Costa Rica’s Daniel Oduber Quirós Airport Resumes Flights After Runway Repairs

Costa Rica’s second-busiest airport has reopened after runway issues caused intermittent closures over the past week.

Daniel Oduber Quirós International Airport in Liberia (LIR), which shut down twice in four days, reopened Thursday after runway repairs allowed operations to resume. According to flight-tracking service FlightAware, flights at the airport were back on track as of early Thursday morning, including those operated by United Airlines, WestJet, Alaska Airlines, and JetBlue.

The airport was first closed last Friday, briefly reopened Sunday, and shut down again Wednesday. Some flights operated Monday before being suspended again.

Costa Rica’s Civil Aviation Director Marco Castillo attributed the issues to three “potholes” on the runway, caused by two weeks of torrential rain that triggered flooding and evacuations in parts of the country. While repairs were expected to take longer, the General Directorate of Civil Aviation reported to the Tico Times that repairs wrapped up early.

While the airport handles fewer than 30 flights daily, according to FlightAware, it has drawn criticism from Costa Rica’s tourist organizations, including the National Chamber of Tourism, for the disruption the closures have caused.

Airline waivers

Because of the fallout, several airlines have issued waivers allowing for flight changes without penalties. A lot of those waivers remain active, even as the airport reopened.

Air Canada has a waiver for travel through Nov. 21 that allows travelers to change their flight without penalty, space permitting.

Delta Air Lines has a waiver for travel through Liberia through Nov. 21, allowing for new travel to be rebooked until the end of Nov. 26, without penalties or fare differences.

JetBlue has a waiver for travel through Nov. 20 (it is not scheduled to operate any flights on Nov. 21) that allows for new travel through Nov. 23 without penalty.

WestJet has a waiver, also through Nov. 21, for Liberia travel that allows for flight changes without penalty or fare differences within 60 days of the original departure date.

United also has a waiver for travel through Nov. 21, allowing for changes with penalties or fare differences through Nov. 24.