Month: May 2014
Costa Rican Airline Requests Operating Permits
SAN JOSE, Costa Rica–Air Costa Rica is the new brand name of Tica Air according to the Public Registry of the airline, which has launched the second phase of a certificationn process and expects to receive approval from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation within four to six months to operate as an international airline. The first stage of the airline’s plans include starting with charter flights to other countries in the region and then opening international routes to the United States, Nicaragua, Panama City and Colombia. Carlos Víquez, the director responsible for the formation of the airline , told El Financiero (EF) that “Civil Aviation now have 10 days to review the technical information provided, as the legal and financial documents have already been accepted. After that period, the government entity will usually provide a list of differences, for which the company has 30 working days to respond. ” Air Costa Rica is a company whose associates, George Novey and Eduardo Stagg, also own Air Panama. This company has operated since 2006 and has over 300 employees and 18 aircraft. Its core business is domestic flights in Panama and its only international route so far is San Jose. Last February, Stagg informed El Financiero that it was interested in operating a route to Miami from San Jose, taking advantage of the fact that Avianca had left that slot empty after closing the former LACSA hub at Juan Santamaria International Airport. They have also announced flights to Managua, Panama and San Andrés. Air Costa Rica would operate one of the Boeing 737-300s that Air Panama has purchased. At the moment Air Costa Rica seems to be the most probable Costa Rican carrier to start air services as Ticos Air has not been able to take off and has lost momentum.
JetBlue’s new Route to Guanacaste
LIBERIA, Costa Rica–JetBlue Airways has announced new services between Boston and Liberia, Guanacaste effective November 1st 2014. This will be the fourth route of the U.S. carrier into Costa Rica (the airline already operates Orlando-San Jose, Fort Lauderdale-San Jose and New York-Liberia). The high season of the Golden Coast of Costa Rica starts in November and finishes in May. The region is considered one of the most popular destinations of “Sun, beaches and adventure” featuring five star resorts like Four Seasons, Hyatt Andaz, Hilton, Westin, JW Marriott and by 2014 new resorts like AM Resorts The Dreams and Melia Paradisus will open its doors. The new flight will offer tourists from Massachusetts and beyond the perfect sunny destination in Central America. Guanacaste is also one of the favorite places for Hollywood stars like Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt and lately Beyonce that attended the wedding of her friend Kelly Rowland with Tim Witherspoon.
More Connectivity to Costa Rica
SAN JOSE, Costa Rica–By the end of 2014 and beginning of 2015 new airlines will start services to Costa Rica. One new airline will start flights from California informed Marc Bourreau, a consultant of the Costa Rican Tourism Board. The airline was not mentioned but analysts believe could be Alaska Airlines or Virgin America. The other flight will connect Paris with San Jose via the Dominican Republic, most likely XL Airways that already operates from Charles de Gaulle to Punta Cana. The Costa Rican Tourism Board presented May 7th a detailed document with all the accomplishements of the past four years in regards to connectivity of Costa Rica with the world. At the moment San Jose’s Juan Santamaria International Airport is serviced by 16 airlines and Liberia’s Daniel Oduber International Airport is serviced by 11 carriers. The Costa Rican government through the ICT (Costa Rican Tourist Board) with the support of AERIS and Coriport have been making initial contacts with airlines such as Alaska Airlines, Southwest, Allegiant, Eastern Airlines, XL Airways, GOL, TAME, Transaero Airlines and Aeroflot in the last months pursuing future services to both international airports. Effective May 8th a new president takes over and the new Minister of Tourism, Wilhem von Breymann will be in charge of luring more airlines to Costa Rica, still the powerhouse of tourism in Central America.
VECA Airlines soon to Fly
SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador–VECA Airlines (Vuelos Economicos de Centro America) the new start-up airline and El Salvador’s flag carrier established in late 2013 in San Salvador, El Salvador is close to start its international operations. The main airline hub is located in San Salvador at Monseñor Óscar Arnulfo Romero International Airport (formerly Comalapa International Airport). The airline is expected to commence service in June 2014 with regional service to major cities in Central America. VECA Airlines is expected to start their services with two Airbus A-319 leased from lessor International Lease Finance Corporation (ILFC). The first of these, a former Cyprus Airways aircraft, has already been delivered to the carrier, while its sistership is being prepared in Miami, Florida ahead of its official handover to the start-up. Both aircraft will be configured in a single-class, 144-seat economy class arrangement. The start-up intends to bring competition into the Central American market following the recent merger of Avianca and TACA Airlines. Several former TACA Airlines employees work now at VECA Airlines, the new runner up as the Salvadorian major airline after the absorption of TACA Airlines by the Colombian flag carrier. It is unclear if VECA Airlines will expand it’s “Wings” beyong the Central American countries but Salvadorian and Nicaraguan authorities hope the airline would open flights to Los Angeles, San Francisco, Houston, New York and Washington-DC. VECA Airlines will operate to Guatemala City, San Pedro-Sula, Managua, Panama City and San Jose, Costa Rica. The Juan Santamaria International Airport will be VECA Airlines secondary airport.
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