Along with a new bridge, Drake Bay, Costa Rica also has a brand new airport, and it is a major upgrade to the old airstrip with a shack for an office!
Drake Bay now has the third best airport in Costa Rica, only behind the two main international airports, Daniel Oduber, in Liberia and Juan SantamarÃa, in Alajuela.
Drake Bay used to be mostly unreachable except for those with a real sense of adventure, but with the addition of the new airport and the new bridge, Drake Bay is now accessible even in the rainiest time of the year.
Drake Bay’s new airport has a landing strip with a resistant pavement, parking and green zones, a main building that has spacious and comfortable waiting areas, restrooms, a cafeteria and a gift shop. In addition, the entire perimeter is surrounded by a security mesh.
Compared to the old “shack” that passed for an airport intake building, the new Drake Bay airport is a mansion!
The new Drake Bay airport has already had a positive impact on tourism at this once remote area of Costa Rica.
From January-July 2019, 12,727 people transited through the new Drake Bay Airport. That’s nearly double the passengers compared to all of 2018.Â
A more telling statistic:Â The number of takeoffs and landings has risen to 281 per month, up from 89 prior to the new Drake Bay airport.
Some local residents of Drake Bay wonder if the new airport is overkill for such a small community and wonder if the “Powers that Be” have big plans for this sleepy ocean front town that has only small hotels, eco lodges and hostels.
Time will tell, of course, but in the meantime it is nice to have a real airport with modern conveniences.