From October 2026, British Airways flies direct from London Heathrow to San José (SJO) all year, not just in winter. There are five flights a week from October 2026 to March 2027 and three a week from April to September 2027. The flight takes about 11 hours on a Boeing 787-8. The route replaces BA’s previous seasonal service from Gatwick.
For UK travellers, this is the biggest change to getting to Costa Rica in years. You no longer need to connect through Madrid, Amsterdam or a US hub, or squeeze your trip into the winter season.
Direct Flights to Costa Rica at a Glance
What Has Changed
British Airways has moved its Costa Rica service from Gatwick to Heathrow and extended it across the whole year. The old service ran in winter only. The new one does not stop in April.
| Before | From October 2026 | |
|---|---|---|
| London airport | Gatwick | Heathrow |
| Season | Winter only | Year-round |
| Frequency | Seasonal | 5x weekly (Oct–Mar), 3x weekly (Apr–Sep) |
| Aircraft | — | Boeing 787-8 (204 seats) |
| Cabins | — | Club World (31), World Traveller Plus (37), World Traveller (136) |
According to Costa Rica’s Tourism Institute (ICT), the change was about two years in the making. It brings “a significant increase in seats and frequencies from London”. The UK is already Costa Rica’s third-largest European source market.
The Schedule and How to Plan Around It
The winter timetable is the one most UK travellers will book first.
| Direction | Departs | Arrives |
|---|---|---|
| Outbound | London Heathrow 11:10 | San José 16:40 (local time) |
| Return | San José 18:40 | London Heathrow 10:50 the next day |
These are published times for the 2026–27 schedule. Airlines adjust timings season by season, so confirm the exact departure with British Airways before you commit to hotels or transfers. If you are travelling with us, your Journey Curator checks the live schedule as part of building the itinerary.
These times suit a well-planned trip:
You land in daylight with time to spare. Stay your first night in the Central Valley near the airport, and set off for the cloud forest, Arenal or the Caribbean coast the next morning. You won’t have a late-night transfer after a long-haul flight.
The evening return gives you a full final day. You could do a last morning on the Pacific coast or a coffee farm visit before heading to the airport, without cutting your trip short.
Costa Rica is 6 hours behind the UK in winter and 7 hours behind during British Summer Time. Flying west, you land in the late afternoon, stay up until a normal bedtime, and most people have adjusted within a day or two.
Why Year-Round Flights Matter
Until now, direct flights only covered the dry season, roughly December to April. Year-round flights make the rest of the year easy to reach, including the months many UK families can actually travel.
July to September (UK school holidays): humpback whales in Marino Ballena National Park near Uvita, and turtle nesting on the Caribbean coast at Tortuguero.
Green season (May to November): everything is lush, there are fewer visitors and it’s easier to book the best lodges. Mornings are usually clear, and rain tends to come in the afternoon.
Shoulder months: a good fit for honeymooners and couples who want quiet beaches and national parks without the peak-season crowds.
With three flights a week in summer, you will need to plan around the departure days. That is where an itinerary built around your flight helps.
Building Your Trip Around the Flight
A direct flight takes care of getting there. What makes the trip is the order you visit places in, how long you spend in each region and how smoothly you get between them. Costa Rica looks small on a map, but mountain roads mean a 150 km transfer can take four hours.
Horizontes has designed tailor-made trips in Costa Rica since 1984. We are CST Elite certified, the highest level of Costa Rica’s sustainable tourism certification, and rated 5.0 on TripAdvisor. Our Journey Curators, including Jose Huertas, who has designed more than 500 trips, plan each trip around your arrival and departure times. Your first night can be close to SJO, and your last stop chosen so you are not rushing to catch the 18:40 return.
Some routes that fit the new schedule:
Classic 10–14 days: Central Valley → Arenal → Monteverde → Pacific coast (Guanacaste or Manuel Antonio).
Honeymoon: see our Costa Rica honeymoon itinerary for the 10-day and 12-day luxury routes.
Two countries: combine Costa Rica with Nicaragua on the two-country route.
Summer wildlife: Tortuguero turtles plus the Osa Peninsula or whale watching at Uvita.
Plan Your Costa Rica Trip Around the New Direct Flight
Over 40 years designing tailor-made trips in Costa Rica. Every lodge visited. Every route tested. Every transfer timed to your flight.
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