Estadístico de Transporte Aéreo 2022" (PDF) (in Spanish).
  3. ↑ Calvo, Rodrigo (27 March 2011). "Los mil rostros de La Sabana". La Nacion (in Spanish). Costa Rica. Archived from the original on 4 April 2011. Retrieved 7 August 2012.
  4. ↑ "En primber debate fueron aprobados el Arancel de Aduanas y la Ley de Pagos Internacionales". La Nacion (in Spanish). Costa Rica. 26 November 1951. Archived from the original on 22 January 2016. Retrieved 26 December 2015.
  5. 1 2 Rojas, Ronny (9 July 2008). "El Santamaría incumple normas de seguridad". Al Dia (in Spanish). Costa Rica. Archived from the original on 17 September 2008. Retrieved 7 August 2012.
  6. ↑ "Hace 50 años, Sábado 11 de marzo de 1961". La Nacion (in Spanish). Costa Rica. 11 March 2011. Archived from the original on 7 October 2011. Retrieved 7 August 2012.
  7. ↑ Weekly Bulletin. Institut du transport aérien. 1981.
  8. ↑ Delgado, Edgar (28 January 1999). "Concorde impuso récord". La Nacion (in Spanish). Costa Rica. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 1 September 2012.
  9. ↑ Ponchner, Debbie (2 July 2005). "Hoy despega de suelo tico la misión TCSP de la NASA". La Nacion (in Spanish). Costa Rica. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 1 September 2012.
  10. ↑ Ponchner, Debbie (5 May 2007). "NASA realizará gran misión científica desde suelo tico". La Nacion (in Spanish). Costa Rica. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 1 September 2012.
  11. 1 2 Feigenblatt, Hazel (5 May 2001). "Aeropuerto a manos privadas hoy". La Nacion (in Spanish). Costa Rica. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 7 August 2012.
  12. ↑ Loaiza, Vanessa (15 March 2002). "Suspenden obras en aeropuerto". La Nacion (in Spanish). Costa Rica. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 7 August 2012.
  13. 1 2 Loaiza, Vanessa (4 December 2009). "BID presta $45 millones para ampliar Juan Santamaría". La Nacion (in Spanish). Costa Rica. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 7 August 2012.
  14. ↑ Loaiza, Vanessa (10 November 2010). "Concluye modernización de aeropuerto Santamaría". La Nacion (in Spanish). Costa Rica. Archived from the original on 14 November 2010. Retrieved 7 August 2012.
  15. ↑ "VIP Services - Juan Santamaría International Airport". sjoairport.com. Archived from the original on 30 July 2020. Retrieved 6 January 2020.
  16. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 Sena, Gaston (7 March 2025). "Costa Rica Announces $62.2 Million Expansion of Juan Santamaría International Airport". Aviacionline (in Spanish). Retrieved 14 January 2026.
  17. ↑ "United States, Costa Rica, Guatemala: New American Airlines Expansion at Chicago O'Hare Enhances International Tourism Connections". Travel and Tour World. 2 May 2025. Retrieved 3 May 2025.
  18. ↑ "Avianca anuncia y pone a la venta una nueva ruta internacional". 8 August 2024.
  19. ↑ "Avianca will connect San José and Mexico City nonstop starting in December". LaRepública.net (in Spanish). September 2021. Retrieved 1 September 2021.
  20. ↑ "Avianca begins sale of three new routes to the U.S." aviacionaldia.com. 7 January 2025. Retrieved 8 January 2025.
  21. ↑ "Avianca ofrecerá vuelo diario entre San José y Ciudad de Panamá". 29 July 2024.
  22. ↑ "Avianca strengthens connectivity from Central America with the operation of routes to the United States". Periódico Digital (in Spanish). September 2021. Archived from the original on 2 March 2022. Retrieved 8 September 2021.
  23. ↑ "South American carrier ups its presence at Dulles Airport". 16 July 2022.
  24. ↑ Fernandez, Katlyn (17 March 2025). "Breeze Airways adds new international routes from Tampa International Airport". WFLA. Retrieved 17 March 2026.
  25. ↑ "British Airways announces major winter 2026 expansion". mediacentre.britishairways.com. Retrieved 16 March 2026.
  26. ↑ "Evelop will have flights between Madrid and San José (Costa Rica) during the summer". Aviacionline (in Spanish). May 2021. Retrieved 11 May 2021.
  27. ↑ "Porter Introduces 4 New Winter Destinations for 2026-27 Season, Increases Sun Capacity by Greater Than 150%". Business Wire. 30 April 2026. Retrieved 30 April 2026.
  28. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 "Flying Around Costa Rica is Easier Than Ever Thanks to Sansa Airlines". The Tico Times. 17 July 2025. Retrieved 28 March 2026.
  29. ↑ Campos, Por Gustavo Ortega (15 April 2025). "Estos son los precios de aerolíneas locales para 15 destinos: viaje sin presas en Semana Santa". La Nación (in Spanish). Retrieved 28 March 2026.
  30. ↑ "Southwest to launch nonstop flights from Austin to Costa Rica in March". KXAN. 22 July 2026. Retrieved 2 August 2026.
  31. ↑ "Southwest Just Added New Routes to the Caribbean, Mexico, and More". Travel + Leisure.
  32. ↑ "New destinations coming to BNA through Southwest". Retrieved 14 August 2024.
  33. ↑ "United Airlines (UAL) Adds Eight New International Destinations". StreetInsider. Retrieved 10 October 2024.
  34. ↑ Brenes, Por Luis Enrique (21 February 2025). "¿Planea viajar? Conozca las rutas y aerolíneas que vuelan desde Costa Rica". La Nación (in Spanish). Retrieved 28 March 2026.
  35. ↑ "Viva extends operations to Central America". El Finaniero (in Spanish). July 2025. Retrieved 3 July 2025.
  36. 1 2 "Volaris Costa Rica launches new routes to the United States and Mexico". Aviacionline (in Spanish). February 2025. Retrieved 15 February 2025.
  37. ↑ "Wingo anuncia dos nuevas rutas desde Medellín hacia Curazao y San José de Costa Rica: ¿cuándo empezarán a operar?". El Tiempo. 21 October 2024. Retrieved 25 October 2024.
  38. ↑ "Air Transport Bulletin 2021". France Aviation Civile Services. 26 April 2021.
  39. ↑ "Air Transport Bulletin 2022". France Aviation Civile Services. 25 April 2022.
  40. ↑ "Air Transport Bulletin 2023". France Aviation Civile Services. 25 April 2023.
  41. ↑ "Air Transport Bulletin 2024". France Aviation Civile Services. 29 April 2024.
  42. ↑ "Air Transport Bulletin 2025". France Aviation Civile Services. 29 April 2025.
  43. ↑ "Air Transport Bulletin 2026". France Aviation Civile Services. 28 April 2026.
  44. ↑ "Accident description for N8817E". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 12 October 2023.
  45. ↑ "Accident description for TI-LRC". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 12 October 2023.
  46. ↑ "Accident description for N726JR". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 12 October 2023.
  47. ↑ Noëth, Bart (7 April 2022). "DHL Aero Expreso Boeing 757 freighter exits runway and breaks into pieces at San Jose, Costa Rica". Aviation24.be. Retrieved 7 April 2022.
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