The British engineering firm, Mott MacDonald, announced yesterday the delivery of the much-awaited masterplan for the proposed new international airport in Orotina, Alajuela, Costa Rica.

The project will replace Costa Rica’s Juan Santamaria International Airport, which will be unable to meet future passenger demand beyond 2026.

The 12-month feasibility study forecasts a demand of 7.8 million passengers at the new airport during its first year of operation in 2027, rising to 20 million in 2047, and 50 million long-term.

To support additional passenger numbers, the study recommends various infrastructure improvements in Costa Rica. These include the expansion of Route 27 – a key link between San José and Puntarenas; as well as the construction of a new highway in Alajuela connecting Pozon de Orotina and San Ramón, and a new train route between Orotina and San José.

The President of Costa Rica, Luis Guillermo Sollis, was presented with the masterplan at a public presentation in San José, said the company.

Mott MacDonald developed the masterplan as part of an integrated team which also included FSA, Enroute and Gensler. It was prepared in close collaboration with government departments and with direct oversight from Dirección General de Aviacion Civil, Costa Rica’s civil aviation authority.

Horacio Rossi, Mott MacDonald’s project director, said: “This new international airport will go a long way to helping Costa Rica achieve its vision to further develop and improve its aviation services. The major infrastructure investment will also provide the additional capacity to support both export and tourism, as well as offer opportunities for local employment and skills development, especially during construction.”

Orotina is a small county located in the extreme southwest of the country’s Alajuela province, and with a population (2013) of 21,000. It is on the Pacific, or western, slope of the country’s central mountain range, and is about a one hour drive from San Jose, the city’s capital, and about equidistant to the coast.

Developing the masterplan for Costa Rica’s new airport builds on Mott MacDonald’s aviation presence in South America. The company has delivered technical, commercial and management services to 29 airports in Central and South America over the past 15 years.

Mott MacDonald opened a new office in Bogotá, Colombia in 2017 to position itself closer to key clients in the region, and to support infrastructure improvements through public-private partnerships, according to the company.