A LOT Polish Airlines Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner touched down at Liberia's Daniel Oduber Quirós International Airport just after 2:40 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 5 — the first time a commercial flight has flown directly from Poland to Costa Rica. The weekly charter service, running every Thursday through Dec. 17, cuts out the usual connection through another European or North American hub on the roughly 13-hour trip.
The route is sold by Rainbow Tours, one of Poland's biggest tour operators, whose vice president Piotr Burwicz framed it as a way to open up Costa Rica's beaches, nature and active-tourism options to Polish holidaymakers. Costa Rican officials counted 251 passengers on the inaugural arrival — a full plane — with 11 crew, though Polish figures listed 233 departing Katowice. Either way, the arrival got a proper welcome: folk music, dancing and gifts at the gate.
Poland remains a small source market for Costa Rica, but it's growing fast. The Costa Rican Tourism Institute (ICT) recorded 5,367 Polish arrivals by air between January and September 2026, a 20% jump year over year. Still, Guanacaste has barely featured on Polish itineraries: of 8,837 Polish visitors in 2025, just 524 entered through Liberia.
That's exactly what the new route aims to change. Liberia's airport puts travellers within short reach of Tamarindo, Playa Flamingo, the Papagayo Peninsula and several national parks, and the terminal itself is on a roll — passenger traffic climbed 10% year over year in the first nine months of 2026, alongside a steady stream of new nonstop routes.
For now the Polish service is a seasonal charter, ending Dec. 17. But it lands at the start of Costa Rica's high season and marks a deliberate push by Guanacaste to diversify beyond the US and Canadian visitors who have long dominated the region. If you're a Polish traveller eyeing a Pacific-coast beach-and-jungle trip without the hassle of a connection, this is the easiest it's ever been — and if demand holds, there's a fair chance the route returns or extends.
