Guanacaste Airport

Airport in Guanacaste Province, Costa Rica

"Liberia International Airport" redirects here. For the international airport serving the Republic of Liberia, see Roberts International Airport.

Daniel Oduber Quirós International Airport

Aeropuerto Internacional Daniel Oduber Quirós

* IATA: LIR
* ICAO: MRLB

Summary
Airport type| Public
Owner| Government of Costa Rica
Operator| Coriport S.A.
Serves| Liberia, Costa Rica
Elevation AMSL| 82 m / 269 ft
Coordinates| 10°35′35″N 85°32′44″W﻿ / ﻿10.59306°N 85.54556°W﻿ / 10.59306; -85.54556
Website| www.guanacastecrairport.com
Map

LIR/MRLB

Location in Costa Rica

Runways
| Direction | Length  | Surface

|
|

m  | ft
07/25  | 2,750  | 9,022  | Asphalt
Statistics (2022)
| Passengers| 1,392,698

|

Passenger change 21–22| 80.4%
Aircraft movements| 21,405
Movements change 21–22| 16.0%

Source: AIP[1] DGAC[2] SkyVector[3] Google Maps[4]

Daniel Oduber Quirós International Airport (IATA: LIR, ICAO: MRLB) — also known as Guanacaste Airport and Liberia International Airport — is one of four international airports in Costa Rica. It sits 11 kilometres (7 mi; 6 nmi) west-southwest of the city of Liberia in Guanacaste Province, and serves as a tourism hub for those who visit the Pacific coast and western Costa Rica. The facility covers 243 hectares (600 acres) of land and has a single 2,750-metre (9,022 ft) runway that can handle wide-body aircraft, including the Boeing 747.[5]

## History

[edit]

Main building interior, passenger check-in area

The idea for an airport in Guanacaste Province was conceived during the government of Daniel Oduber Quirós (1974–1978).[6] The airport was initially named "Llano Grande", after the surrounding area,[6] then renamed "Aeropuerto Tomas Guardia," and finally honor Quirós for his work for the province of Guanacaste. Today, most people call it "Liberia International Airport", and in 2021 the name was changed to Guanacaste Airport for branding purposes.[7]

In October 1995, the airport was re-inaugurated as an international airport. To support this expansion of operations, the pavement on the runway was redone and special landing lights were installed.[6] Also a firefighter station was added to comply with FAA and international regulations.[8] Initial response from commercial airlines to the expansion was timid; after one year, however, the airport went from having only one weekly charter flight to one almost every day.[9]

In 2006, to manage increased demand of the airport, the government and local tourism chamber boards set aside funds to increase the parking capacity of the tarmac from five to eight airplanes, and for the construction of a parallel taxiway.[10] 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.[10] Also in 2007 a new waiting area and airport counters were opened,[11] the airport was by then receiving more than 180,000 visitors yearly.[11]

## Expanded terminal and new operator

[edit]

In the 2010s, the government of Costa Rica awarded CORIPORT, S.A., a 20-year concession to design, finance, construct and operate a new terminal building and associated facilities on about 36,000 m2 (390,000 sq ft) of land then 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.[12] The latter is the project's operator.

The new 23,000 m2 (250,000 sq ft) terminal building has a contemporary design that is larger and more efficient than the old one. Construction started on 19 October 2010; the terminal opened on 12 January 2012.[13] Another expansion, built from January to November 2017, added space for five more airlines.[14]

## Airlines and destinations

[edit]

Airlines| Destinations

|

Air Canada |  Toronto–Pearson
Seasonal: Montréal–Trudeau[citation needed]
Air Transat |  Montréal–Trudeau
Seasonal: Toronto–Pearson[citation needed]
Alaska Airlines |  Los Angeles
Seasonal: San Francisco,[15] Seattle/Tacoma[15]
American Airlines |  Charlotte, Dallas/Fort Worth, Miami
Seasonal: Chicago–O'Hare,[citation needed] New York–JFK,[citation needed] Philadelphia[16]
Delta Air Lines |  Atlanta, Los Angeles[17]
Seasonal: Boston,[18] Detroit (begins January 10, 2026),[19] Minneapolis/St. Paul
Edelweiss Air |  Seasonal: Zurich[20]
JetBlue |  New York–JFK
Seasonal: Boston[citation needed]
Porter Airlines|  Seasonal: Ottawa (begins December 17, 2025),[21] Toronto–Pearson (begins December 4, 2025)[21]
Sansa Airlines |  Nosara, Quepos, San José–Juan Santamaría, Tamarindo, Tambor
Southwest Airlines |  Denver, Houston–Hobby
Seasonal: Baltimore[citation needed]
Sun Country Airlines |  Seasonal: Dallas/Fort Worth,[citation needed] Minneapolis/St. Paul[citation needed]
United Airlines |  Houston–Intercontinental
Seasonal: Chicago–O'Hare,[citation needed] Denver,[citation needed] Los Angeles,[citation needed] Newark,[citation needed] San Francisco[citation needed]
WestJet |  Calgary, Toronto–Pearson
Seasonal: Vancouver (begins December 12, 2025),[22] Winnipeg (begins December 19, 2025)[22]

