British Airways Announces Direct London to Costa Rica Flights

Beginning next year, British Airways will be offering direct London to Costa Rica flights. Recently, the airline made the announcement of a non-stop flight between London's Gatwick airport and Juan Santamaria International Airport. Flights are to begin in early May 2016. Two flights will be made available each week, on Saturday and Wednesday during the summer months in the UK. Three flights will be made available weekly during the winter, on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday.

This is the first time the carrier has offered a route to Central America. Up to this point, the only carrier providing a direct flight to Costa Rica from the European market was Iberia. According to President Solis, the new flight will make it possible for Costa Rica to continue its development of the country's tourism industry.

The Costa Rica Tourism Board states that the new route could result in approximately 30,000 new passengers arriving in Costa Rica each year. In addition, the availability of the new flight could also serve to bring in more visitors from British Airways connections.

A Boeing 777 with the capacity to transport 275 passengers will be used for the flights.

Currently, Europe is the second-largest tourist resource for Costa Rica following the United States. More than 370,000 visitors from Europe arrived in Costa Rica last year.

Along with increasing tourism, the new British Airways route could also result in an increase in foreign trade, as the aircraft features a higher cargo capacity.