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Authorities
announce improvements at Juan Santamaría Airport
By the A.M. Costa Rica staff Tuesday, the Civil Aviation Directorate announced the opening of a new runway on the southern airstrip at the Juan Santamaría International Airport*, in the province of Alajuela. The authorities expect to increase the number of landings and takeoffs per hour from the current number 13 to 28. This increase in activity reduced the average take-off time from 20 to 5 minutes. According to Guillermo Hoppe, General Director of Civil Aviation, the opening of this runway is just one part of the efficiency improvements being made at the airport. According to the airport authorities, the improvements in airport facilities respond to a strategy to attract new airlines, increase flights, and increase efficiency when attending to passengers. On November 2018, as A.M. Costa Rica previously reported, the government announced an investment of $96 million toward the first improvements to the airport. The project includes the expansion of the Block V building, improvements to airport facilities, a new lighting system, and remodeling the southern sector. Remodeling the southern sector includes five projects: a south-running runway parallel to the existing runway, an extension of the street near the airport known as La Candela, a building of a security zone, improvements of the main airport building, among others. President Carlos Alvarado, who visited the facilities to examine the progress of the improvements, said that the projects will allow for more security, more flights, more visitors and improve the nation’s exports. In June the Minister of Public Works and Transport, Rodolfo Méndez Mata, met in Washington with representatives of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), seeking to recover the country’s category one safety status at airports. Minister Mendez met with Carl Burlinson, Assistant Director of the FAA, and as part of the agreement, a non-reimbursable technical cooperation was signed between the FAA and the Central American Air Navigation Services Corporation (COCESNA), who agreed to receive specialized advice on safety airports improvements. According to Minister Mendez, there will be a corrective action plan and periodic visits by specialists from the FAA, to verify the implementation and compliance of the agreements. The delegation of airport authorities traveled to the U.S. to meet FAA officials. According to Guillermo Hoppe, the country has followed up on the actions suggested by the audit of the FAA, and it is important to clarify in which specific points they have some discrepancy. In May, the FAA announced that Costa Rica does not comply with the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) safety standards and has been assigned a Category 2 rating based on a reassessment of the country's civil aviation authority. A category 2 International Aviation Safety Assessment (IASA) rating means the country either lacks laws or regulations necessary to oversee air carriers in accordance with minimum international standards, or its civil aviation authority - a body equivalent to the FAA for aviation safety matters - is deficient in one or more areas, such as technical expertise, trained personnel, record-keeping, or inspection procedures. With a category 2 rating, Costa Rica's carriers can continue existing service to the United States, but they will not be allowed to establish any new services to the United States. In 1996, Costa Rica was assigned an initial Category 1 rating, meaning the country complied with ICAO standards for aviation safety oversight. The FAA conducted an in-country reassessment of Costa Rica under the IASA program in October 2018 and met with the DGAC in February 2019 to discuss the results. As part of the FAA's IASA program, the agency assesses the civil aviation authorities of all countries with air carriers that have applied to fly to the U. S. And those who currently conduct operations in the U. S., or participates in code-sharing arrangements with U.S. partner airlines, and makes that information available to the public. The assessments determine whether or not foreign civil aviation authorities are meeting ICAO safety standards, not FAA regulations. A category 1 rating means the country's civil aviation authority complies with ICAO standards. With an IASA Category 1 rating, a country's air carriers can establish service to the United States and carry the code of U.S. carriers. To maintain the category 1 rating, a country must adhere to the safety standards of ICAO, the United Nations' technical agency for aviation that establishes international standards and recommended practices for aircraft operations and maintenance. ------------------------ Does the category rating make you feel insecure in the airports in Costa Rica? We would like to know your thoughts on this story. Send your comments to news@amcostarica.com |
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