Costa Rica reopened its airspace on Wednesday after a power outage caused a nationwide closure for at least five hours, disrupting air travel across the country. The outage, which affected radar systems early in the morning, led to the halt of all air traffic, impacting both domestic and international flights.

A view of Costa Rica's Juan Santamaria International Airport where all flights were cancelled after the country was forced to close its airspace and suspend flights at International airports after a power outage hit a radar system, in Alajuela, Costa Rica, September 24, 2025.

Deputy Civil Aviation Director Luis Diego Saborio confirmed that the outage brought operations to a standstill, affecting major airports in the country, including Juan Santamaria International Airport, located outside the capital San Jose, and Daniel Oduber Quiros Airport in the province of Guanacaste. These airports are key for both domestic and international connectivity in Costa Rica, which is a popular tourist destination and serves as a hub for flights across Latin America.

At least 44 flights were disrupted at Juan Santamaria, according to airport operator Aeris. Passengers experienced significant delays as a result of the power failure, which also affected international travel. However, both international airports later confirmed via social media that operations had resumed after the radar system was restored.

Costa Rica's Transport Minister Efraim Zeledon stated that an investigation would be conducted to understand the cause of the outage and to prevent similar incidents in the future. The government is focused on improving infrastructure to ensure air traffic safety and avoid disruptions that could impact the country’s vital tourism industry.