Tocumen International Airport

Tocumen International Airport
Aeropuerto Internacional de Tocumen
IATA: PTY – ICAO: MPTO – FAA LID: PTY
Summary
Airport type Public
Operator Tocumen S.A.
Serves Panama City
Location Tocumen, Panama
Hub for Copa Airlines
Elevation AMSL 41 m / 135 ft
Coordinates 09°04′17″N 079°23′01″W / 9.07139°N 79.38361°W / 9.07139; -79.38361Coordinates: 09°04′17″N 079°23′01″W / 9.07139°N 79.38361°W / 9.07139; -79.38361
Website tocumenpanama.aero
Map
MPTO

Location in Panama

Runways
Direction Length Surface
m ft
03R/21L 3,050 10,007 Concrete
03L/21R 2,682 8,799 Asphalt
Statistics (2014)
Passengers 8,536,342
Source: DAFIF,[1] STV[2]

Tocumen International Airport (Spanish: Aeropuerto Internacional de Tocumen) (IATA: PTY, ICAO: MPTO) is the international airport of Panama City, the capital of Panama. The airport serves as the homebase for Copa Airlines and is a regional hub to and from The Caribbean, South, North and Central America and additionally features routes to some major European cities.

History

During World War II, Panamanian airports were leased exclusively by the U.S. military. The nearest airport to Tocumen was the Paitilla Point Airfield. Several airports were built to protect the Panama Canal from foreign aggression. The 37th Pursuit Group at Albrook Field replaced the P-40 Warhawks of the 28th Pursuit Squadron at the Paitilla Point airbase from 9 December 1941 though 26 March 1942 in the immediate aftermath of the Pearl Harbor attack.

Tocumen International Airport was inaugurated on June 1, 1947 by President Enrique A. Jiménez, and airport operations began before the construction works were completed. The administrative building/passenger terminal was inaugurated seven years later, during the administration of Colonel Jose Antonio Remon Cantera. The old airport building, which currently is being used as a cargo terminal, was built on an area of 720 ha (1,800 acres) and was 126 ft (38 m) above sea level. As time passed, and due to Panama's role as a country of transit, that terminal became too small to attend to the growing demand for air operations. This compelled the aeronautical authorities at the time to consider expanding the airport. Work on the new buildings began in 1971.

In order to build the structure that currently houses the current passenger terminal, a lot of land had to be moved and the bed of the Tocumen river had to be diverted from its original site. The current passenger terminal was inaugurated on August 15, 1978 and operations began on September 5 of the same year. The Tocumen International Airport is one of the few airports in the region that has two landing runways able to serve the largest commercial aircraft operating today.

The name of the airport was changed in 1981 by the military government for Omar Torrijos International Airport, in honor to the Panamanian leader who died in July 31, 1981, at the age of 52 in a plane crash in Cerro Marta, Coclesito in very bad conditions. After nine years, the original name was reestablished after the fall of the dictatorship of Panama by the U.S. invasion of 1989. The original runway (03L/21R) is mainly used for cargo and private flights, but also as a supplement to the primary runway during peak traffic periods. The main runway (03R/21L) is 3,050 m × 45 m (10,007 ft × 148 ft) and is used primarily for commercial flights, the 03R direction is ILS Cat. I enabled. Until May 31, 2003 Tocumen International Airport was managed by the Civil Aeronautics Directorate (which is known today as the Civil Aeronautics Authority). On June 1 of that year, an innovative terminal management platform was created through Law No. 23 of January 29, 2003, which set out a regulatory framework for the management of airports and landing strips in Panama. This law allowed the creation of Aeropuerto Internacional de Tocumen, S.A., also referred to as Tocumen, S.A., which currently manages the terminal. This law is one of a number of laws that restructured the aeronautical sector in Panama to further its improvement and modernization.[3]

In August 2015, it was announced that Emirates would operate flights to Tocumen airport from Dubai starting February 2016, at which point it would have become the world's longest non-stop flight.[4] As of January 2016, the introduction of this route appears to have been delayed by Emirates.[5]

