Avianca Airlines announced the launch of a new direct flight route connecting San José (SJO), Costa Rica, and San Juan (SJU), Puerto Rico, starting March 31, 2025. After 20 years, both cities will have direct flights for the convenience of travelers. The announcement was made by the governor of Puerto Rico, Jenniffer González Colón, alongside Avianca executives.
“The connection of these two cities represents a strategic opportunity to strengthen economic and cultural ties between Puerto Rico and Costa Rica, emphasizing tourism, bilateral trade, and job creation,” said González Colón. Avianca will operate three flights per week. The flights will be conducted with Airbus A320 aircraft, which will offer a capacity of 7,128 seats per week. The flights will be available on Mondays, Thursdays, and Fridays, arriving at Luis Muñoz Marín Airport at 12:40 PM and returning to Juan Santamaría International Airport at 2:10 PM.
Alejandro Benítez, Avianca’s Senior Vice President of Corporate Development, indicated that there is a possibility of increasing the frequency of flights to one daily service. According to a published statement, Puerto Rican authorities estimate that the new route will generate an initial economic impact of $6 million for Puerto Rico.
“Congratulations to the Tourism team and everyone involved for making this agreement possible. My thanks to Avianca for believing in Puerto Rico and investing here,” González added. This new route seeks to position the island as a center of tourist and business attraction for the Central American region.
“The operation of this flight offers a greater connection with Latin America, making evident the arrival of a larger number of passengers coming from both Costa Rica and other international destinations,” Puerto Rican officials mentioned. According to ICT data, between January and November 2024, only three tourists arrived in Puerto Rico by air. However, this new route will also strengthen connections between Costa Rica and the United States, a country that welcomed 1,458,912 visitors in the same period.
This new service to San José will become Avianca’s third destination in San Juan. The airline currently operates daily flights to Medellín/Rionegro (MDE) and ten weekly flights to Bogotá (BOG).
