Costa Rica’s main international airport remains open after Turrialba Volcano erupted again Friday morning in the latest of a series of powerful recent eruptions. While the airport is operating normally at this writing, some airlines have canceled or delayed flights into Costa Rica.
The eruption at 7:20 am Friday was one of the most dramatic in the last month, shooting a column of ash a staggering 3 km into the air, according to National University’s Volcanological and Seismological Observatory of Costa Rica.
Concern over the eruption led Southwest, Air Canada, Spirit and Aeromexico to cancel flights Friday morning, according to Silva Chaves, spokeswoman for Aeris, the company that operates Juan Santamaría International Airport. United Airlines rerouted a flight to Daniel Oduber International Airport in Liberia, Guanacaste.
The volcano’s eruption Thursday afternoon sent ash as high as 1.2 kilometers into the air. Following that eruption, United canceled two flights arriving from Houston, and some domestic TACA flights were canceled flying into Juan Santamaría from Tambor, Palmar and Drake Bay.
Southwest Airlines, Spirit Airlines, Delta and Aeromexico all diverted flights into the Alajuela airport Thursday evening, according to flight information from Aeris and FlightRadar24.
Chaves said that the airport is operating normally. There is no alert for volcanic ash at this time, she told reporters, but airport officials are monitoring the situation. Airlines can decide to delay or cancel flights depending on conditions.
Travelers flying out of Costa Rica can check the status of their flight on the Juan Santamaría International Airport’s website.
