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Tocumen Airport on path to recovery

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Posted 15/09/2021

Tocumen International Airport moved over 4.9 million passengers between January and August 2021, reports the administration

During the month of August of this year, there was a movement of 929,624 passengers, which represented 26,218 more travelers compared to July 2021.

"Until August 2021, the Tocumen International Airport recovered 51% of the air traffic it handled before the Covid-19 pandemic, compared to the results achieved in the same period of 2019," the statement detailed.

It is highlighted that the statistics indicate that the trend towards the recovery of operations and passenger traffic continues with sustained growth in the last six months after the relaxation of sanitary and migratory requirements in different countries of the American continent and Europe that connect in Panama.

“The August results reflect an increase in passenger confidence. Likewise, airlines are making an optimistic bet by resuming flights to their customary destinations, at the rate of an increase in vaccination processes against Covid-19 ”, highlighted Raffoul Arab, general manager of the Airport.

The airport administration also reported that the tourist destinations that experienced the highest demand in August are headed by: Cancun (Mexico), Miami / New York (United States), Bogotá / Medellín (Colombia), Lima (Peru), Guayaquil / Quito ( Ecuador), Sao Paulo (Brazil) and San José (Costa Rica).

It was also announced that Copa Airlines announced the restart of operations to Trinidad and Tobago and San Francisco (United States) during the months of September and October, respectively. In addition to new commercial flights to the Colombian city of Cúcuta on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays from December 6, 2021.

 

https://www.newsroompanama.com/travel/tocumen-airport-on-path-to-recovery

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Tocumen Airport  gears up for holiday rush

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Posted 25/10/2021

The administration of the Tocumen International Airport is planning to handle up to 3,900 additional daily passengers both entering and leaving the country for the national holidays from October 28 to November 11.

According to preliminary reports from the airlines,  “26,000 travelers will leave the terminal and a total of 20,000 thousand visitors will enter Panama, "said a statement from Tocumen, SA.

October 31 and November 1 and 2 will be the days with the highest movement of passengers leaving Panama, while the return to the country is scheduled between November 7 and 10.

Claudio Dutary, operations manager of the  Airport, said that among the main destinations for Panamanians to travel during the holiday are Orlando and Miami, in the United States; Bogotá and Medellín, in Colombia; Cancun in Mexico, and Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic. While at the local level the province of Chiriquí is among the favorites.

"Each traveler must complete the digital health affidavit that appears on the website https://www.panamadigital.gob.pa/RegistroPacoViajero, in which they will obtain the QR code that the traveler will have. to present at the health control points established at the Tocumen Airport (on paper or mobile).

This tool will allow the traveler to streamline the procedures during their entry into the country, going directly to Migration, Dutary said.

Airlines urge travelers to arrive three hours in advance, to carry out check-in procedures.

It is also recommended that before buying the ticket, the traveler must verify if in the country of destination they request proof of Covid-19 certification, valid vaccination or some other restriction.

 

https://www.newsroompanama.com/travel/tocumen-airport-gears-up-for-holiday-rush

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Panama air operations at 85% pre-pandemic

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Posted 01/12/2021

Air operations to and from Panama recovered and are at 85% of pre-pandemic levels according to the air connectivity report of the International Air Transport Association (IATA), which measures the market month by month after the restart of flights due to the pandemic.

"The 85% recovery of international air connectivity compared to November 2019 is due to the joint work between the government of Panama and the air transport industry," said David Hernández, IATA representative for Central America, Cuba, Ecuador to Martes Financiero. and Venezuela.

The international air connectivity indicator measured by IATA takes into account the number of seats available and the size of the aircraft serving the different routes. By November 2020, connectivity was 66% below January 2020 levels. Panama officially restarted commercial flights on October 12, 2020.

With 85% of Panama's air connectivity capacity, the country ranks third in November in countries with the highest international flight connections in the region. Mexico ranks first with more than 100% recovery of all international air routes that operate to and from the different airports, as well as domestic destinations. The country never closed air operations, and even now increased them. And in second place is Colombia, which registers 90% connectivity compared to the pre-pandemic months.

By region, Panama has recovered 88% of connectivity and intraregional flights, that is, with Latin America and the Caribbean compared to November 2019; In the case of destinations to North America, which includes Canada and the United States, the recovery of air operations is 85% in November 2021 and with Europe the connectivity levels of air routes to and from Panama are 76%. compared to November 2019 as detailed in the IATA report.

https://www.newsroompanama.com/travel/panama-air-operations-at-85-pre-pandemic

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Tocumen International  plans for the Christmas flow

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Posted 17/12/2021

The Tocumen International Airport reported announced Friday, December 17, that it will limit the entry of people to the terminal for this month as a measure to reduce the risk of Covid-19 infections.

