No menu items!

COSTA RICA'S LEADING ENGLISH LANGUAGE NEWSPAPER

HomeAirportsCosta Rica airports increase security following Brussels blasts

Costa Rica airports increase security following Brussels blasts

Travelers should give themselves at least three hours to pass through security at Juan Santamaría International Airport on Tuesday and throughout the week after terrorist attacks in Brussels sent airports around the world into heightened security mode.

Costa Rica’s Civil Aviation Authority announced that it had elevated the threat level from green to yellow at the country’s airports, including Juan Santamaría International Airport in Alajuela — Costa Rica’s largest — and Daniel Oduber International Airport in Liberia, Guanacaste.

Glen Pacheco, head of security for Juan Santamaría International Airport, said there was no need for alarm but travelers should be aware that security and immigration screening would be more rigorous starting Tuesday. Pacheco said that the elevated security measures at Juan Santamaría would continue at least through the Holy Week holiday.

More than 30 people were killed and dozens injured in two terrorist attacks in Brussels, Belgium on Tuesday. Emergency services said 14 of those killed and more than 90 of those injured were the victims of two blasts at the check-in area of the main terminal at Brussels’ Zaventem airport. Shortly afterwards, another explosion ripped through a train at Maalbeek metro station, killing around 20 others and wounding more than 100 people.

The Belgian city was already on high alert following Friday’s arrest of Salah Abdeslam, a key suspect in the November attacks on Paris that killed 130. Both attacks have been claimed by the Islamic State terrorist group.

President Luis Guillermo Solís condemned the attacks Tuesday and expressed his sympathy with the people of Belgium and the European Union.

“Such acts of barbarism have no justification,” Solís said, “In the name of the people and government of Costa Rica I express my solidarity and condolences for the Belgian people and their authorities, as well as the European Union.”

AFP contributed reporting from Belgium to this article.

Trending Now

Why Costa Rica’s Northern Huetar Region Struggles Despite Its Riches

Costa Rica’s Northern Huetar Region, a sprawling area of 9,790 square kilometers, is home to over 437,000 people across districts like San Carlos, Upala,...

U.S. – Guatemala Security Pact Targets Crime and Helps Returning Migrants

U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem signed a border security cooperation agreement with Guatemala on Thursday, which includes the use of drones and...

Costa Rica’s Piangua Mollusk Threatened by Pineapple Farm Runoff

Costa Rica’s Térraba-Sierpe National Wetland, a 33,000-hectare haven of mangroves and rivers, is under siege from an unlikely source: pineapple farms. A study by...

El Salvador Extradites Lev Tahor Members to Israel, Guatemala Over Child Abuse Charges

El Salvador has extradited two members of the Lev Tahor sect—an ultra-Orthodox Jewish group under investigation for alleged child sexual abuse—to Israel and Guatemala,...

Assassinated in Exile: Roberto Samcam Laid to Rest in Costa Rica

To the cry of "justice," the remains of retired Nicaraguan Army Major Roberto Samcam, a staunch critic of the Daniel Ortega government who was...

Panama Vows Constitutional Action Amid Worsening Bocas del Toro Unrest

Panama’s President José Raúl Mulino announced Thursday that he will take “constitutional measures” to stop the wave of protests and road blockades affecting the...
spot_img
Costa Rica Tours
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Travel Insurance
Costa Rica Rocking Chait
Costa Rica Travel

Latest News from Costa Rica