Daniel Oduber Quirós International Airport
Encyclopedia
Daniel Oduber Quirós International Airport , also known as Liberia International Airport, is one of the four international airports in Costa Rica
. The airport is located in the city of Liberia
in Guanacaste Province
. It serves specially as a tourism hub, for those who visit the Pacific coast and Western Costa Rica. The airport is named for Daniel Oduber Quirós
, who served as president of Costa Rica from 1974 to 1978.
Daniel Oduber Quirós International airport is the country's second and Central America's ninth busiest airport. In 2010, Liberia International Airport reported 443,585 passengers, a 16% increase compared to 2009.
was initially conceived during the government of Daniel Oduber Quirós
(1974–1978). The airport was initially named "Llano Grande", due to the name of the area that it was built in. It would later be named after ex president Daniel Oduber Quirós
in honor of his work for the province of Guanacaste.
In October 1995 the airport was re-inaugurated as an international airport, as a part of the expansion the pavement on the runway was redone, and special landing lights were installed. Also a firefighter station was added to comply with FAA and international regulations. Initial response from commercial airlines to the expansion was timid, however after one year the airport went from having only one weekly charter flight to almost one everyday.
In 2006 to manage increased demand, the government and local tourism chamber boards set aside funds to increase the parking area on the tarmac from 5 to 8 airplanes and the construction of a parallel taxiway. However the government made it clear that the solutions were only temporary and that a private company would need to be contracted to expand and operate the airport in the future. Also in 2007 a new waiting area and airport counters were opened, the airport was by then receiving more than 180,000 visitors yearly.
The new terminal building, encompassing approximately 23000 m² (27,507.8 sq yd), will feature a contemporary design that both increases efficiency and capacity over the existing facility. Construction started on October 19, 2010 with opening schedule for Q3 2011.
Costa Rica
Costa Rica , officially the Republic of Costa Rica is a multilingual, multiethnic and multicultural country in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the southeast, the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Caribbean Sea to the east....
. The airport is located in the city of Liberia
Liberia, Costa Rica
Liberia is the capital and largest city of Guanacaste province, Costa Rica, located northwest of the national capital, San José.-Summary:With more than 35,000 inhabitants, Liberia is the regional hub of the Costa Rican northwest. The city center features a modern church, as many Costa Rican towns...
in Guanacaste Province
Guanacaste Province
Guanacaste is a province of Costa Rica located in the northwestern part of the country, along the coast of the Pacific Ocean. To the north it borders Nicaragua. To the east is the Alajuela Province, and to the southeast is the Puntarenas Province. It is the most sparsely populated of all the...
. It serves specially as a tourism hub, for those who visit the Pacific coast and Western Costa Rica. The airport is named for Daniel Oduber Quirós
Daniel Oduber Quirós
Porfirio Ricardo José Luis Daniel Oduber Quirós served as President ofCosta Rica from 1974 to 1978. Early in his career he worked as a lawyer.In 1945 he went to Canada to study philosophy at McGill University, graduating with...
, who served as president of Costa Rica from 1974 to 1978.
Daniel Oduber Quirós International airport is the country's second and Central America's ninth busiest airport. In 2010, Liberia International Airport reported 443,585 passengers, a 16% increase compared to 2009.
History
The idea for an airport in the province of GuanacasteGuanacaste Province
Guanacaste is a province of Costa Rica located in the northwestern part of the country, along the coast of the Pacific Ocean. To the north it borders Nicaragua. To the east is the Alajuela Province, and to the southeast is the Puntarenas Province. It is the most sparsely populated of all the...
was initially conceived during the government of Daniel Oduber Quirós
Daniel Oduber Quirós
Porfirio Ricardo José Luis Daniel Oduber Quirós served as President ofCosta Rica from 1974 to 1978. Early in his career he worked as a lawyer.In 1945 he went to Canada to study philosophy at McGill University, graduating with...
(1974–1978). The airport was initially named "Llano Grande", due to the name of the area that it was built in. It would later be named after ex president Daniel Oduber Quirós
Daniel Oduber Quirós
Porfirio Ricardo José Luis Daniel Oduber Quirós served as President ofCosta Rica from 1974 to 1978. Early in his career he worked as a lawyer.In 1945 he went to Canada to study philosophy at McGill University, graduating with...
in honor of his work for the province of Guanacaste.
In October 1995 the airport was re-inaugurated as an international airport, as a part of the expansion the pavement on the runway was redone, and special landing lights were installed. Also a firefighter station was added to comply with FAA and international regulations. Initial response from commercial airlines to the expansion was timid, however after one year the airport went from having only one weekly charter flight to almost one everyday.
In 2006 to manage increased demand, the government and local tourism chamber boards set aside funds to increase the parking area on the tarmac from 5 to 8 airplanes and the construction of a parallel taxiway. However the government made it clear that the solutions were only temporary and that a private company would need to be contracted to expand and operate the airport in the future. Also in 2007 a new waiting area and airport counters were opened, the airport was by then receiving more than 180,000 visitors yearly.
New terminal building and operator
The government of Costa Rica awarded Coriport, S.A., a 20-year concession to design, finance, construct and operate a new terminal building and its associated landside facilities, as well as approximately 36000 m² (43,055.6 sq yd) of airport land currently occupied by the existing terminal and associated facilities. Coriport's shareholders include MMM Aviation Group, Emperador Pez Espada S.R.L., Inversiones Cielo Claro LTDA, Cocobolo Inversiones S.R.L., and ADC&HAS Airports Worldwide who is also the project's operator.The new terminal building, encompassing approximately 23000 m² (27,507.8 sq yd), will feature a contemporary design that both increases efficiency and capacity over the existing facility. Construction started on October 19, 2010 with opening schedule for Q3 2011.
Airlines and destinations
External links
- LIR International Airport - Flight Status information.
- NEW LIR Terminal Facebook Page