 Due to the increase in passengers at Christmas time, it will only allow the entry of travelers to Terminal 1 without companions.

In addition, it suspends, for now, the reception of passengers in the internal part.

Since the resumption of operations, Tocumen has received 7,782,821 passengers.

According to the report of the Ministry of Health, to date 1,879  covid-positive passengers have been detected.

https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/tocumen-international-plans-for-the-christmas-flow

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Omicron cuts Tocumen growth streak but higher movement ahead

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Posted 23/01/2022

The Omicron variant of the coronavirus (Covid-19) will cut the growth streak that had been reporting the monthly movement of passengers at the Tocumen International Airport after the cancellation of 160 flights in January due to the increase in positive cases of respiratory disease among pilots and cabin crew.

Tocumen can handle between 900 and 1,000 flights per month. In December 2021, for example, there were 977 flights. While in November of last year 1,073 were reported.

Raffoul Arab, manager of Tocumen SA, commented that the number of cancellations will increase as infections due to Ómicron increase.

"We have started a difficult year, but we hope that in the end, it will be positive, once this slump caused by Ómicron is overcome," said the executive.

The administration estimates that for the month of February or March the airport will return to a higher movement of 1.2 million travelers per month.

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has projected that the first quarter of 2022 will be more complicated than initially projected.

On the other hand, IATA described as "exaggerated" the reaction of many countries to the appearance of Omicron, since the application of restrictions on international travel proved in the past to have no effect in curbing the progress of the respiratory disease.

“If the experience of the last 22 months has shown anything, it is that there is little or no correlation between the introduction of travel restrictions and the prevention of virus transmission across borders. And these measures place a heavy burden on lives and livelihoods.

The first projections for 2022 suggest that this year the country's main air terminal would recover 85% of the passenger movement that it registered in 2019 when 16.5 million travelers passed through Tocumen.

If this calculation is fulfilled, Tocumen would be mobilizing 14 million passengers, which would exceed the 9.1 million travelers reported until December 31, 2021.

"I don't think that this year we will return to the numbers prior to the pandemic, but they will be better than those of 2021, although everything will depend on the behavior of the pandemic and the appearance of new variants," Arab said.

“December and 2021 results generally exceed our initial projections; we maintained the confidence of airlines, we reconnected destinations and weekly frequencies, but the threat of Covid-19 suggests us to be cautious and disciplined in the administration”.

https://www.newsroompanama.com/business/omicron-cuts-tocumen-growth-streak-but-higher-movement-ahead

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Direct flights Panama-Frankfurt begin in March

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Posted 28/01/2022

Starting in March the European airline Eurowings Discover of the Lufthansa group will start direct flights between the city of Frankfurt (Germany) and Panama.

This is part of the strategies developed by the Panama Tourism Authority (ATP), in conjunction with the International Tourism Promotion Fund (Promtur), to make Panama a more competitive destination and to increase the number of tourists.

The airline will have three weekly frequencies (Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday), starting on March 27, 2022, in Airbus 330 aircraft.

Germany is among the priority markets, according to the Master Plan for Sustainable Tourism, approved by the Cabinet Council.

In 2019, 39,000 German tourists were received, which represented an injection of more than $100 million into the country; $2,863 per traveler according to the Comptroller General.

https://www.newsroompanama.com/travel/direct-flights-panama-frankfurt-begin-in-march

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Tocumen Airport on recovery path despite Omicron

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Posted 16/02/2022

Tocumen International Airport reported the movement of 1,132,044 passengers in the month of January, 59% more than the same month last year despite the impact of the Omicron variant of Covid-19 and the harsh winter in the Northern Hemisphere that forced the cancellation of some 160 flights.

In January, the air terminal increased its direct connections to 76 destinations, through 19 commercial companies, to the main cities of America, Europe, the Caribbean and Asia.

Passenger transit through Tocumen, by region, is headed by South America with 45%; North America with 30%; Central America 11%; while the Caribbean region contributed a 9% share and Europe 5%.

https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/tocumen-airport-on-recovery-path-despite-omicron

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Tocumen International readies for 50,000 travelers

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Posted 03/03/2022

Tocumen International Airport is preparing to receive some 50,000 travelers between March 1 and 6 from 4:00 pm to 9:00 pm, which could exceed its current capacity.