Flights to Dubai operated by Emirates will start in March 2016, making the route between PTY and DXB the second longest in the world. During 2016 to 2017, Tocumen International Airport will undergo the completion of the airport's new South Terminal.[6]

Expansion

Main building
Check-in hall

First phase

In 2006, Tocumen S.A. started a major expansion and renovation program. The main passenger terminal was expanded 20,830 m2 (224,200 sq ft) at a cost of approximately US$21 million. New boarding gates were built to allow more flights to and from Panama, and to facilitate the growth of commercial and internal circulation areas.

Tocumen airport administration acquired 22 new boarding bridges and replaced the oldest 14. This included the addition of 6 remote positions, hence allowing Tocumen Airport to have a total of 28 boarding gates. The new installations were opened in 2006. The airport also has a VIP lounge, Copa Club, operated by the partnership between United Airlines and Copa Airlines that caters to Copa's partner airlines and Star Alliance members. It also had an Admirals Club for American Airlines, which closed on June 30, 2012.[7]

The next step of the modernization project was the purchasing of new equipment to provide service and support to the common areas of the airport. New equipment included: modern boarding gates and elevators, luggage conveyor belts, flight information system, and revamping the air conditioning system.

The renovation of the old Tocumen international airport (originally built in 1947) to be used solely as a cargo terminal, was the last step of the modernization project of Tocumen international airport. It included the redesign of the central building, the construction of new buildings for cargo companies among other improvements.[8]

Second phase

The second expansion phase of Tocumen International airport is the Northern Terminal. At a cost of USD 60 million, a completely new terminal with 12 additional terminal gates was built. With these 12 new gates plus the existing 22 gates and the six remote aircraft docks, there will be a total of 40 gates. The new facilities include platforms, taxiways and a new road which connect both the cargo terminal and the airport's administration building. The Muelle Norte is linked to the main passenger terminal and have 10 moving walkways for passengers and 1,400 m2 (15,000 sq ft) commercial areas. The luggage sorting system was expanded to accommodate increased demand. The tender for the design of the second phase was given to Ecuador-based Planman Cia Ltda. Colombia-based Aerotocumen won the tender of the construction of the North Terminal.

Third phase

The South Terminal started a bidding process during the first half of 2012 and the contract was acquired by the Brazilian company Odebrecht. Tocumen S.A. made an investment of US$780 million, which includes 20 additional gates. It includes the construction of a new terminal, hundreds of parking spots, Tocumen river diversion, and four new direct-access lanes to the airport. The terminal will have gates able to accommodate the Airbus A380 and the Boeing 747 as well. It is expected for it to boost international traffic by attracting new airlines and increasing their operations. It is scheduled to open in 2017.

