(Updates with airport reopening)
SAN JOSE, Oct 18 (Reuters) - Costa Rica's main international
airport reopened on Thursday after shutting down for two hours
when the tires of a plane burst upon landing, sending it
skidding along the runway.
The capital's Juan Santamaria International Airport, the
biggest passenger hub for the popular tourist destination,
resumed operations shortly after the plane was removed from the
runway at about 6 p.m. local time, said Maria Amalia Revelo,
commercial director for the company that manages the airport.
The plane, a Taca Airlines Airbus 321, carried 146
passengers and none were injured, said national fire chief
Hector Chaves. The flight originated in El Salvador.
The airport closure was ordered after the plane skidded to a
halt and blocked a runway.
Authorities said an investigation into the cause of the
incident was under way. Rain fell all afternoon at the airport.
As a result of the closure, 11 Taca flights were rerouted to
airports in Panama, El Salvador and Guatemala.
In 2011, the airport handled 3.2 million passengers, making
it Central America's third busiest, said Revelo.
(Reporting by Matt Levin; editing by David Alire Garcia and Jim
Loney)
