Spanish airline Iberia has announced plans to add daily direct flights to San José beginning in June, according to a statement from the Costa Rica Tourism Institute (ICT).
The airline now has seven flights weekly to Costa Rica from Spain: six with layovers in either Guatemala or Panama and one direct flight. In June, it will add three direct flights per week between Madrid and San José.
These new flights will be serviced by Airbus A340-600 aircrafts with capacity for 232 passengers.
Iberia announced this decision Feb. 2 at the International Tourism Fair (FITUR) in Madrid. Representatives from ICT, along with those from the National Tourism Chamber (CANATUR) attended the fair.
Their goals included attracting European airlines to fly here to regain tourists lost when the Spanish airline Air Madrid shut down late last year (TT, Feb. 2).
Tourism Minister Carlos Benavides expressed “enormous satisfaction” over Iberia’s decision, which he said, “demonstrates the enormous trust in the growth of European tourism to Costa Rica,” according to the statement.
