​Costa Rica: power failure knocks out Juan Santamaría control tower systems

On Thursday 22 October 2026, an electrical failure temporarily knocked out critical systems in the control tower at Costa Rica’s main hub, Juan Santamaría International Airport (SJO). The Tico Times and La Nación report that radar screens, communications, weather feeds and radio gear were offline for nearly an hour; controllers relied on a portable backup radio while technicians restored power.

What travellers saw

Airport operations were briefly interrupted. Public Works and Transport Minister Efraím Zeledón confirmed the electrical fault and said crews restored systems faster than first feared; Civil Aviation and operator Aeris later said arrivals and departures were back to normal and maintained that scheduled flights were not affected. Travellers were still advised to check with their airline. The episode follows earlier SJO infrastructure stress — including a September fibre cut and a previous radar power failure that closed Costa Rican airspace for hours — so reliability of tower backups remains under scrutiny.

If the schedule is critical

Even a short tower outage can cascade into holds and late bank recovery. If you cannot absorb another slip on Central America connections, a private jet or empty leg into an alternate regional field may be workable once the airspace is confirmed open. Rahizi qualifies the brief and returns partner options.

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Facts from The Tico Times and La Nación, 22 October 2026 (Juan Santamaría / SJO). Always verify with your carrier.