Costa Rica now has its first direct air link with Poland. A LOT Polish Airlines Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner from Katowice landed at Guanacaste Airport in Liberia at about 2:40 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 5, opening a weekly charter service that runs through Dec. 17.
Costa Rican tourism officials put the number of passengers on board at 251, which matches the aircraft’s seating capacity, along with 11 crew members. Figures released in Poland put the number of passengers who left Katowice at 233. Passengers and crew were greeted at the airport, formally Daniel Oduber Quirós International Airport, with folk music, dancing and welcome gifts.
The flights are charters sold by Rainbow Tours, one of Poland’s largest tour operators, and will operate every Thursday. The trip takes about 13 hours and spares travelers a change of planes at another European or North American hub. Piotr Burwicz, vice president of Rainbow Tours, said the route widens the long-haul holiday options available to Polish travelers, pointing to Costa Rica’s beaches, natural richness and opportunities for active tourism.
Poland is still a small market for Costa Rica, but it is growing. According to the Costa Rican Tourism Institute (ICT), 5,367 Polish visitors arrived by air between January and September 2026, up 20% from the same period last year. Over those nine months, the country received 335,586 European visitors by air.
Until now, few Polish travelers have used Guanacaste as their entry point. Of the 8,837 Polish tourists who visited Costa Rica in 2025, only 524 arrived through the Liberia airport, according to ICT figures released when the route was announced in February. ICT Executive President Marcos V. Borges said the new connection strengthens Costa Rica’s tourism ties with Europe and creates more opportunities to bring visitors to Guanacaste and nearby areas.
The flight comes as the airport continues to grow and add nonstop routes. Passenger traffic rose 10% year over year between January and September 2026, according to figures released by the terminal. The airport sits within easy reach of Tamarindo, Playa Flamingo, the Papagayo Peninsula and several national parks.
For Guanacaste, the route is another step toward visitor markets beyond the United States and Canada, which have long supplied most of the region’s tourists. Although the Polish service is scheduled only through mid-December, it brings a new stream of European customers to hotels, tour operators, restaurants and transport companies in the northwest as the high season begins.
