Costa Rica's San José
Airport Called "Special"
Costa Rica's Juan
Santamaría (San José)
airport is a "special"
airport, special not for
being "of a distinct or
particular kind or
character", but rather
for it being one of the
more dangerous airports
in the region.
Pilots coming to and
leaving Costa Rica's
major airport constantly
face navigational
challenges, mainly due
to its lack of an
approach landing system,
a system that has not
been functioning for
years, and the lack of
other security measures
that often mean flight
delays and
cancellations.
The rainy season offers
the most challenges. In
the past the weather
conditions of of May,
June and July were not a
problem However,
changing weather
conditions have made
landings and takeoffs at
the Santamaría
increasingly difficult,
fog playing a major role
in flight delays and
cancellations.
The International Civil
Aviation Organization (ICAO)
says that one of the
major items regarding
airport security is the
approach landing system
lights that stopped
functioning for some
years and airport
officials have yet to
offer a solution. The
ALS allows pilots to
line up the aircraft to
the runway and in fould
weather it can mean the
difference between
landing and heading for
a closer airport, as was
the case Wednesday night
when a number of flights
were diverted to Libera
and Panama.
Other problems facing
the Santamaría are the
size of aircrafts it can
handle. For instance,
the Spanish airline
Iberia uses the Airbus
340 on its direct Madrid
- San José route, an
aircraft that is a
problem parking in the
small area allotted to
each gate which is
designed to accommodate
only smaller aircraft.
The other problem facing
the Santamaría is the
land it is sitting on.
With only 200 hectares,
the airport has no room
for the expansion of an
additional runway and
the terminal area. In
comparison, the Daniel
Oduber in Liberia sits
on 400 hectares and
Bogotá, Colombia's, El
Dorado which emcopasses
some 900 hectares.
The lack of parking
space and small terminal
and short runway do not
permit any of the 21
airlines that fly into
San José to use the
monsters of the sky like
the Boeing 747 or the
Airbus 380, the largest
passenger jet in the
world.
The problems at the
Santamaría are sure to
continue for much time
to come, as the
government continues to
focus its efforts on
completing the airport
terminal, whose
construction has been
stalled for the last
three years.
In the meantime for
those flying into and
out of the Santamaría,
remember that this is a
"special" airport.
|