A statement warns that at this time the space is insufficient as many flights coincide. That is why the institutions are prepared so that the lines advance with uninterrupted and constant circulation.

They assure that in a few weeks they will open Terminal 2, where the capacity of

the enclosures is larger than those of Terminal 1 inaugurated in 1978.

Tocumen Airport has registered a significant recovery in its activity after the 2020 stoppage caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/tocumen-international-readies-for-50000-travelers

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Passenger flow at Tocumen rebounds

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Posted 17/03/2022

Passenger flow through Tocumen International Airport rebounded to 1,067,733  in February up by 691,551 reported in the same month of 2021. 74% were connecting passengers.

“2022 will be a key year for the airline industry. The easing of mobility restrictions, the global advancement of vaccination, and the recovery of confidence to travel will sustain a robust recovery pace, after two difficult years for the air transport industry”, commented Raffoul Arab, General Manager of the Airport. of Tocumen.

Tocumen SA records that in February the air terminal maintained its direct connections to 76 destinations, through 19 airlines.

The February the list of users was headed by those from South America with 45%, from North America 29%, from the Caribbean 11%, from Central America 10% and from Europe 5%.

The airport administration reported that 18,540 metric tons of merchandise were moved at the cargo terminal.

Tocumen SA announced that as of March 27, the Lufthansa Group will restart its operational activities in Tocumen through the Eurowings Discover airline. In addition, Copa Airlines will announce the start of operations to new destinations in Colombia and Venezuela in the coming weeks.

https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/passenger-flow-at-tocumen-rebounds

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Returning confidence reflected in Tocumen stats

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Posted 17/05/2022

Tocumen International Airport handled 1,243,475 passengers in April, an increase of 787,211 over the same period in 2021.

Raffoul Arab, General Manager of the airport said: "The reduction of mobility restrictions and the recovery of passenger confidence to travel are key measures for the recovery of the air transport industry."

The figure represents a significant increase in passenger movement compared to last year, due to the global increase in vaccinated people and the sanitary measures applied by different countries, added Arab.

In the month of April Tocumen maintained its direct connections to 78 destinations, through 20 airlines.

The mobilization of passengers through Tocumen in April 2022 is led by users from South America, which represented 46%, North America 29%, the Caribbean 10%, Central America 10%, and Europe 5%.

https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/returning-confidence-reflected-in-tocumen-stats

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Tocumen Airport ranked best in Central America

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Posted 18/05/2022

Tocumen International Airport is positioned as the "Best airport in Central America and the Caribbean", according to the satisfaction survey carried out by the consulting firm Skytrax, within the framework of the World Airport Awards 2022.

The study includes surveys in more than 550 airports, based on the satisfaction of millions of users with the services offered by each aerodrome; It takes into account a total of 39 sections in relation to access, public transport, comfort, and cleanliness, or safety, among other aspects.

"We feel very honored by the recognition, but it is also a commitment to continue improving. We are aware of our weaknesses and we are working on them," said Raffoul Arab, General Manager of the terminal.

https://www.newsroompanama.com/business/tocumen-airport-ranked-best-in-central-america

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Recovery of Tocumen International accelerating

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Posted 16/06/2022

Tocumen International Airport registered traffic of 1,304,606 passengers, an increase of 703,326 over the same period in 2021.

Raffoul Arab, manager of the airport said the recovery is accelerating however the industry is still cautious due to an environment marked by the covid-19 pandemic, in addition to the war between Russia and Ukraine and its impact on oil prices.

“The full opening of Terminal 2 is another element that will strengthen our regional and global competitive position,” said Arab.

Regarding international connections, in May the air terminal increased direct routes to 78 destinations, through 20 commercial airlines, which offer services to America and Europe.

For this reason, of the total number of passengers who used Terminal 1 of the Tocumen International Airport, 76% had connections.

According to data from the Airport Statistics Department, the markets with the best regional performance in May were South America with 46%, followed by North America with 29%, and the Caribbean with 11%.

Central American countries contributed 9% and the European markets 5%.

https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/recovery-of-tocumen-international-accelerating

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Terminal 2 opens Wednesday creating jobs and tourism

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Posted 20/06/2022

Terminal 2  of Tocumen International Airport, originally scheduled for delivery in 2017 will begin operations on Wednesday, June 22,  said Raffoul Arab, general manager of the Panamanian air terminal,

In the early morning of June 22, the operations of the airline Copa Airlines will be transferred, which will be the first to start operations in the new terminal. Subsequently, KLM, UNITED, and Air France will transfer their operations to the modern facilities of the new air terminal.

