The runway at Liberia’s Daniel Oduber Quirós Airport, once again presented problems that led to its temporary closure. According to the Dirección General de Aviación Civil (DGAC), the runway had to be temporarily closed due to considerable damage on its surface. The closure began around 4:00 p.m. and was scheduled to reopen at 6:00 p.m.
The Deputy Director of Civil Aviation, Luis Miranda, confirmed that Saturday’s closure was due to two potholes detected on the runway. Before the closure, airport technical teams inspected the runway’s condition to ensure the next plane could land or take off safely.
“The protocol followed in these cases is that once a commercial aircraft lands, a review of the potholes on the runway is conducted to determine if there is any impact on the flight operations. However, every landing during this period was causing some type of detachment,” Miranda explained.
Civil Aviation authorities explained that the closure was necessary so the patching work could be carried out and fix the two potholes. “For safety reasons, we proceeded with the closure of the runway,” Miranda stated. Authorities also reported that seven international and seven domestic flights were affected.
The poor condition of this runway has been a persistent issue over the last few months. Repairs were supposed to start months ago but were delayed due to bureaucratic issues. This prevented the administration from achieving its objective of completing repairs before the start of the high season.
Saturday afternoon’s closure aimed to properly patch the potholes to prevent safety risks for airlines. The ongoing issues and sudden shutdowns at the Liberia airport harm the country’s image and tourism. The tourism sector has criticized the lack of planning by authorities and emphasized the need for comprehensive repairs to ensure the airport operates efficiently without causing disruptions for travelers.
