Vigilancia Aérea
Air Surveillance

The Vigilancia Aérea mission is to provide air support security operations conducted by the police, humanitarian missions, transfers of staff, provide security and surveillance at airports across the country to protect national and foreign citizens. The Directorate of Air Surveillance Service is located at Juan Santamaria International Airport, adjacent to Terminal Santamaria.

Military aviation started in 1947 as Fuerza Aérea Costarricense, when the government bought two P-38L, one A-24B and one B-18B. But it was only about June 1950, when the last of these aircraft was sold and the Air Force ceased to exist. As Costa Rica has not had an army since the end of the civil war in 1948, the air arm nowadays resides under the Ministerio de Seguridad Publica, of which the abbreviation MSP can be found in the serials of it's aircraft. The Sección Aérea de la Guardia Civil (Air Section of the Costa Rica Guardia Civil) was established in 1957. During the next years Costa Rica bought a handful of fixed-wing aircraft and three helicopters for surveillance and liaison duties. In 1994 the service was renamed Servicio de Vigilancia Aérea and became part of the Ministerio de Seguridad Pública.

The Directorate of Security Service [Dirección del Servicio de Vigilancia] has the following functions:

• Ensure law and order, the preservation and integrity of the airspace , the national territory, territorial and jurisdictional sea and the safety of international airports, operational and patrols.
• Provide transportation within and outside the country except in qualified cases , to (the) public servants (as) in the exercise of their functions and (the) inhabitants in case of emergency
• Providing maintenance and repair of aircraft responsible for surveillance and security of airspace, the national territory, territorial and jurisdictional sea.
• Those which derive from the law, in accordance with their competence.

The Directorate of Air Surveillance Service consists of the Departments of aircraft operations, aircraft maintena nce and airport security.

The Department Aircraft Maintenance performs its work at any aerodrome or required scenario, prioritizing ensure flight safety and provide effective service to aircraft, following the procedures of manufacturers, agreements, international laws and regulations.

This department is comprised of a team of 11 mechanical technicians, responsible for the receipt and dispatch of aircraft, pre inspections and post flights, correction of discrepancies, scheduled services established by the manufacturer of the aircraft, made certification of aircraft seized by the drug trafficking, according to the procedures of Costa Rican aviation regulations, which become part of the fleet of the Directorate of air Surveillance Service. In addition, there are two administrative officials who support in the technical office.

From this department all aircraft configurations are performed according to the requirements of air operations of this unit support all activities that the Department of Aeronautical Operations coordinates, including the anti-drug patrol mentioned, humanitarian flights type, flights are offered transfers of public servants in performance of their duties, police operatives participation in nature, etc. which is done in conjunction with other teams.

The Department of Aviation Maintenance has an office and technical library, which offers computer equipment, where the most manuals in digital form, in addition to the manuals in its original version (paper), newsletters service and technical dictionaries. The Maintenance Department in coordination with the administrative office execute the procedures of the General Regulations for hiring aircraft belonging to the MSP, achieving equip aircraft with devices and certified components, in addition to track repairs that are undertaken correctly with quality and honestly. Importantly, women's foray into the field of aviation mechanics, because since 2008 a police officer joined the team, who completed his studies in Mechanical helicopters and planes in the School of Carabineros de Chile.

As of 2007 the SvA’s aircraft inventory, stationed at Juan Santamaría international Airport and Tobías Bolaños international Airport, consisted of two Mcdonnell douglas Md-500e helicopters (tail numbers MSP012 and MSP018), three Cessna Soloy U206G light aircraft (tail numbers MSP004, MSP005, and MSP006), a Cessna t210n (tail number MSP009), a Cessna 210 (tail number MSP010), and two twin-engine Piper PA-31s (tail numbers MSP003 and MSP019). In addition, the service possessed a de Havilland C-7A (tail number MSP002) for tactical transport missions, but a lack of spare parts had grounded that aircraft for several years. Incidentally, the SvA’s only medium transport helicopter, a Mil Mi-17 (tail number MSP016), was sold to the Colombian army in 2002.

As of 2015 the management of Air Surveillance Service has a fleet of 15 aircraft, for which the maintenance department provides ground handling of all aircraft, with a minimum of zero accidents and incidents.

Airport Security Department provides services in the four international airports, Juan Santamaria in Alajuela, Daniel Oduber in Liberia, in Pavas Tobias Bolanos Palma and International Lemon. In these four air terminals, we provide public safety, but we also have the primary task of providing security to civil aviation in the country, abide by international agreements, laws and regulations, and guidelines emanating from the competent authorities in this matter. Airport Security Department in coordination with the administrative office of Air Surveillance Service has managed to get better and new safety equipment, achieving equip its police personnel and improve the service provided at all international airports in the country.

A close inspection permits the discerning eye to realize that the SvA’s functions go much farther — up to the point of crossing the thin line that separates a humanitarian entity from a formally established air arm. in fact, in the late 1980s, the SvA managed to operate two armed Cessna O-2As in an efficient manner along the nicaraguan border area in response to the conflict that counterrevolutionary guerrillas then waged against the Sandanista government of Nicaragua.