By Wendy Anders

Costa Rica’s main international airport near the capital city of San José is scheduled to reopen today, Tuesday, September 20, at 11:00 a.m., said Gabriela Hernández in the airport operations department.

All passengers with flights this morning should contact their airline directly to find out details regarding their flight, as some flights have been delayed or even canceled despite the announced scheduled reopening said Hernández.

Early yesterday afternoon the Juan Santamaría International Airport (SJO) was temporarily closed due to volcanic ash particles in the air space surrounding the airport and ash on the runways, stated Ennio Cubillo, director of Costa Rica’s Civil Aviation Directorate.

The ash is due to large eruptions by the Turrialba Volcano, located 37 kms southeast of San José, during the course of the day yesterday that threw columns of ash up to 4kms high. The eruptions have been slowly building since last Tuesday when the volcano entered into another active phase after more than a year of intermittent intense eruptions.