Jet Charter Costa Rica arranges private flights for research teams, universities and conservation groups traveling to Costa Rica for fieldwork, from biologists working in the rainforests of the Osa Peninsula to scientists studying the country’s volcanoes. We plan the flight from the team’s home airport in the US or Canada to the international airport that makes the most sense for the field site.
Getting the team close to the field site
Field sites rarely sit next to an international airport. A team headed for Monteverde, Arenal, the Osa Peninsula or the Caribbean coast will land first at Juan Santamaría near San José or at Guanacaste Airport near Liberia, depending on where the work is. From there, the last stretch may be a second flight in a smaller aircraft or a drive, and your advisor will tell you how that leg works for your trip.
Instruments, samples and field gear
Research trips carry a lot more than people. Tell us what is coming with the team: instrument cases, sensors, cooler boxes, camping equipment and anything that contains lithium batteries or preserved specimens. Give us the weight and size of the larger pieces as well. The operator needs that list to confirm the aircraft can carry everything, and some items, such as batteries and preservatives, count as dangerous goods with their own handling rules.
If you plan to bring samples home at the end of the season, let your advisor know what will be in each case before the return flight is booked.
Field seasons and team rotations
Projects that run for a full season often rotate researchers and students in and out every few weeks. If you send us the whole schedule at the start, we can line up each flight in advance, subject to scheduling and aircraft availability. Teams arriving between Thanksgiving and April should book early, because that is the busiest time of year for private aircraft in Costa Rica. For equipment that is too large or too heavy to travel with the team, take a look at our air cargo charters.
Vetting Behind Every Trip
Every operator, aircraft, and crew goes through our internal due diligence before we present any options. Our internal standards meet or exceed what the FAA requires:
- FAR Part 135 charter operators for traditional private aircraft, or FAR Part 121 for airliner-size and group trips (or the foreign equivalent on international legs)
- Operator subscription to Wyvern and ARGUS reviewed where the operator participates.
- Pilot experience and operator incident history reviewed before we recommend an aircraft.
- Fewer than 60 brokers worldwide hold Premium Wyvern Broker Member status, and Air Charter Advisors is one of them.
Costa Rica-Specific Patterns We Plan Around
A private flight from abroad lands first at one of Costa Rica’s international airports, most often Juan Santamaría International near San José or Guanacaste Airport in Liberia, which is the closer of the two to the Guanacaste beaches and is not open overnight. The flight on to a smaller beach or rainforest airstrip, such as Tamarindo, Nosara or Quepos, is a separate leg in a smaller aircraft, usually flown by a Costa Rican operator, and your advisor will tell you how that leg works for your trip. The busy season runs from Thanksgiving to April, when ramp space for private aircraft is limited, and the holidays, spring break and Semana Santa book up first. The dry season on the Pacific side runs from late November to April, and from May to November afternoon rain is common.
Contact
For a quote on a charter to or from Costa Rica, send the trip through our contact page or call an advisor at 1-888-987-5387. Our safety page sets out how we review operators and crews, and the aircraft gallery covers every category we arrange. We are also a member of the National Business Aviation Association.