Departure
96%
vs 95% ▲ 1
MY FS FLIGHTS
MY FS FLIGHTS
Tobías Bolaños International Airport (MRPV/SYQ) is the general aviation airport for San José, Costa Rica, sitting in the Pavas district within the city itself. It serves as the country's principal hub for flight training, charter operations and private flying, with no scheduled airline service and no instrument approach procedures, making it a VFR-only field.
Tobías Bolaños International Airport, known locally as Pavas after the district in which it sits, is the secondary airport serving San José, Costa Rica, after the much larger Juan Santamaría International Airport. It is named for Costa Rican aviator Tobias Bolaños Palma (1892-1953) and functions as the main base for general aviation in the country. The field hosts numerous flight schools, charter operators and private aircraft, making it a busy and characterful destination for the VFR pilot, though it is a VFR-only aerodrome with no instrument approach procedures.
The airport lies in downtown San José, in the Pavas district of San José Canton, Costa Rica. It sits close to the city centre, distinguishing it from the larger Juan Santamaría International Airport which serves as the country's main international gateway. As a VFR-only field with no published instrument approaches, pilots must plan to arrive and depart in visual conditions.
The airport has a single physical runway, 09/27, a hard-surfaced strip 5130 ft long on the 09 heading and 5283 ft long on the 27 heading, both lit. There is no ILS available at the field.
Tobías Bolaños is served by PAVAS TWR on 118.3 MHz, with ground movements handled on 121.7 MHz. COCO RDO operates on 126.8 MHz. There are no instrument approach procedures published for the airport, so all arrivals and departures are conducted under visual flight rules.
The airport is named after Costa Rican pilot Tobias Bolaños Palma, who lived from 1892 to 1953. It has long served as the country's principal centre for general aviation, private flight operations, charter flying, tourism flights and pilot training, in contrast to the scheduled international traffic handled at Juan Santamaría International Airport.
Tobías Bolaños remains the main base for general aviation in Costa Rica, with no scheduled airline service operating from the field. It is home to a substantial flight training community, with eight flight schools based there offering ab initio pilot training on single and multi-engine aircraft, along with additional courses such as cabin crew and dispatcher training. Several charter operators, including Aerobell, CarmonAir, Prestige Wings and Taxiaereo, run services from the airport, and it also supports private and business aviation traffic with FBO ground handling available on site.