The Daniel Oduber Quirós airport in Liberia, Guanacaste, announced that it has ready the health and safety protocols that will be applied from August 1st, the date set by the government for the resumption of international flights.
Coriport, the managing company of this air terminal, ensures that all the established measures will be applied both on arrival and departure of passengers. These include: hand washing, use of masks and other personal protective equipment, and temperature checks of travelers.
In addition, decreased capacity and signage throughout the building so that passengers remember the necessary distance between people and social bubbles, as well as information to correctly apply all the said measures.
“We never stopped working, we remained active and working together with government authorities and the sectors involved to establish a comprehensive protocol and action plans that would allow a safe return from our activities, always ensuring the safety of passengers and collaborators. We are ready to reopen the doors of this natural paradise called Guanacaste,” said César Jaramillo, general manager of the airport management firm.
August 1st was the last date given by the Ministry of Health to open air borders, which would allow foreigners to arrive at both the Liberia airport and Juan Santamaría, in Alajuela. Alberto López, manager of the Costa Rican Tourism Institute (ICT), reported that that institution is working on the design of other protocols focused on the safety of tourists during their stay in the country, from landing to departure. In this case, Guanacaste has become an important pole of attraction for international tourists, who arrive directly at the Daniel Oduber, to visit the area and leave through the same terminal.
Before the closure of borders on March 18th, ordered to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in the country, the number of tourists who chose the North Pacific as a destination was around 1.5 million annually and came from more than 25 destinations in North America and Europe.
During 2019, just over 1.2 million travelers passed by the airport, representing an increase of 9% compared to the previous year, 93% corresponded to tourists.
“Tourism is the most important activity for Guanacaste. The Guanacaste airport is one more axis in all the machinery of the tourism industry that employs thousands of people, and has promoted the growth of the country, which is why in Coriport we consider that the responsible and monitored opening of the borders is one of the actions that will promote economic recovery,” added Jaramillo.
Despite the increase in cases in recent weeks and restrictions in 53 cantons of the country, the Ministry of Health has still not postponed the date of opening of airports. Six airlines have already announced the resumption of flights in August and October to the Juan Santamaría.