He specified that its opening will be possible, after a joint and team effort, despite the breaches that the company has had in contractual obligations. "Tocumen has made a great effort to start-up and put this terminal into operation, which will undoubtedly bring a lot of benefit to the country," said Arab. The opening of Terminal 2 is expected to have an immediate impact on the generation of jobs in the country, in the tourism sector, the national economy and in the recovery of the country, after the difficult periods experienced by the covid-19 pandemic, nationally and globally.

But, in addition, as operations start-up and grow, Terminal 2 "will give added value to the country in that business cluster that is managed and operates around an airport as important as Tocumen's."

 Terminal 2 is a building with an avant-garde design that increases the capacity of the aeronautical complex. It has 20 boarding bridges and Terminal 1 (complete) has 33. It also has the capacity to operate or process an additional 10 million passengers and has a robust and efficient baggage handling system that will position Tocumen International Airport as one of the most modern in the region. The difference between the two terminals is that Terminal 1 handles 1,800 bags per hour, while Terminal 2 will handle up to 12,000 bags added that operations will start at T2 "in a very practical and operational way, but there are many aspects that are still missing for the terminal to be one hundred percent functional.".

The contracting company CNO, SA began building Terminal 2 in 2013 and its delivery was expected in 2017, with an original contract of $917 million.

https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/terminal-2-opens-wednesday-creating-jobs-and-tourism-1

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Electrical storm closes Tocumen International Airport

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Posted 27/09/2022

Operations at Tocumen International Airport were suspended on Tuesday, September 27, due to the electrical storm that has been recorded since early morning.

Tocumen, S.A., reported that the flights that were scheduled to land in the area will be diverted to the Panama Pacifico airport, in West Panama.

They will also be diverted to other "alternate airports" while weather conditions improve, the entity added on its Twitter social network account.

https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/electrical-storm-closes-tocumen-international-airport-1

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Tocumen International continues upturn

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Posted 14/12/2022

The Tocumen International Airport closed the month of November with a total of 1,364,188 travelers, an increase of 274,415 passengers compared to the same month last year. 

The average number of passengers that transit daily between Terminal 1 and Terminal 2 of the international airport is 44 000, in 19 commercial airlines of the 80 international routes in America and Europe.

"In November we consolidated the foundations of the recovery and we focused on a 2023 growth with the direct flights Panama - Istanbul of Turkish Airlines, the return of Air Canada, the regular flights connecting several Canadian cities with the Río Hato terminal, and the new Wingo routes from Panama Pacifico”, said Raffoul Arab, general manager of the airport.

According to the statement, South America leads the largest passenger traffic to and from Tocumen International Airport with 45%, followed by North America with 28%, the Caribbean region adds 11%, while Central America contributed 11% and Europe 5%.

Regarding air cargo, the airport's merchandise traffic reached 19,236 metric tons of merchandise.

Meanwhile, the regional terminals under the administration of Tocumen SA closed the month of November with a total of 52,696 passengers.

Meanwhile, the regional terminals under the administration of Tocumen SA closed the month of November with a total of 52,696 passengers.

https://www.newsroompanama.com/business/tocumen-international-continues-upturn

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Air France and KLM move to Tocumen’s Terminal 2

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Posted 12/01/2023

The European airlines Air France and KLM will transfer their attention to passengers and baggage check-in to the new Terminal 2 of the Tocumen International Airport, starting Monday, January 16. All flights to and from Panama will operate from the new airport facilities, so customers should only go to T2 of the Tocumen International Airport to check in, register their luggage, make the migration process, security and later boarding their flight.

Raffoul Arab, General Manager of Tocumen International said: "The transfer of Air France and KLM services from Terminal 1 to Terminal 2 is a significant step within the schedule established for the reorganization and balance of our operations.

https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/air-france-and-klm-move-to-tocumens-terminal-2

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Tocumen International moves record-breaking number of passengers in first semester

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Posted 13/07/2023

In the first half of 2023, Tocuman International Airport handled a record-breaking total of 8,583,426 passengers, that is, 1,277,239 more than the same period in 2022, or the equivalent of a 17.5% increase in contrast to the 7,304,205 who traveled in the first six months of the past year.

In June the air terminal processed 1,441,346 passengers, an increase of 10.20% more than in the same month last year when 1,307,921 travelers were transported.

