Costa Rica saw a second airport emergency on Saturday after authorities responded to the death of a passenger aboard an Iberia flight arriving from Madrid, the same day another aircraft activated emergency protocols at Daniel Oduber International Airport in Liberia.
A 59-year-old Costa Rican woman died aboard an Iberia flight from Madrid on Saturday afternoon, with the OIJ confirming details of the case on Sunday, prompting emergency protocols at Juan Santamaría International Airport. Judicial authorities identified the passenger only by the surname Arias.
The woman suffered an apparent medical emergency while the aircraft was en route to Costa Rica. After the plane arrived, airport operator Aeris activated emergency procedures, with airport medical staff, security personnel and other response teams attending the situation.
Aeris said the medical situation aboard the Madrid flight was handled according to established protocols and with support from the corresponding emergency services. The company also said priority was given to passenger safety and the continuity of airport operations.
The Organismo de Investigación Judicial (OIJ) responded to the aircraft and carried out the standard procedures required when a death occurs inside an arriving aircraft. Diario Extra reported that judicial agents removed the body and sent it to the Judicial Morgue for the corresponding autopsy, while the case remained under investigation.
The OIJ confirmed the woman died of natural causes. The agency is expected to continue the required documentation and procedural steps to complete the official reports.
The emergency temporarily affected the aircraft’s arrival area while judicial and forensic personnel worked inside the terminal. Diario Extra reported that the jet bridge remained closed during the procedures.
Authorities have not reported broader disruption to operations at Costa Rica’s main international airport. The case is being handled as a passenger medical death aboard an inbound international flight.
