Drone Incidents Near Costa Rica's Main Airport Have Roughly Doubled, Operator AERIS Warns
Why It MattersRising unauthorized drone activity near a major Latin American hub underscores growing airspace-safety pressure on airports to enforce buffer-zone rules and coordinate real-time drone detection with air traffic control.
AERIS, the company operating Juan Santamaría International Airport in San José, Costa Rica, has warned that reports of unauthorized drones flying near the airport have roughly doubled compared with the previous year. The company said the increase is disrupting operations, since a drone spotted in an area that could interfere with aircraft can prompt the control tower and airport authorities to temporarily restrict or suspend takeoffs and landings while assessing whether it is safe to continue, leaving passengers facing delayed departures, arriving aircraft placed in holding patterns, and in more serious cases flights diverted to another airport.
The risk is greatest during takeoffs and landings, when aircraft fly at lower altitudes, and officials note that even a small drone can cause serious damage to engines, cockpit windshields or other components in a high-speed collision. Costa Rica's General Directorate of Civil Aviation (DGAC) prohibits drone operations within 8 kilometres (about 5 miles) of an airport without prior authorization, which requires details such as location, purpose, planned altitude, operating area, and intended flight dates and times; unauthorized flights can lead to administrative proceedings and penalties under Costa Rican aviation regulations.
AERIS urged recreational and commercial drone pilots to verify the rules before flying rather than relying solely on restrictions shown in a drone's mobile application, warning that a short unauthorized flight can affect hundreds of travelers and disrupt operations at the country's busiest airport.
