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Guanacaste Airport, known before as Daniel Oduber Quirós International Airport ( es, Aeropuerto Internacional Daniel Oduber Quirós) , and also known as Liberia International Airport, is one of four international airports in Costa Rica. It is west-southwest of the city of Liberia in
The idea for an airport in Guanacaste Province was initially conceived during the government of Daniel Oduber Quirós (1974–1978). The airport was initially named "Llano Grande", due to the name of the area that it was built in. It would later be named "Aeropuerto Tomas Guardia," and the last name it received is that of ex-president
Guanacaste Province
Guanacaste () is a province of Costa Rica located in the northwestern region of the country, along the coast of the Pacific Ocean. It is bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Alajuela Province to the east, and Puntarenas Province to the southeast. I ...
, and serves as a tourism hub for those who visit the Pacific
The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the contine ...
coast and western Costa Rica.
History
The idea for an airport in Guanacaste Province was initially conceived during the government of Daniel Oduber Quirós (1974–1978). The airport was initially named "Llano Grande", due to the name of the area that it was built in. It would later be named "Aeropuerto Tomas Guardia," and the last name it received is that of ex-president Daniel Oduber Quirós
Porfirio Ricardo José Luis Daniel Oduber Quirós (August 25, 1921 – October 13, 1991) was a Costa Rican politician, lawyer, philosopher, poet, and essayist. He served as the President of Costa Rica from 1974 to 1978. He is credited with the ...
, in honour of his work for the province of Guanacaste. However, most people call it "Liberia International Airport", and in 2021 the name was changed to Guanacaste Airport for branding purposes.
In October 1995 the airport was re-inaugurated as an international airport. To support this expansion of operations, the pavement on the runway was redone and special landing lights were installed. Also a firefighter station was added to comply with FAA
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is the largest transportation agency of the U.S. government and regulates all aspects of civil aviation in the country as well as over surrounding international waters. Its powers include air traffic m ...
and international regulations.
Initial response from commercial airlines to the expansion was timid; however, after one year the airport went from having only one weekly charter flight to one almost every day.
In 2006, to manage increased demand of the airport, the government and local tourism chamber boards set aside funds to increase the parking capacity of the tarmac from five to eight airplanes, and for the construction of a parallel taxiway. However, the government made it clear that the solutions were only temporary and that a private company would need to be contracted to expand and operate the airport in the future. Also in 2007 a new waiting area and airport counters were opened, the airport was by then receiving more than 180,000 visitors yearly.
Expanded terminal and new operator
The government of Costa Rica awarded CORIPORT, S.A., a 20-year concession to design, finance, construct and operate a new terminal building and its associated landside facilities, as well as approximately of airport land currently occupied by the existing terminal and associated facilities. CORIPORT's shareholders include MMM Aviation Group, Emperador Pez Espada S.R.L., Inversiones Cielo Claro LTDA, Cocobolo Inversiones S.R.L., and ADC&HAS Airports Worldwide who is also the project's operator. The new terminal building, encompassing approximately , features a contemporary design that both increases efficiency and capacity over the existing facility. Construction started on 19 October 2010; the terminal opened on 12 January 2012. Further expansion of the terminal commenced in January 2017 and was completed in November; the expansion adds capacity for the airport to receive 5 new airlines.Airlines and destinations
Statistics
Traffic figures
Top international destinations
See also
*Transport in Costa Rica
There are many modes of transport in Costa Rica but the country's infrastructure has suffered from a lack of maintenance and new investment. There is an extensive road system of more than 30,000 kilometers, although much of it is in disrepair; this ...
* List of airports in Costa Rica
References
External links
* https://www.guanacasteairport.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Guanacaste Airport Airports in Costa Rica Buildings and structures in Guanacaste Province