Recently formed Salvadoran carrier VECA airlines landed its inaugural flight from El Salvador to Costa Rica on Friday.
The company will operate non-stop flights between El Salvador and Costa Rica three times a week, on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, the company confirmed.
VECA launched operations in 2014 with flights within the Central American countries. Besides the route to Costa Rica, the carrier also flies to Guatemala, and soon will add a flight to Panama.
From San Salvador, flights will depart at 10:55 a.m. and will arrive at Juan Santamaría International Airport at 12:30 p.m. Flights from Costa Rica will take off at 1:40 p.m. and arrive in San Salvador at 3:15 p.m.
The route is operated on an Airbus 319 aircraft with a capacity for 144 passengers.
Alberto López, General Manager of the Costa Rican Tourism Board, said the arrival of the new airline “is a remarkable effort to boost the mobilization of tourists among the Central American countries and also to establish connections for travelers in the region.”
Costa Rican tourism officials last year made attracting new airlines to the country a top priority.
Costa Rica recorded a total of 98,251 Central American travelers entering the country through the Juan Santamaría Airport in 2014, according to the tourism board.
Since November, the Aviation Administration has confirmed openings of new flights and routes from several airlines including Jet Blue, Cubana de Aviación, Condor and United Airlines.
Texas-based Southwest Airlines will launch a flight from Baltimore to San José next month, and Spirit Airlines will begin flying from Houston in May.
Later this year British carrier Thomson Airways will begin its route to Costa Rica with a flight between Liberia in Guanacaste and London.