Raffoul Arab, General Manager of the Tocumen International Airport, said that the indicators for June 2023 confirm the positive trend of the industry, with constant and robust growth in relation to the first half of 2022 and higher than the highest historical passenger record of 2019 for the same period.

86 destinations
International connections  fromTocumen International reached 86 routes in June with 16 commercial airlines that offer flights to the entire continent and Europe.

67% of the passengers mobilized in June were connecting and 11,401 aircraft movements were registered.

The markets with the highest regional movement in June were South America with 44%, followed by North America with 28%, the Caribbean 12%, Central America contributed 10%, and European markets contributed a 5% share.

The cargo terminal,  moved 99,854 metric tons of merchandise during the first six months.

https://www.newsroompanama.com/business/tocumen-international-moves-record-breaking-number-of-passengers-in-first-semester

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Tocumen radar failure reveals lack of maintenance and investment

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 Posted 17/12/2023

Wednesday, December 13, marked the day when passenger movement at Tocumen International Airport was to increase due to the Christmas season. Instead, it was the day that the radar system broke down.

The airport registers 400 daily air operations of departures and landings of both passenger and air cargo aircraft where 88% are arrivals and departures of commercial flights, 7% are cargo, 3% general aviation, and 1% others. In one year, the volume of operations at the main air terminal increased 10.08%.

In the midst of the bustle, the radars work, allowing departures and arrivals to be managed in coordination between air traffic controllers and airlines to maintain adequate distribution of airspace validating availability on runways and in the terminal, and ensuring that operations are carried out without congestion or interruptions.

But,  a failure in the radar installed in July of this year on Perico Island, on the Amador Causeway, changed the panorama.

The air traffic controllers who were on duty at the Tocumen tower activated a contingency plan to operate through the “No Radar” mode.

The primary and secondary radar antenna for which the Civil Aeronautical Authority paid $5,717,808,  was left incommunicado and a blackout was generated in the computer equipment that receives aeronautical navigation data in the air control centers.

Mayko Alvarado, president of the Panamanian Association of Air Traffic Controllers (Apacta) explained that the radar failure has exposed the inefficiencies and lack of renewal of aeronautical equipment.

He said that the system failed to the point that the Tocumen control tower did not receive information of any kind from the radar antenna.

“Luckily the Tocumen tower is visual, but our colleagues at the Albrook Control Center do work watching or depending on the screens directly and they had the screen completely frozen, and they work in the flight approach area. The non-radar process began, so departures are lengthened, and access roads are used for exit and entry to Panama and flight plans change.”

FLIGHT DELAYS
This process generated congestion and delays of up to 60 flights and some were diverted to other countries such as Colombia, while the problem was solved mainly because they could not stay in the air without the necessary fuel.

“We are talking about equipment that has needed to be replaced not for two years, but for more than 10 years and it has not been done. New communication equipment, radar, and consoles are needed in the Civil Aeronautics offices, among others,” he stated.

Alvarado that added there are problems with the lack of trained and replacement personnel.

Alvarado said the "No Radar" procedure was carried out once the failure manifested itself and although it is a procedure with which they are fully familiar and trained to carry out operations safely, it is not usual in this era with the number of aircraft and operations handled by  Tocumen, so technology is key to having an efficient and on-time operation.

“We went back to what we did 20 years ago by using non-radar, giving separations.

The Tocumen control tower handles 3 shifts with an average of 5 controllers, but just on Wednesday, there were 4 controllers on one of the shifts because one was on compensatory time.

“As air traffic controllers we have issued the warning that it is necessary to coordinate what needs we have in infrastructure, equipment, better facilities, and personnel so that the failure that occurred on Wednesday does not happen again,” Alvarado said.

AAC spokespersons indicated that around 4:00 a.m. On Thursday, December 14, after hours of work by the technicians, the servers of the radar antenna system towards air control

For this year 2023, the AAC budget was cut. The institution requested$92 million, but the Ministry of Economy and Finance recommended, $40 million less.

https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/tocumen-radar-failure-reveals-lack-of-maintenance-and-investment

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Tocumen International Airport for Easter

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Posted 27/03/2024

The Tocumen International Airport expects to take care of more than 66 thousand passengers during this Easter season, including international, national and resident travelers. It is estimated that the greatest flow of passengers will occur between March 27th and 31st.  The number of passengers leaving the country was over 34,000 persons, while it is expected that Panama will bring in 31,741 travelers.

https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/tocumen-international-airport-for-easter

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