Starting December 4, Air France will operate a daily flight between San José’s Juan Santamaría International Airport and Paris-Charles de Gaulle. Meanwhile, KLM will operate four weekly seasonal flights, connecting the Netherlands and Europe with Costa Rica.
Thus, the Air France-KLM group will offer 11 weekly flights during the European winter to further connect Costa Rica with the world.
The decision to increase frequencies by Air France and the return of KLM’s seasonal flight is due to the growing demand identified by the companies during the last few months, which had already led Air France to increase its weekly flights from 3 to 5 last June.
“We are very pleased with this good news that comes to strengthen the ties between our two countries. French citizens were the predominant European tourists visiting Costa Rica during the first half of 2023, a year in which Costa Rica and France commemorate 175 years of diplomatic relations,” said the French Ambassador to Costa Rica, Alexandra Bellayer-Roille.
On the other hand, William Rodríguez, Minister of Tourism explained the importance of this news.
“France is currently one of the most important European markets for Costa Rica and Air France’s decision to increase to 7 weekly direct flights between Paris and San José shows their continued confidence in our destination. It underscores the importance of our nation as an attractive destination for international tourism,” he added.
Complementing the Air France service, KLM will operate a direct San Jose-Amsterdam-San Jose flight four times a week, from the end of October through December. From January until the end of the season in March, the need for a technical stopover is being studied.
“The increase in Air France frequencies, which will have gone from three weekly flights to seven in just half a year, is a reflection of the importance of Costa Rica for the company and our commitment to the market.
In addition, KLM will resume operation of its route to San José, this time with four weekly flights from October 29 until the end of March 2024,” noted Diana Vargas, Commercial Manager of Air France and KLM for Costa Rica and Central America.
Air France will operate seven days a week, starting December 4, at the following times (local time):
- Flight AF0431: Departs San Jose at 19:55hrs and arrives in Paris at 13:20hrs the next day.
- Flight AF0428: Departs Paris at 13:10hrs and arrives in San Jose at 17:50hrs.
KLM will operate 4 weekly flights from October 29, 2023, as follows:
- Flight KL0760: Departs San Jose at 19:35hrs and arrives in Amsterdam at 13:00hrs the following day.
- Flight KL0759: Departs Amsterdam at 12:40hrs and arrives in San Jose at 17:25hrs.
“Costa Rica is one of our customers’ favorite destinations. Considering the high demand for travel from Europe during the winter, I invite those who are planning to travel soon to Europe to book their flights in advance. As of today, our flights are available for sale on our web pages and in travel agencies,” added Diana Vargas.
Air France and KLM operate the San José route on the most modern aircraft in their fleet. Thanks to their state-of-the-art technology, both aircraft offer a superior travel experience, Wi-Fi connection for all, and greater energy efficiency, generating 20% less CO2 emissions.
You can check prices with Air France or KLM directly and compare them with airfare consolidators like Expedia to see which gives you the best deal.