New international airport in Costa Rica

A design contract worth $1.6 million is the first step in a project to develop a new international airport in Orotina, Costa Rica, by 2025, according to a plan announced last week by the Ministry of Public Works.

The contract, to be awarded in February 2016, will determine details of a multi-billion project, involving a three-runway airport, capable of moving as many as 10 million passengers a year.

In addition, Costa Rica would need new road and rail links connecting San José, the capital, and Orotina, loctaed 56 kilometers to the west.

A new airport would let Costa Rica handle increased traffic, while offering convenience for many tourists.

Orotina is close to several popular destinations on Costa Rica’s Pacific coast.

With good weather conditions, an airport located in Orotina would operate with few delays.

By contrast, fog as well as volcanic ash from the nearby Turrialba volcano sometimes affects Juan Santamaria International, located in the western suburbs of San José.

With no room to expand, Juan Santamaría, which moves close to 2.5 million passengers a year, would in any case not be Costa Rica’s airport of the future,

Aeris Costa Rica, a subsidiary of Houston-based HAS Development Corporation, operates Juan Santamaría under a concession which expires in 2026.