Panama West Regional University Center

Faculty of Business Administration and Accounting

Bachelor's Degree in Tourism and Hotel Business Administration

Name: Caitlyn Castillo

ID: 8-986-1394

Professor: Yanina Zamora

Subject: English V

Assignment: Midterm 3- Written Work

Code of assignment: 28828

Code of schedule: 3722

2023
 Introduction

In this assignment, we will reviewing some features of the Tocumen International Airport

of Panama, the objective is to highlight the importance and the contribution of the first

commercial Airport in Panama. An airport to a country is the major driver of economic

development, as they provide employment opportunities and generate revenue through

taxes, fees and other charges. The presence of an airport in the capital city can attract

foreign investment, encourage tourism and facilitate trade. Tocumen S.A. also has a

Panamanian airline which helps the country bring in more tourists. We will be checking

the transportation number during the past years, we will be analyzing the background

history of our airport, the origins, and how it evolved during the past years. This is

important in order to offer an efficient and secure service.

Tocumen International Airport

General description:

It was first inaugurated in June 1947. The first airport that is currently used as a cargo

terminal. The Aeronautical authorities back in the days decided to develop what we

know today as Tocument International Airport. The current passenger terminal was

inaugurated back in 1978.

The Tocumen airport is one of the few in Latin America that has two landing runways

able to serve the largest international commercial aircraft operating today.

As we might know, the Tocumen airport is the regional hub for several commercial and

cargo airlines. It connects travelers everyday to more than 34 countries and 82 direct

destinations all around the world.

The good part about the airport is that it is located 24 km east of Panama city, so is very

close to the capital. The two main roads that connect the City to Tocumen are the

Domingo Diaz Avenue and the South Corridor. The surroundings of the airport have

become very important for industrial areas. Companies are considering moving their

warehouses and distribution centers near the airport in order to take full advantage of its

connectivity close to logistics parks. There’s also new buildings and local businesses in

order to increase the activity in this area.

Copa Airlines is one of the first official airlines in Panama also hosted in the Tocumen

airport. It has become the largest airline in the region with flights to the most prominent

destinations in the area. Copa is also contributing to the country by offering a lot of

positions with preference in the panamanian civils.

Historical background (Origins, expansion)

Airports in Panama were leased by the U.S. Armed forces back in the days. The closest

airport to Tocumen was the Paitilla Point Airfield. A lot of airfields were built during World

War II, to protect the Panama Canal from foreign enemies. Aircrafts from the Paitilla

Point base were used for the immediate aftermath of the Pearl Harbor attack.

Tocumen International Airport was inaugurated by President Enrique Adolfo Jimenez,

and the administrative building / passenger terminal was inaugurated during the

administration of Colonel Jose Antonio Remon Cantera. As time passed and due to

Panama’s role as a country of transit, that terminal felt like it was too small to attend to

the growing demand for air operations. These circumstances compelled the

aeronautical authorities at the time to consider expanding the airport; they started

working on the new buildings in 1971.

To build the new structure, the Tocumen river had to be diverted from its original site.

The name of the airport was changed in 1981 by the military government to Omar

Torrijos International Airport, in honor of the Panamanian leader that died on July 31.

After nine years, the original name was reestablished after the fall of the dictatorship of

Panama by the U.S. invasion of 1989. Until May 31, 2003, Tocumen International

Airport was managed by the Civil Aeronautics Directorate. On June 1 of that year, an

innovative terminal management platform was created through Law # 23 of January 29,

2003, this law allowed the creation of the International Airport of Tocumen.

In August 2015, it was announced that Emirates would operate flights to Tocumen

International Airport from Dubai starting February 2016, at which point it would have

become the world’s longest non-stop flight.The latest update of the airport was on
March 16 2023, Aeropuerto Metro station of Panama Metro was open in the airport and

it connected from the city of Panama to the Airport in a couple of minutes.

Expansion

First phase

In 2006, Tocumen S.A. started a major expansion and renovation program. The main

passenger terminal was expanded 20.830 m2 at a cost of twenty one million dollars.

New boarding gates were built to allow more flights to and from Panama, and to also

facilitate the growth of commercial and internal circulation areas.

The new installations were opened in 2006, it had a VIP lounge, Copa Club, operated

by the partnership between United Airlines and Copa Airlines.

The next movement in the modernization project was the purchasing of the new

equipment to provide service and support to the common areas of the airport.

Second phase

The second expansion phase of Tocumen International Airport is the Northern Terminal.

At a cost of sixty million dollars. A completely new terminal with 12 additional terminal

gates were built. With these 12 new gates plus the existing 22 gates and the six remote

aircraft docks, there are a total of 40 gates. The new facilities included the platforms,

taxiways and a new road which connect both the cargo terminal and the airport’s

administration building.The luggage sorting phase was given to Ecuador and Colombia

won the contract for the construction of the North terminal.

