Costa Rica has started work on a â‚¡6.1 billion (about $13.4 million) upgrade of the Quepos airport, the small airfield that serves Manuel Antonio and the Central Pacific coast. The plan adds parking space for private aircraft now and replaces the passenger terminal with a new building targeted for completion at the end of 2028.
The Ministry of Public Works and Transport (MOPT) said yesterday that construction had begun on the first phase at La Managua aerodrome, run through the Civil Aviation Directorate. That phase costs about â‚¡2.1 billion ($4.6 million). It covers a new 9,450-square-meter (about 102,000-square-foot) apron with parking positions for nine small aircraft and a separate spot for a helicopter.
The work also includes road improvements, better access to the airfield and new drainage to carry off stormwater in a region known for heavy rainy-season downpours. The ministry said the changes are meant to strengthen safety and operating conditions at the airport. The second phase is a new passenger terminal and access roads, budgeted at â‚¡4 billion ($8.8 million).
Officials expect to open bidding in November, start construction in 2027 and finish by the end of 2028. The terminal will have more than 1,000 square meters (10,760 square feet) of floor space. Plans include an outdoor lobby with ramps and sidewalks, a waiting room, check-in counters with queuing space, a baggage-handling area, restrooms, and offices and service rooms for staff.
Public Works and Transport Minister EfraÃm Zeledón said the project goes beyond building a new apron. According to Zeledón, the goal is infrastructure that improves operational safety, strengthens air connectivity and keeps pace with tourism and economic growth along the Central Pacific. He said the investment would put the airport on a par with other terminals in handling the thousands of tourists who visit the marina, Manuel Antonio and the surrounding coast.
Zeledón was blunt about the building travelers use today. He said it was unacceptable for visitors to the region, including well-known guests such as Michael Jordan, to be received in what he called a shed. Traffic at the airfield has grown in recent years. According to the justification included in the project’s contracting documents, annual aircraft operations rose from 6,000 in 2017 to 9,129 in 2022, making Quepos the busiest local aerodrome in the country after Tambor, which is privately owned.
Quepos Mayor Patricia Bolaños said the community had waited years for the project, going back to when paving of the runway first began. She said the local economy depends on tourism and the airfield is the entry point for those visitors, but described its condition in recent years as embarrassing. Bolaños added that the upgrades should help bring more foreign visitors to Quepos and the southern Pacific region.
Cristian Fallas, president of the Quepos Chamber of Commerce, said the project would benefit a chain of local businesses and bring more tourism activity to the area. President Laura Fernández first announced the airfield tender in September, when she said she wanted private jets landing in Quepos.
At the time, Zeledón put total planned investment at the aerodrome above â‚¡5 billion. The figure the ministry released Friday is about â‚¡6.1 billion. The Quepos work is part of a wider program of airport investment that includes improvements at Juan SantamarÃa and Daniel Oduber international airports and the planned expansion of the Limón airport.
The ministry did not announce any new airline routes or additional scheduled flights with the project. Until the new terminal opens, passengers will continue to use the existing building.
