Cascajal de Orotina in the province of Alajuela is the proposed site of the future major international airport in Costa Rica, scheduled to begin operations in 2026. As previously reported in The Costa Rica Star, the management contract held by Aeris Holdings over the Juan Santamaria International Airport in Alajuela will come to an end that same year.

Design proposals by Tico architects are beginning to come forward. An idea behind the proposal by award-winning architect Luis Perez Monge aims to reflect the growth of Costa Rica, but at the same time remind the public and airport officials that growth should be accomplished in a well-balanced manner, taking into consideration our most precious resource: natural beauty.

The design proposal by Mr. Perez consists of a structure with a single passenger terminal comprised of 40 arrival and departure gates. Three runways will accommodate the heavy international and domestic air traffic expected in the next two decades.

The Cascajal International Airport will be markedly different from the existing Juan Santamaria airport near downtown Alajuela. The national identity of Costa Rica is represented in Mr. Perez proposal by the airport’s “tropical forest structure.” This means that the mega-structure’s columns, ceilings and frames are inspired by the way forest canopies interconnect. Light building materials will be used, but they will be fashioned into columns and frames that connect like tree branches in a modular fashion. Mr. Perez has observed the geometric shapes that naturally occur in the forest and how they can sustain a structure, thus gaining inspiration for his airport design proposal.

According to the Architects of Costa Rica blog, where you can see pictures and architectural sketches of the proposal, Cascajal was chosen due to its easy access to our Central Pacific Coast, low altitude, potential to attract tourism, topography of the region, and climate. As previously reported by The Costa Rica Star, other areas of Orotina -like Coyolar- are also being considered.

The proposal by Mr. Perez will also take into consideration sustainability factors, such as how the community can benefit from the project, educational opportunities, conservation efforts of the forest land surrounding the airports, and more.

Once the project is completed, the operations of the Tobias Bolanos International Airport -the current home of domestic airline Nature Air– could be transferred to the Juan Santamaria Airport. This means that chartered jets for business executives, flight lessons and private helicopter charters will enjoy better facilities, although they will be located farther away from San Jose.

There are no plans for the Tobias Bolanos airport at this time.