On Wednesday, all flights were suspended and Costa Rican airspace closed temporarily following a major power failure that cripped radar systems at Juan Santamaria International Airport and the Daniel Oduber Quiros International. File Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo
A power shortage on Wednesday made Costa Rica the latest country to face air-travel issues.
All flights were suspended and Costa Rican airspace closed temporarily following a major power failure that crippeled radar systems at the Latin American country’s two main hubs at Juan Santamaria International Airport and the Daniel Oduber Quiros International Airport in Guanacaste.
Technicians, according to Costa Rica’s Civil Aviation Authority, were working to fix the issue but it was not fully clear when normal air operations would resume.
Issues began around 6 a.m. local time when the outage was initially reported. It left passengers stranded amid confusion, the Tico Times in Costa Rica reported.
Costa Rica’s civil aviation directorate confirmed the power issue led to the radar system failure, which caused all flights and landings to be suspended with others diverted to neighboring countries.
Canada’s government confirmed before 4 p.m. local time that Costa Rican airspace reopened, but stated on social media that “fight disruptions may persist” as Canadian officials advised travelers to “consult your airline” on flight statuses before heading to the airpot.
Guanacaste has seen a string of issues including its runway, a November 2024 closure and widespread cancellations.
Early Wednesday afternoon, the U.S. Department of State issued its own advisory to Costa Rica-bound travelers.
“Domestic airports may be affected by the outage as well,” state officials reiterated advising to contact the affected airline for up-to-date info prior to leaving to the airport.
In recent years Costa Rican leaders have sough to market the small nation, bordering both the Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea, amid its severe crackdown in crime-related issues that’s equated to a massive rise in popularity of its strongman President Nayib Bukele, 44, a far-right ally of U.S. President Donald Trump.
“Airport officials indicated that flights are currently being diverted to nearby airports or returned to their destination,” the DOS posted on X, echoing Canada on Wednesday that passengers may experience flight cancellations or “significant” delays.
The incident took place the same day British authorities revealed a man’s arrest in connection to cyberattacks this week that led to days of flight delays at some of Europe’s busiest airports.
