Tampa is getting its Costa Rica flight back. Tampa International Airport and Breeze Airways announced two new international nonstop routes on March 31, 2026 — service to San José, Costa Rica, and to Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. The San José route is the headline: it restores nonstop service between Tampa and the Costa Rican capital for the first time in more than 25 years, and Breeze is the only carrier offering it.

Flights to San José are set to begin October 3, 2026, operating Wednesdays and Saturdays — departing Tampa at 6:40 a.m. and arriving at 7:55 a.m., with the return leaving San José at 8:55 a.m. and landing in Tampa at 2:05 p.m. Flights to Punta Cana start earlier, on July 2, 2026, operating Thursdays and Sundays on a route also served by JetBlue and Frontier; the Tampa departure leaves at 4:16 p.m. and arrives at 7:11 p.m., and the return departs Punta Cana at 8:11 p.m. and arrives in Tampa at 11:11 p.m.

The airport said San José service had long been a goal. Costa Rica ranks as Florida’s ninth-largest trade partner, and about 3,000 Costa Rican-born residents call Tampa Bay home, giving the route business, leisure and family ties to draw on.

“It’s an exciting day for Tampa International Airport as we celebrate not one, but two new international nonstop routes,” TPA CEO Michael Stephens said, adding that the routes enhance “Tampa Bay’s access to two sought-after travel spots.”

Breeze founder and CEO David Neeleman said the announcement doubled the number of international destinations Breeze serves from Tampa. The airline is also launching Nassau, Bahamas service on June 11, 2026, and Montego Bay, Jamaica service is planned for December 19, 2026, after a delay caused by Hurricane Melissa’s 2025 landfall in western Jamaica. Two new dots on Tampa’s international map, and one of them was a quarter-century in the making.

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