Published on Wednesday, November 20, 2024

By the A.M. Costa Rica staff

The Daniel Oduber-Quiros International Airport (LIR), also known as Guanacaste Airport, announced the resume of its operations on Wednesday.

The country's second-largest international airport resumed commercial operations, including domestic and international flights, at 9 a.m. following a two-day stoppage for runway repairs.

The Minister of Public Works and Transport, Mauricio Batalla, personally reviewed the runway's repair before order to officially start operations one day earlier than anticipated, since it was originally scheduled to open on Thursday Nov. 21.

The airport stopped operations from Monday, Nov. 18 at 8:30 a.m. until Wednesday, Nov. 20 at 9 a.m. The issue affected over 100 planes. As well as over 5,800 passengers slated to arrive in the country and over 6,000 passengers preparing to depart from Guanacaste, authorities said.

That was the third time this month the airport has discontinued its operations. On Sunday, Nov. 17, the airport closed from 4 p.m. until 6 a.m. of the next day, on Monday, Nov. 18. Last week, the airport closed services from Friday, Nov. 15 at 6 a.m. until Saturday, Nov. 16 at 8 p.m.

Recently, the Guanacaste airport announced an increase in tourist operations to 1.5 million arriving and departing passengers, including tourists and locals.

Tourism is one of the most important economic sectors in Costa Rica. As of July, over 1.7 million tourists arrived via air, representing a 13.5% increase over the same period in 2023.

The country reported a new tourism record reached in 2023, with more than 2,4 million travelers.

The Ministry of Public Works and Transport (MOPT) is a government agency responsible for planning and building roads, airports, and maritime ports and regulating public transportation.

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