Costa Rica’s Juan Santamaría International Airport to add two new boarding gates

Costa Rica’s largest airport hub, the Juan Santamaría International Airport (SJO) outside San José, in November will begin expansion to facilitate an additional 260,000 passengers per year, an 18 percent increase from its current capacity.

Aeris, the company that administrates the airport, expects to complete the work in about a year at a cost of some $18 million.

Work includes the construction of two new boarding gates, along with contact bridges, which will receive larger aircraft. Currently, the terminal has nine bridges for passenger access.

The project also includes 1,000 meters of new space for duty-free shops and airline hub facilities.

The expansion was approved by the Civil Aviation Authority, and the bidding process for the project will begin in August.

Aeris said some 3.7 million passengers will travel through the airport this year.