President Fernández Wants Private Jets Landing in Quepos

President Laura Fernández said yesterday that her government wants private jets landing in Quepos, announcing that a tender is already underway for a ₡2.1 billion (about $4.5 million) airfield project on the Central Pacific coast. Fernández made the announcement in Londres de Quepos at the opening of a new bridge over the Naranjo River, the first stop on a three-day tour of Puntarenas province. She said she was certain the investment would lift tourism in the area enormously. The president told residents she had not come to offer empty promises, adding that the project was already out to bid and paid for with public funds. She presented it as a way to bring better jobs to the canton so young people would not have to move to San José to build a future. Public Works and Transport Minister Efraín Zeledón laid out the scope. According to the minister, the ₡2.1 billion covers a new apron for private aviation at the existing La Managua aerodrome, with space for up to nine aircraft and one helicopter. A contract for a new passenger terminal would follow, Zeledón said, and total planned investment at the aerodrome would exceed ₡5 billion (nearly $11 million). A new terminal, improved access and an apron for La Managua have appeared in government budget planning for several years. La Managua is the small airstrip that serves Quepos and Manuel Antonio, one of the busiest beach destinations, and today handles mostly light aircraft on domestic routes. Travelers heading to the area otherwise rely on the main highway to the Central Pacific or on short domestic flights from San José. The push for private aviation comes as higher-end investment reaches the area, including a luxury resort and residences project next to Manuel Antonio National Park. The Naranjo River bridge that served as the backdrop for the announcement is a 95-meter (312-foot) modular structure that cost ₡466.5 million (about $1 million). It replaces an old suspension bridge that had to be closed to vehicles because of the risk of accidents. That closure forced families in communities such as Lourdes and Villa Nueva to travel longer distances to reach medical services, schools and jobs. Zeledón said the new crossing will benefit more than 35,000 people in the area. Quepos Mayor Patricia Bolaños Murillo said the bridge serves not only Londres and Naranjito but also connects the canton with Dota and Tarrazú. Zeledón said the bridge is one of 35 road and bridge projects in the region under PROERI, the government’s emergency program to rebuild infrastructure to a more resilient standard, with more than $70 million committed in the area. He also announced four-year road maintenance contracts for corridors along the Pacific. Fernández announced a further ₡520 million (about $1.1 million) for work on the Savegre River bridge, which she said had reached the end of its useful life. She also told local fishers that a dredge would arrive in November to clear the Quepos estuary and the fishing channels they depend on. The government is studying an expansion of the offshore areas where Pacific fishers may work as El Niño weighs on their catches, she said. The stop carried personal meaning for the president, who was born in Puntarenas. Londres is her husband’s hometown, and the municipality named him a favorite son of Quepos during the ceremony. The Puntarenas tour runs through Wednesday and includes a Cabinet session. No date has been announced for awarding the airfield contract or starting construction.