## Statistics

[edit]

### Traffic figures

[edit]

LIR passenger totals, 2000–present (thousands)

Source: Directorate General of Civil Aviation

| Number of passengers | Percentage change | Number of movements | Percentage change

|
|
|
|

2000  | 91,206 | – | 9,095 | –
2001  | 87,145 | 04.45% | 6,347 | 030.21%
2002  | 61,948 | 028.91% | 6,467 | 01.89%
2003  | 98,495 | 059.00% | 7,089 | 09.62%
2004  | 203,823 | 0106.94% | 9,955 | 040.43%
2005  | 303,171 | 048.74% | 12,754 | 028.12%
2006  | 391,567 | 029.16% | 13,852 | 08.61%
2007  | 423,327 | 08.11% | 14,592 | 05.34%
2008  | 442,902 | 04.62% | 16,615 | 013.86%
2009  | 396,188 | 010.55% | 12,716 | 023.47%
2010  | 311,009 | 021.50% | 11,720 | 07.83%
2011  | 539,610 | 073.50% | 11,695 | 00.21%
2012  | 668,762 | 023.93% | 13,005 | 011.20%
2013  | 680,355 | 01.73% | 14,059 | 08.10%
2014  | 779,757 | 014.61% | 15,366 | 09.30%
2015  | 878,365 | 012.65% | 19,468 | 026.70%
2016  | 1,146,163 | 030.49% | 20,758 | 06.63%
2017  | 1,092,483 | 04.68% | 21,037 | 01.34%
2018  | 1,116,810 | 02.19% | 20,799 | 01.14%
2019  | 1,148,811 | 02.87% | 19,630 | 05.62%
2020  | 453,877 | 060.49% | 10,096 | 048.57%
2021  | 771,986 | 070.09% | 18,446 | 082.71%
2022  | 1,392,698 | 080.40% | 21,405 | 016.04%
Source: Directorate General of Civil Aviation of Costa Rica

### Top international destinations

[edit]

Busiest international routes to and from LIR (Jan. 2016 – Dec. 2016) | Airport | Arrivals | Departures | Total | 2015-2016 | Carriers

|
|
|
|
|
|

1  | Houston, United States1 | 151,602  | 147,711  | 299,313  | 039.95%  | Southwest, United
2  | Atlanta, United States | 66,719  | 70,254  | 138,765  | 00.15%  | Delta
3  | Los Angeles, United States | 66,971  | 70,254  | 134,623  | 0402.19%  | Alaska, Delta, Southwest
4  | New York City, United States | 48,778  | 48,293  | 97,071  | 033.36%  | Delta, Jetblue
5  | Toronto, Canada | 47,338  | 44,787  | 92,125  | 07.88%  | Air Canada, Air Transat, Sunwing, WestJet
6  | Miami, United States | 44,183  | 47,153  | 91,336  | 021.99%  | American
7  | Newark, United States | 12,472  | 26,025  | 38,497  | 017.44%  | United
8  | London, United Kingdom | 15,592  | 14,593  | 30,185  | 0 | TUI Airways
9  | Dallas, United States | 13,774  | 14,594  | 28,323  | 027.90%  | American
10  | Minneapolis, United States | 13,608  | 14,013  | 27,621  | 068.81%  | Delta, Sun Country
11  | Chicago, United States | 12,300  | 13,651  | 25,951  | 025.39%  | United
12  | Calgary, Canada | 9,202  | 9,465  | 18,667  | 01476.6%  | WestJet
13  | Montreal, Canada | 6,129  | 7,263  | 13,392  | 08.27%  | Air Canada, Air Transat, Sunwing
14  | Panama City, Panama | 5,245  | 5,897  | 12,194  | 08.63%  | Copa
15  | Denver, United States | 5,823  | 5,543  | 11,366  | 071.82%  | Southwest, United
Source: Directorate General of Civil Aviation. Air Transportation Statistical Yearbook (Years 2015,[23] and 2016[24]).
Notes:

^1 United flies to Houston-Intercontinental Airport, and Southwest flies to Houston-Hobby Airport. The data here is for traffic between LIR and all airports in Houston.

