SJOMROC

Juan Santamaría International Airport

San José (Alajuela) · Costa Rica · America/Costa_Rica

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1Runways
9,882Longest (ft)
3,021Elevation (ft)
38Route Records
21Airline Records
UTC-6Timezone
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Traveler Guides

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Current Conditions

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Route Intelligence

32Regional Hub
Shortest route
XQPQuepos Managua Airport61.8 km
CAL Cargo Air Lines
Longest route
MADAdolfo Suárez Madrid–Barajas Airport8,499.2 km
Iberia Airlines
Nearest international
BOCBocas del Toro "Isla Colón" International Airport226.6 km
CAL Cargo Air Lines
Longest international
MADAdolfo Suárez Madrid–Barajas Airport8,499.2 km
Iberia Airlines
Longest domestic
PJMPuerto Jimenez Airport190.6 km
CAL Cargo Air Lines

Airport Connectivity Score

32/100

Regional Hub

Destinations served38 destinations
Airline diversity21 airlines
Haul mix coverage4 of 4 distance categories

Calculated from destination count, airline diversity, and haul-mix coverage. More signals (customs/border access, ground handling capacity) will be added as the dataset grows.

Runways

07/259,882 ftAsphaltLIT

Haul Mix

short-haul
20
medium-haul
16
long-haul
1
ultra-long-haul
1

Geographic Context

Nearest airport
SYQTobías Bolaños International Airport8.6 km
Nearest same country
SYQTobías Bolaños International Airport8.6 km
Nearest international
CHXChanguinola Captain Manuel Niño International Airport194.9 km
Farthest airport
CCKCocos (Keeling) Islands Airport19,745.5 km
Within 500 km: 26 airportsWithin 1,000 km: 59 airportsWithin 2,000 km: 288 airports

10 Nearest Airports

1SYQTobías Bolaños International Airport8.6 kmM
2GPLGuapiles Airport51.5 kmM
3XQPQuepos Managua Airport61.8 kmM
4FONLa Fortuna Arenal Airport66.6 kmM
5BCLBarra del Colorado Airport109.9 kmM
6LSLLos Chiles Airport127.9 kmM
7LIOLimón International Airport130 kmM
8UPLUpala Airport133.3 kmM
9BAIBuenos Aires Airport133.4 kmM
10PMZPalmar Sur Airport141.6 kmM

ATC Frequencies6

ACCCOCO CON119.6 MHz
APPCOCO APP120.5 MHz
CLDCLNC121.3 MHz
GNDGND121.9 MHz
RDOCOCO RDO126.8 MHz
TWRCOCO TWR118.6 MHz

Top Aircraft Types

CNA
21
738
17
DHT
9
319
9
757
9
320
7
E90
7
73G
5
ATR
3
F50
1

Sample Routes

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XQPQuepos Managua Airport61.8 km
short-haulCAL Cargo Air Lines
FONLa Fortuna Arenal Airport66.6 km
short-haulCAL Cargo Air Lines
TMUTambor Airport92.9 km
short-haulCAL Cargo Air Lines
GUALa Aurora International Airport855.2 km
short-haulAvianca - Aerovias Nacionales de Colombia
BOGEl Dorado International Airport1,255.6 km
short-haulAvianca - Aerovias Nacionales de Colombia
MIAMiami International Airport1,805 km
medium-haulAmerican Airlines
DENDenver International Airport3,888.2 km
medium-haulFrontier Airlines
LAXLos Angeles International Airport4,382 km
long-haulDelta Air Lines

Airline Records in Dataset21

AMAeroMéxico
ACAir Canada
AFAir France
AAAmerican Airlines
AVAvianca - Aerovias Nacionales de Colombia
BABritish Airways
5CCAL Cargo Air Lines
DECondor Flugdienst
CMCopa Airlines
DLDelta Air Lines
RZEuro Exec Express
F9Frontier Airlines
IBIberia Airlines
4OInterjet (ABC Aerolineas)
B6JetBlue Airways
KLKLM Royal Dutch Airlines
LRLACSA
7PMetro Batavia
NKSpirit Airlines
USUS Airways
UAUnited Airlines

Data Notes & Community Corrections

Community corrections will appear here once verified travellers start contributing.

Community page — traveler reviews →

Dining & Drinks

Costa Rican Local Flavor
Costa Rican Coffee
Quick Transit Bites
Sit-Down Restaurant Dining
Full dining guide ↗

External Links

Official Website ↗Wikipedia ↗
Data: OurAirports

Airport HistoryEst. 1958

Costa Rica's main international gateway opened in 1958 as 'Aeropuerto Internacional El Coco,' replacing an older airfield in downtown San José, and was later renamed for Juan Santamaría, a young drummer who died in 1856 defending Costa Rica against the American filibuster William Walker. After decades as a state-run facility, the airport moved through a turbulent private concession era in the 2000s before settling under AERIS Holdings management, and today it ranks as Central America's second-busiest airport.

✦The airport is named for Juan Santamaría, a young drummer boy who set fire to a filibuster stronghold and died in the process during the 1856 Battle of Rivas against American adventurer William Walker's forces.
✦SJO handles over 6.7 million passengers annually and hosts hub operations for Avianca, Copa Airlines, and Costa Rica's own regional carrier Sansa.
1958
Airport Opens as El Coco

The airport opened May 2, 1958, replacing an earlier downtown San José airfield; it was initially named Aeropuerto Internacional El Coco before later being renamed in honor of national hero Juan Santamaría.

1977
Cargo Aircraft Crash

A cargo aircraft crash in 1977 was among the earliest serious accidents recorded at the airport.

1981
Runway and Navigation Upgrade

A five-year development plan launched in 1981 added a new runway and modern navigation aids including VOR, instrument landing systems, and radar.

1990
SANSA Flight 32 Crash

SANSA Flight 32 crashed in 1990, killing 23 people, one of the deadliest accidents in the airport's history.

2001
Alterra Partners Concession Granted

In May 2001 the Costa Rican government awarded Alterra Partners a 20-year private concession to manage and expand the airport, though construction was suspended in 2002 amid financing disputes, and ICAO flagged safety-regulation violations in 2005.

2009
AERIS Holdings Takes Over

In July 2009 operations passed to a consortium including ADC & HAS and Andrade Gutierrez Concessões; Alterra Partners rebranded as AERIS Holdings that December, completing a facility expansion — including a ninth boarding bridge — by November 2010.

2025
Radar System Failure Halts Flights

In September 2025, an electrical failure knocked out the airport's radar system, forcing a temporary suspension of all flight operations.

General encyclopedic sources (Wikipedia, CAPA, Airport Technology). The September 2025 radar outage is a recent, time-sensitive event flagged here for currency rather than as a defining historical milestone.