Third phase

The South Terminal started a bidding process during the first half 2012 and the contract

was acquired by the Brazilian company Odebrecht, which this company later on ended

up involved in a huge corruption case. Tocumen S.A. made an investment of US$780

million, which included 20 additional gates. It included hundreds of parking spots.

Operation (Lines, flights, destinations, airlines, terminals, etc)

In 2019, over 16 million people's national and international travelers were mobilized

through this airport terminal. Its operations average from 400 to 420 flights every day.

The airport consists of two terminals, Terminal 1 (North) and Terminal 2 (South). Both

terminals have a wide variety of cafes, restaurants and fast food, duty free, bookstore,

mobile phones and banking services, there’s also free wifi access, convenience stores,

medical clinic, traveler assistance services and vip lounges.

Airlines Destinations

Air Canada Seasonal: Toronto–Pearson

Air Europa Madrid

Air France Paris–Charles de Gaulle

American Airlines Miami

Avianca Bogotá
Avianca Ecuador Bogotá

Avianca El Salvador San Salvador (resumes December 15, 2023)

Cayman Airways Grand Cayman

Copa Airlines Armenia (Colombia), Aruba, Asunción, Atlanta, Austin, Baltimore, Barbados,
Barcelona (VE), Barquisimeto, Barranquilla, Belize City, Belo
Horizonte–Confins, Bogotá, Boston, Brasilia, Bucaramanga, Buenos
Aires–Ezeiza, Cali, Cancún, Caracas, Cartagena, Chicago–O'Hare, Chiclayo,
Córdoba (AR), Cúcuta, Curaçao, David, Denver, Fort Lauderdale,
Georgetown–Cheddi Jagan, Guadalajara, Guatemala City, Guayaquil, Havana,
Kingston–Norman Manley, Las Vegas, Lima, Los Angeles, Managua, Manaus,
Manta, Maracaibo, Medellín–JMC, Mendoza, Mexico City, Mexico City–AIFA,
Miami, Montego Bay, Monterrey, Montevideo, Montréal–Trudeau, Nassau, New
York–JFK, Orlando, Paramaribo, Pereira, Porto Alegre, Port of Spain, Punta
Cana, Quito, Rio de Janeiro–Galeão, Rosario, San Andrés Island, San
Francisco, San José (CR), San Juan, San Pedro Sula, San Salvador, Santa
Clara, Santa Cruz de la Sierra–Viru Viru, Santa Marta, Santiago de Chile,
Santiago de los Caballeros (resumes April 2, 2024), Santo Domingo–Las
Américas, São Paulo–Guarulhos, Sint Maarten, Tampa,
Tegucigalpa/Comayagua, Toronto–Pearson, Valencia (VE), Washington–Dulles

Copa Airlines Buenos Aires–Ezeiza, Medellín–JMC

Colombia

Delta Air Lines Atlanta

Iberia Madrid

KLM Amsterdam

LASER Airlines Caracas

RUTACA Airlines Caracas

Sunrise Airways Port-au-Prince

Turkish Airlines Istanbul

Turpial Airlines Valencia (VE)

