New flights will connect Costa Rica and Cancún

Avianca on Tuesday announced new flights connecting Costa Rica (SJO) and Cancún. The route will operate thrice weekly beginning December 2, 2021.

“We are expanding our network of routes to and from Costa Rica, which has become one of the most important tourist destinations in the Central American region,” said David Alemán, Avianca’s General Director for Central and South America.

“As we announced a few weeks ago, our expansion plans include at least five direct routes: to New York, Los Angeles, Panama City, Mexico City and now Cancún. We are pleased to know that we are concretizing our plans to offer the traveler more non-stop connection and with a simpler travel experience.”

The itinerary on the Cancún – San José route is:

The flights are subject to government approval, but tickets are already on-sale at Avianca.com and elsewhere.

The low-cost airline Volaris also flies between the San José area and Cancún.

Mexico is Costa Rica’s third-biggest tourism market. Pre-pandemic, the country welcomed nearly 100,000 visitors from Mexico, according to Tourism Board (ICT) data.

Avianca currently offers one of the most robust flight networks in Latin America, with 99 routes and more than 2,680 flights a week, per the airline. One of its subsidiaries, Avianca Costa Rica S.A., 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.