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Juan Santamaría International Airport expands with a new four-story building

 

  • Bloque Victor was inaugurated on Friday by the President of the Republic and represents a westward expansion of the country’s main air terminal.
  •  It has four boarding lounges, a basement for baggage handling, a restaurant, a VIP lounge and a pet area, among other innovations.
  •  This investment of $23.5 million will increase the airport’s number of boarding gates to 20, with 13 boarding bridges

Over 14,000 domestic and international passengers who arrive and depart the country every day will benefit from the modern expansion of Juan Santamaría International Airport, which was inaugurated on Friday by the President of the Republic, Carlos Alvarado Quesada.

Bloque Victor (V Block) is the new four-story building that represents a westward expansion of the airport of more than 6,000 m2. It will have four boarding lounges, two with connecting bridges and two for remote positions.

It also has a restaurant at the departure gates, a VIP lounge, and a 45 m2 pet area with artificial grass, waste bag dispensers, drinking fountains and hand-washing stations.

The investment in this project totals $23.5 million, of which $22.5 million came from the expansion plans being implemented by AERIS Holding Costa Rica for Juan Santamaría. The remaining million dollars is a contribution from the Directorate-General of Civil Aviation (DGAC) for the expansion of the concrete parking ramp for aircraft by two positions, totaling 5,500 m2.

The inauguration activity was attended by the Minister of Public Works and Transportation, Rodolfo Méndez Mata, the Minister of Tourism, Maria Amalia Revelo, the General Director of Civil Aviation, Guillermo Hoppe, and the Executive Director of AERIS, Rafael Mencía.

“It is with great excitement and satisfaction that I am witnessing the completion of part of the work that we inspected in November”, said President Alvarado, referring to the night-time visit he carried out late last year.

“This airport - which represents the main port of entry and departure of the country - is receiving a total influx of $96 million for its modernization and expansion”, Alvarado continued.

In addition, President Alvarado reaffirmed the government’s commitment to economic revitalization, the strengthening of projects to improve service to passengers and the concerted efforts to attract more airlines and tourists.

Minister Méndez Mata explained that this project was designed to be implemented over a two-year period, with the objective of meeting the growing demand for passengers and cargo at Juan Santamaría Airport.

Rafael Mencía, Executive Director of AERIS, explained that this modernization effort would improve service and airline operations. “Juan Santamaría will increase its total number of boarding gates to 20, with 13 boarding bridges. V Block is a modern, comfortable and safe space that will contribute to the country’s competitiveness”, he emphasized.

This expansion and modernization project is the result of a joint effort for the country’s development by the airport management company, the Ministry of Public Works and Transportation, the Costa Rican Tourism Board, the Directorate-General of Civil Aviation and other state institutions.

The General Director of Civil Aviation, Guillermo Hoppe, noted that “in line with our main pillars of safety management, timely assistance to users and maximizing resources and innovation, we at DGAC celebrate the initiatives to promote inter-institutional cooperation and private sector partnerships. This is a clear example of how public-private partnerships create positive results”.

The Minister of Tourism, Maria Amalia Revelo, explained that six of every ten international passengers entering Costa Rica pass through Juan Santamaría International Airport, with a growth in arrivals of 5.9% through this port of entry between 2017 and 2018.

“Because of its role as strategic infrastructure for our tourism industry, improving its services enriches the experience of our visitors while maximizing the country’s competitiveness”, the ICT head concluded