Direct flight to Costa Rica incoming

Costa Rica will be a flight away from Winnipeg every week this winter.

Beginning Dec. 19, WestJet will run a direct flight to the Central American country from the Manitoba capital. Service will continue every Friday until April 25, 2026.

A one-way trip to Liberia, Costa Rica, for Dec. 19 started at $545, a Tuesday search elicited. The non-stop route was slated to last nearly 6 1/2 hours in the air.

WestJet has never directly connected Winnipeg to Central America before. The route is part of the Alberta-based airliner’s winter 2025-26 schedule.

WestJet is also touting a nine per cent increase in its direct flights between Winnipeg and Cancun, Mexico — to 12 times weekly — and an 11 per cent increase between Winnipeg and Puerto Vallarta.

The latter Mexican destination will be reachable from Winnipeg 10 times per week, WestJet announced.

Direct flights to Cancun and Puerto Vallarta will begin Oct. 26. The pair join 21 other destinations with non-stop WestJet flights from Winnipeg this winter.

WestJet has upped its sun destination flights from the Prairies city by 14 per cent, when comparing year over year, a company news release reads.

The addition of a flight to Costa Rica, and expanded service to Mexico, shows WestJet’s confidence in Winnipeg’s market, said Winnipeg Airports Authority president Nick Hays.