Costa Rica’s Juan Santamaría International Airport to add new stores, supermarket

Costa Rica’s main air hub, Juan Santamaría International Airport, outside of San José, will add new retail stores and a supermarket in a 1,000-square-meter area to be built in coming months.

Rafael Mencia, general director of Aeris, the company that manages the airport, said the new retail area would be located on the west side of the main terminal.

Businesses that will occupy the new space have not yet been announced, and will be selected through a public bidding process when the new area is complete, Mencia said.

Aeris hopes to attract companies offering products with little to no presence in current commercial areas at the airport, he added.

The commercial area is part of expansion works totaling $18 million, Aeris announced in July.

The expansion aims to accommodate an additional 260,000 passengers per year, an 18 percent increase from the airport’s current capacity.

Projects include the construction of two new boarding gates and contact bridges that can receive larger aircraft. Currently, the terminal has nine bridges for passenger access.

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