KLM names airplane after Costa Rican national park

KLM has named one of its newest airplanes after Costa Rica’s most remote national park.

The Boeing 777-300 was baptized “Cocos Island National Park” in honor of the Costa Rican Pacific island that’s an important conservation area for terrestrial and marine wildlife (and that was the inspiration for the fictional Isla Nublar in “Jurassic Park”).

Jennifer Schuld photographed the wide body jet during a taxi test at its production site, Paine Field in Everett, Washington:

KLM brand new 777 PH-BVV taxi test earlier today at KPAE.
This 777 is named “Cocos Island National Park”. pic.twitter.com/YU6yqINafd

— Jennifer Schuld (@JenSchuld) December 9, 2020

“We appreciate the gesture of friendship toward Costa Rica and its historic protection of its natural resources,” the Costa Rican Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

“We look forward to new flights so that more tourists can enjoy our natural beauties and our hospitality.”

KLM is the world’s oldest operating airline and the flag-carrier airline of the Netherlands. Before the pandemic, it operated direct flights to both of Costa Rica’s international airports — Juan Santamaría near San José, and Daniel Oduber Quirós in Guanacaste.

The Dutch airline has since resumed its route to SJO and offers service to LIR through its partner airline, Delta.

“We hope that more airlines will fly our skies, in a sign of the confidence they have in Costa Rica as a destination, as well as in the quality of the tourism product that we offer to travelers,” the Foreign Ministry said.

You can track the plane, registered PH-BVV, on Flight Radar 24.