Avianca on Thursday announced more than 20 new international routes, including six to and from Costa Rica.
The Colombia-based company will launch flights from the San José area (SJO) to Los Angeles and New York in the United States; to Cali and Medellín in Colombia; to Mexico City; and to Managua, Nicaragua.
“The offer of direct connectivity from Costa Rica is essential, and that strengthens our expansion plans from the country,” said David Alemán, regional director of Avianca.
“In July, we began direct flights from San José to Miami, and today we are announcing six new, non-stop routes to destinations that the passenger is asking for, with a product adjusted to the needs of travelers.”
The routes will launch between 2021 and 2022, Avianca said, though the airline didn’t provide specific dates. Currently, Avianca offers nonstop flights between San José and Bogotá, Guatemala, El Salvador and Miami.
The Miami route is new service that began in July of this year.
The 20-plus routes announced Thursday by Avianca include new international offerings to Colombia, Ecuador, Costa Rica, Guatemala and El Salvador.
Avianca Costa Rica S.A., a subsidiary of Avianca, is the last remaining vestige of LACSA, Costa Rica’s old national airline.
Tourism is one of Costa Rica’s principal economic drivers. Before the pandemic, it contributed to 8.2% of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) and created 9% of the nation’s jobs, according to the Tourism Board.