Overflight by US military aircraft in Costa Rica on Sunday lacked proper permission, lawmakers say

A US Army CH-47 Chinook is seen flying over the Lake Arenal area (Amanda TC / FB / ICR News)

September 22^nd, 2015 (ICR News) Five US Army aircraft consisting of two CH-47 Chinook helicopters and three UH-60 Blackhawk helicopters ruffled some Costa Rican’s feathers on Sunday, including some lawmakers who say the flights were not authorized by the country’s Legislative Assembly as required under law.

The aircraft had reportedly departed from a US military base in Soto Cano, Honduras and stopped in Liberia to refuel on their way to Panama.

The aircraft could be seen flying over northern Guanacaste, and it seems they may have even taken a bit of a sight-seeing tour over the Lake Arenal and Arenal Volcano area, where residents reported to ICR News that the aircraft could be seen flying in formation quite low over the area, in some cases just 300 or 400 feet in altitude, according to witnesses.

After heading east and crossing over the northern zone of Costa Rica, the aircraft continued south down the Caribbean coast towards Panama, alarming some Caribbean residents.

Juan Luis Vargas, acting director of the Air Surveillance Service, said that a request by the United States Department of Defense for the landings in Liberia was received by Costa Rica’s Foreign Ministry on September 11^th, and that Civil Aviation later approved the request.

Vargas also told reporters that the aircraft were diverted over the country to the Caribbean due to bad weather in the Pacific.

However, some lawmakers said on Monday that as the result of a constitutional ruling in 2013, that the power to grant such permission rests solely with the Legislature.

“For me its very serious.  Costa Rica has chosen not to have military forces in the country.  The presence of foreign forces in the country [is regulated] in the Constitution,” Rep. Otton Solis (PAC) told La Nacion.

“They [the United States] are violating national sovereignty with military aircraft.  The Attorney General and the Constitutional Court have ruled and have demanded [that such activity] should only be allowed with the permission of the Legislative Assembly,” Rep. Frank Camacho (FA) said, adding that a similar incident occurred late last month when US Army aircraft landed in Palmar Sur.

For his part, Vargas said that Civil Aviation granted authorization under a bilateral maritime agreement with the United States.

The US Embassy in San Jose also indicated that the aircraft “had all required permits within the bilateral agreement between the US and Costa Rica,” according to La Nacion.

The aircraft refueled in Liberia (Air Surveillance Service)

The aircraft refueled in Liberia (Air Surveillance Service)

The US Army helicopters could be seen flying over the Lake Arenal area (Amanda TC / FB / ICR News)

The US Army helicopters could be seen flying over the Lake Arenal area (Amanda TC / FB / ICR News)