The resurfacing of the runway at Daniel Oduber Quirós International Airport (AIDOQ), completed this past February, is now under judicial investigation, and at the center of growing controversy over construction quality.
The work, carried out by the firm MECO, is facing multiple technical and administrative questions, just months after completion. A new report from the Civil Aviation Infrastructure Unit, obtained by AmeliaRueda.com, reveals premature damage, deformations, and asphalt sinking on the newly refurbished runway.
The document warns that a new intervention will be needed in the medium term, despite the nearly $40 million investment. According to said report, the construction failed to meet minimum airport-quality standards. According to Civil Aviation engineers, officials were warned as early as 2024 that proposed design modifications, approved without technical justification, could compromise the integrity of the work.
The warnings were directed at Marcos Castillo, Director of Civil Aviation, and then-Minister of Public Works and Transport (MOPT), Mauricio Batalla. Both, the report states, ignored the red flags. The project underwent a “value engineering” redesign, a cost-saving modification that was endorsed directly by Batalla, who even signed off as the responsible engineer, bypassing internal opposition. That decision is now backfiring.
Backing that claim is a separate study by the National Laboratory of Structural Models and Materials (Lanamme-UCR). Their July 2025 report warns that the runway does not meet, and will not meet, the performance standards outlined in the contract, including the required Pavement Condition Rating (PCR).
Civil Aviation says the work also violates key aeronautical regulations (RAC 14 and RAC 139). These issues were previously flagged in a formal letter to Castillo, which, according to the report, received no response and remains unresolved. In addition, the provisional handover act for the project identified 127 deficiencies that MECO was ordered to fix immediately. Many of those still haven’t been addressed.
The 24-page report, signed by engineer David Rojas, details how poor oversight and contract breaches will lead to costly repairs sooner than expected, perhaps even in the short-to-medium term.
It also raises broader concerns about the financial impact on public resources. It cites not only the premature failure of the infrastructure, but also the additional funds now needed to keep the runway operational, including emergency repairs to the lighting system.
“This represents a burden on public finances, not just for repair work, but for ensuring safe and continuous service,” the report warns. All the flaws now surfacing, the report emphasizes, were foreseen and documented before work was completed. The root of the problem, investigators say, lies in the budget modification approved by ex-Minister Batalla, who is now under criminal investigation.
“The redesign was not backed by technical reviews, nor approved by the relevant aeronautical regulator,” the document states. The issues have reportedly caused friction within Civil Aviation, where some teams have paused technical reporting following an objection filed by MECO.
