Costa Rica reopens airspace after power outage suspended flights for several hours

Audio By Carbonatix

SAN JOSE, Costa Rica (AP) — All flights entering and leaving Costa Rica were suspended for several hours Wednesday morning after an electrical failure knocked out the radar system at the capital’s main international airport, officials said.

Costa Rican airspace was reopened just before 11 a.m. local time, the Public Works and Transportation Ministry said.

The Civil Aviation authority had said in a statement earlier that the electrical failure occurred before dawn and that technicians were working to resolve it.

No planes were allowed to take off or land in Costa Rica between 6 a.m. and when power was restored.

Costa Rica has a second international airport in Guanacaste, but aviation authorities said that the radar failure affected flights there as well.

Some airlines advised passengers of the situation on social media platforms, asking travelers to contact the airlines to reschedule their flights.

Authorities have not said how many flights were affected.

____

Follow AP’s coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean at https://apnews.com/hub/latin-america