Costa Rica’s Ministry of Public Works and Transportation (MOPT) is moving ahead with a modernization plan for the Quepos La Managua aerodrome (IATA: XQP), the domestic airport that serves Manuel Antonio and the wider Central and South Pacific coast. The project carries an approximate investment of ₡2.399 billion — roughly US$4–5 million — and is organized in phases: a first phase centered on a new aircraft apron and related infrastructure, followed by a later phase that adds a passenger terminal and improved access roads.
For a coastline that has long relied on a modest airstrip and a winding coastal highway, the upgrade is a meaningful signal. It also builds on work already completed. In 2021, the runway was renovated and expanded in a ₡1.67 billion project executed by construction firm MECO, which reopened the airport and moved it toward International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) standards — adding an apron, perimeter fencing, a rainwater drainage system and security improvements (The Tico Times covered the runway work here).
What is being upgraded at the Quepos airport?
The current MOPT program treats the terminal-and-apron modernization as the next step after the runway. Phase one focuses on a new platform where aircraft park and maneuver, plus supporting infrastructure. A subsequent phase is planned around a passenger terminal and better road access to the airport. XQP already handles daily domestic service — SANSA, for example, connects Quepos with San José — so the practical effect of the La Managua airport expansion is greater capacity, smoother operations and a more comfortable arrival for the visitors who fuel the local economy.
Why does better air access matter for property values?
Improved air access has repeatedly reshaped Costa Rican real-estate markets. The clearest precedent is Guanacaste’s Gold Coast, where the growth of Liberia’s Daniel Oduber International Airport (LIR) helped turn a quiet ranching province into one of the country’s most active second-home and resort markets. Direct international flights shortened the distance between North American and European buyers and the beach, and demand followed.
The mechanism is straightforward: when a destination becomes easier to reach, more people visit, a share of those visitors become buyers, and developers position ahead of the curve. No single airport guarantees appreciation, but better connectivity tends to broaden the buyer pool for a region — and the South Pacific is starting from an already strong tourism base.
What about the planned Southern Zone international airport?
Further south, MOPT has long studied a larger international airport in the Osa / Brunca region, near Palmar Sur. That project is not built. Current plans describe a runway of roughly 2,600 meters capable of handling medium aircraft in the 180–200 passenger range, but it has been delayed by an archaeological rescue covering about a dozen pre-Columbian sites (work running through roughly the first half of 2026) and awaits an updated master plan, since the existing one dates to 2008. Construction is currently targeted to begin around 2027, with modest early passenger projections — on the order of 126,000 per year by 2039 (The Tico Times explains the delays here).
For now, the Southern Zone airport is best viewed as a longer-horizon, bigger-picture catalyst. The nearer-term, more concrete improvement to access is the Quepos remodel.
Who is buying in the Manuel Antonio and South Pacific corridor?
The Quepos, Manuel Antonio, Dominical and Uvita corridor is already one of Costa Rica’s stronger tourism markets, anchored by Manuel Antonio National Park, the Marina Pez Vela in Quepos, and the whale-watching season around Uvita and Marino Ballena. That tourism translates into a diverse pool of property buyers:
- North American and European second-home buyers and retirees seeking a Pacific base;
- remote workers and digital nomads who want reliable access to San José and beyond;
- nature-tourists who visit, fall for the region, and convert into owners;
- developers and investors buying ahead of the infrastructure curve.
Against that backdrop, a modernized airport is less a headline than a reinforcement of a trend already underway in South Pacific Costa Rica.
How does this affect a project like Lomas del Rey?
Access is where infrastructure meets a specific listing. Lomas del Rey is an approved, permit-ready gated development of 144 lots on 20 hectares near Playa El Rey, in the Quepos / Manuel Antonio area — about 15 minutes by car from the Quepos La Managua airport. Roughly two years of permitting are already complete, which means a buyer can take the project to market immediately rather than waiting through the approval cycle. The whole project is offered at US$1,800,000.
As the brokerage representing it, our read is simple: a modernized airport a short drive away strengthens the long-term access story for exactly the kind of buyers this corridor attracts. See the full Lomas del Rey listing here.
Frequently asked questions
How far is the Quepos airport from Manuel Antonio and Lomas del Rey?
The La Managua airport sits right at Quepos, minutes from Manuel Antonio, and is about a 15-minute drive from Lomas del Rey.
Is the Southern Zone (Palmar Sur) international airport open?
No. It remains in planning, delayed by an archaeological rescue and an updated master plan, with construction currently targeted to begin around 2027.
Is now a reasonable time to invest near Quepos?
Buyers who prefer to move before infrastructure is finished often look at moments like this one: the Quepos remodel is underway and the tourism base is established. Timing depends on each buyer’s goals, and nothing here is investment advice.