United Airlines Houston–Intercontinental, Newark

Venezolana Barquisimeto, Caracas, Maracaibo

Statistics

Annual traffic

Year Passengers % Cargo % Movements % Change

Change Change

2003 2,145,489 11.5% 85,508 - 43,980 -

2004 2,398,443 11.8% 96,215 12.5% 45,703 3.9%

2005 2,756,948 15% 103,132 19.6% 47,873 4.6%

2006 3,215,423 16.6% 82,186 -20.3% 53,853 12.7%

2007 3,805,312 18.3% 82,463 0.3% 61,400 14.0%

2008 4,549,170 19.5% 86,588.8 4.8% 73,621 19.9%

2009 4,748,621 4.4% 83,513 -3.8% 80,330 9.1%

2010 5,042,410 6.2% 98,565 18.0% 84,113 4.7%

2011 5,844,561 15.9% 110,946 12.6% 93,710 11.4%

2012 6,962,608 19.1% 116,332 4.9% 110,206 17.6%

2013 7,784,328 11.8% 110,186 -5.3% 121,356 10.1%

2014 8,536,342 9.7% 110,789 0.5% 135,406 11.5%

2015 8,913,501 4.4% 96,902 -12.5% 141,642 4.6%

2016 110,364 13.9% 145,245 2.54%

2017 113,228 2.59% 145,914 0.46%

2018 168,108 48.47% 148,556 1.81%

2019 164,700 -2.03% 149,808 1%

2020 145,929 -11.40% 50,976 - 65.97%

2021 202,743 38.93% 88,823 74.24%

Busiest routes

Ran City Passenger Airlines

k s

1 San José de 863,035 Avianca Costa Rica, Copa, Copa Colombia

Costa Rica

2 Bogotá, Colombia 792,170 Avianca, Avianca Ecuador, Copa, Copa Colombia

3 Miami, Florida 745,262 American Airlines, Copa Airlines

4 Cancun, Mexico 597,704 Copa Airlines, Delta Air Lines

5 Havana, Cuba 581,741 Copa Airlines

6 São Paulo, Brazil 542,675 Copa Airlines

7 Mexico City, 524,404 Copa Airlines, Aeroméxico

Mexico

8 Santiago de Chile, 505,180 Copa Airlines

Chile
9 Lima, Peru 490,435 Copa Airlines

10 Caracas, 446,641 Avior Airlines, Conviasa, Copa Airlines, LASER

Venezuela Airlines, SBA, Venezolana

Amenities / Facilities

Within the several things we could mention about the Tocumen International Airport for

their services are:

Information: There are two information help desks in Arrivals. These provide information

about the flights, arrivals, booking services and general information.

Transportation: Several public bus routes link Tocumen Panama international Airport

and central Panama City (time: 40 minutes). There is a free shuttle service from the

airport to the Metro Mall. Taxis are regulated, the price starts at around thirty dollars.

Money: There is an ATM and a bank in departures on level 100. There’s also places

where you can change the money from your country into dollars, which is the official

currency in Panama.

Food: Restaurants offering Panamanian and international cuisine, as well as coffee

shops, snack bars and fast food outlets are available at Tocument Panama International

Airport.

Shopping: There are a variety of shops in Departures where you can browse a selection

of clothes, travel goods, books, magazines, souvenirs, electronic goods and cosmetics.

Duty-free outlets are also available.

Communication facilities: Free Wi-Fi internet access (for up to 2 hours) is available

throughout Tocumen Panamá International Airport. Additionally, public telephones can

be found throughout the terminal.

Disabled facilities: Disabled toilets are available throughout the Airport and designated

parking is available in the car parks.

Car parking: An open-air car park, with spaces for 800 or more vehicles, is located

directly in front of the terminal building.

Car rental:Car ride operators at Tocumen Panamá International Airport include: Alamo,

Avis, Budget, Dollar, Hertz, National, Thrifty. Each of these companies has desks in the

public área of arrivals.

Incidents

❖ On August 4, 1965, a Rutas Internacionales Peruanes SA (RIPSA), a Douglas

DC-4 cargo flight, crashed after takeoff because of faulty maintenance. All 7

occupants died.

❖ On September 28, 1979, a Transporte Aereo Boliviano (TAB) Lockheed C-130

Hercules crashed into the sea shortly after a night takeoff from PTY. All 4

occupants were killed.

❖ On June 6, 1992, Copa Airlines Flight 201, Boeing 737-204 Advanced crashed

into the jungle of the Darien forest. Killing all 47 people on board.

❖ On July 2, 2004, a IAI Westwind operated by Air Tek crashed after takeoff and

eventually came to rest inside an empty hangar. All 6 occupants were killed,

along with an airport worker on the ground

❖ On September 26, 2022, A Copa Airlines 737 ran off the runway in Panama City,

and 159 passengers and seven crew made an emergency evacuation via the

aircraft's slides.
 Conclusion

In conclusion, The activity of our International Airport is one of the higher incomes that

Panama receives every day. With our airport operating, there are a lot of things that

play a role in the nation, the most important one would be tourism, there are more than

2000 flights per week, some travelers may not leave our country immediately and this is

when we get to welcome these foreigners and boost our economy day by day. During

the past years, our country has received a lot of tourists and with our country being the

hub of Latin American, almost every flight from South and Central America lands in

Panama due to the several international airlines we host, giving a level of priority and

importance to our airport,

 Annex

Map of Terminal #1

Terminal #2
75# Anniversary of services

Main entrance of the airport

 References

➔ Doran, M. (2022, September 26). Copa Airlines 737 Goes Off Runway At Tocumen

Airport. Simple Flying.

https://simpleflying.com/breaking-copa-airlines-737-goes-off-runway-at-tocumen-airport/

➔ Miranda, P. C. (2019, June 9). The mysterious Copa flight 201 that disintegrated in

Darién. El Siglo.

http://elsiglo.com.pa/cronica-roja/misterioso-vuelo-201-copa-desintegro-darien/24124675

➔ Panama international airport (PTY) | Panama Tocumen International airport. (n.d.).

https://panamatocumen.com/en

➔ Tocumen Panama International Airport - World Travel Guide. (2021, January 13). World

Travel Guide.

https://www.worldtravelguide.net/guides/north-america/panama/tocumen-panama-interna

tional-airport/

➔ Panama airports: Everything you need to know. (n.d.). Panama Vacations.

https://www.vacationtopanama.com/travel-guide/panama-airports/

➔ TravelEater. (2019, March 24). Panama’s Tocumen Airport: Need to know. Travel Eater.

https://traveleater.net/2018/07/15/panama-tocumen-airport-guide-need-to-know/