## See also

[edit]

* List of airports in Costa Rica
* Transport in Costa Rica

## References

[edit]

1. ^ AIP - Part 3 Aerodromes Archived 2011-09-27 at the Wayback Machine
2. ^ (in Spanish) Anuario Estadístico de Transporte Aéreo 2022.
3. ^ "Liberia/Daniel Oduber International Airport". SkyVector. Retrieved 12 March 2019.
4. ^ "Aeropuerto Internacional Daniel Oduber Quirós". Google Maps. Retrieved 12 March 2019.
5. ^ "Facts and Figures about Liberia Airport". airport-technology.com. Retrieved 20 October 2023.
6. ^ a b c Barahona, Hazel (1996-05-27). "Aeropuerto de Liberia aún no despega". La Nacion (in Spanish). Costa Rica.
7. ^ Zúñiga, Alejandro (22 July 2021). "'Guanacaste Airport' is new name for LIR". The Tico Times. Retrieved 13 October 2021.
8. ^ Sánchez Quirós, Olger Rafael. "Historia del Cuerpo de Bomberos del Aeropuerto Internacional Daniel Oduber Quirós Liberia Guanacaste" (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 11 September 2011. Retrieved 3 May 2011.
9. ^ Mora, Emilia (1997-01-19). "Liberia despega". La Nacion (in Spanish). Costa Rica.
10. ^ a b Rodríguez, Rebeca (2006-04-27). "Aeropuerto de Liberia con mayor espacio para aviones". La Nacion (in Spanish). Costa Rica.
11. ^ a b Rodríguez, Rebeca (2007-03-23). "Gobierno inaugura obras en aeropuerto de Liberia". La Nacion (in Spanish). Costa Rica.
12. ^ "ADC & HAS". Archived from the original on 2014-05-15. Retrieved 2019-07-16.
13. ^ Alvarado, Karla Arias. "At last, the new Liberia airport terminal opens for business". TicoTimes.net. Archived from the original on 8 February 2012. Retrieved 8 February 2012.
14. ^ Madrigal, Karla (8 December 2016). "Ampliación de aeropuerto de Liberia iniciará en enero" [Liberia airport expansion to begin in January]. La República (in Spanish). San José, Costa Rica. Retrieved 6 February 2025.
15. ^ a b "Alaska Adds 18 New Routes". Airline Geeks. July 10, 2024. Retrieved July 10, 2024.
16. ^ "American Airlines adds new international routes to winter schedule at PHL". bizjournals.com. Retrieved 16 May 2024.
17. ^ "Delta NW23 Colombia / Costa Rica Network Expansion". Aeroroutes. Retrieved 19 June 2023.
18. ^ "Delta Adds Seasonal Routes to Turks & Caicos, Antigua, St. Kitts & More". Thrifty Traveler. Retrieved 3 May 2024.
19. ^ "Delta Adding Two Routes in 2026". Airline Geeks. May 12, 2025. Retrieved May 13, 2025.
20. ^ "Edelweiss Air Updates NW25 A350 Operations – 12JAN25". Aeroroutes. January 13, 2025. Retrieved July 20, 2025.
21. ^ a b "Porter Airlines Welcomes the Sun With Service to Mexico, the Caribbean and Costa Rica". Business Wire. June 25, 2025. Retrieved June 25, 2025.
22. ^ a b "WestJet announces expanded winter schedule with more sun destinations than ever before". Cision. July 7, 2025. Retrieved July 7, 2025.
23. ^ Anuario Estadístico de Transporte Aéreo 2015. Dirección General de Aviación Civil de Costa Rica
24. ^ Anuario Estadístico de Transporte Aéreo 2016. Dirección General de Aviación Civil de Costa Rica

## External links

[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Guanacaste Airport.

* Official website
* Official website

Portals:

* Costa Rica
* Aviation

* v
* t
* e

Airports in Costa Rica

International|

* Liberia
* San José-Juan Santamaría

Domestic|

* Coto 47
* Drake Bay
* Golfito
* La Fortuna
* Limón
* Nosara
* Palmar Sur
* Puerto Jiménez
* Quepos
* San Isidro
* San José-Tobías Bolaños
* Tamarindo
* Tambor
* Tortuguero

Unscheduled|

* Barra del Colorado
* Buenos Aires
* Cañas
* Carrillo
* Finca 63
* Guápiles
* Laurel
* Nicoya
* Parismina
* Punta Islita
* Sirena

See also: Transport in Costa Rica, DGAC
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