Airlines and destinations

Passenger

AirlinesDestinations
Aeroméxico Mexico City
Air Canada Rouge Toronto–Pearson[9]
Air Europa Charter: Madrid
Air France Paris–Charles de Gaulle[10]
American Airlines Dallas/Fort Worth, Miami
Aruba Airlines Aruba
Avior Airlines Barcelona (VE), Caracas (begins 1 March 2016)
Avianca Bogotá
Avianca Costa Rica San José (CR)
Avianca Ecuador Bogotá, Quito
Avianca El Salvador San Salvador
Condor Frankfurt, Santo Domingo
Conviasa Caracas, Managua
Copa Airlines Aruba, Asunción, Belize City,[11] Belo Horizonte–Confins, Bogotá, Boston, Brasilia, Buenos Aires–Ezeiza, Cancún, Caracas, Cartagena de Indias, Chicago–O'Hare, Córdoba, Curaçao, David, Fort Lauderdale, Georgetown–Cheddi Jagan, Guadalajara, Guatemala City, Guayaquil, Havana, Holguín (begins 21 June 2016),[12] Kingston–Norman Manley, Las Vegas, Liberia (CR), Lima, Los Angeles, Managua, Manaus, Maracaibo, Mexico City, Miami, Montego Bay, Monterrey, Montevideo, Montreal–Trudeau,[13] Nassau, New Orleans,[14] New York–JFK, Orlando, Port-au-Prince, Port of Spain, Porto Alegre, Puebla, Punta Cana, Quito, Recife, Rio de Janeiro–Galeão, San Francisco,[15] San José (CR), San Juan, San Salvador, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz de la Sierra–Viru Viru, Santiago de Chile, Santo Domingo, São Paulo–Guarulhos, St. Maarten, Tampa,[16] Tegucigalpa, Toronto–Pearson, Valencia (VE), Villahermosa,[17] Washington–Dulles
Copa Airlines Colombia Barranquilla, Bogotá, Bucaramanga, Cali, Cartagena de Indias, Cúcuta, Guatemala City, Guayaquil, Medellín–JMC, Pereira, Punta Cana, Quito, San Andrés Island, San José (CR), San Pedro Sula, Santiago de los Caballeros
Delta Air Lines Atlanta
Emirates Dubai–International (begins 31 March 2016)[18]
Iberia Madrid
KLM Amsterdam
LASER Airlines Caracas
Lufthansa
operated by Lufthansa CityLine 		Frankfurt (begins 2 March 2016)[19]
SBA Airlines Caracas
Spirit Airlines Fort Lauderdale
TAP Portugal Lisbon (ends 26 March 2016)[20]1
United Airlines Houston–Intercontinental, Newark
Seasonal: Denver
Venezolana Caracas, Maracaibo

Cargo

AirlinesDestinations
AeroSucre Bogotá
Amerijet International Miami
Avianca Cargo Bogotá
Cargolux Campinas, Luxembourg
Centurion Air Cargo Miami
DHL Aviation
operated by DHL Aero Expreso		 Aruba, Curaçao, Guatemala City, Miami, San José de Costa Rica, San Juan
DHL de Guatemala Guatemala City
Líneas Aéreas Suramericanas Bogotá
MasAir Guadalajara, Mexico-City
TAM Cargo Fortaleza, Guayaquil, Manaus, Miami, Quito
Transportes Aéreos Bolivianos Miami, Santa Cruz de la Sierra-Viru Viru
UPS Airlines Louisville
Vensecar Internacional Caracas

Statistics

Annual traffic

Copa Airlines aircraft at Tocumen International Airport
Copa Airlines Boeing 737-800 at Tocumen International Airport
KLM McDonnell Douglas MD-11 at Tocumen International Airport
Annual traffic
Year Passengers % Change Cargo % Change Movements % Change
2003 2,145,489 11.5% 85,508 - 43,980 -
2004[21] 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[22] 3,215,423 16.6% 82,186 -20.3% 53,853 12.7%
2007[23] 3,805,312 18.3% 82,463 0.3% 61,400 14.0%
2008[24] 4,549,170 19.5% 86,588.8 4.8% 73,621 19.9%
2009[25] 4,748,621 4.4% 83,513 -3.8% 80,330 9.1%
2010[26] 5,042,410 6.2% 98,565 18.0% 84,113 4.7%
2011[27] 5,844,561 15.9% 110,946 12.6% 93,710 11.4%
2012[28] 6,962,608 19.1% 116,332 4.9% 110,206 17.6%
2013[29] 7,784,328 11.8% 110,186 -5.3% 121,356 10.1%
2014[30] 8,536,342 9.7% 110,789 0.5% 135,406 11.5%

Busiest routes

Busiest international routes out of Tocumen International Airport (2014)[31]
Rank City Passengers Airlines
1 Colombia Bogotá, Colombia 583,689 Copa, Copa Colombia
2 United States Miami, Florida 536,111 American, Copa
3 Costa Rica San José de Costa Rica 424,329 Copa, Copa Colombia
4 Venezuela Caracas, Venezuela 306,885 Copa, SBA
5 Mexico Mexico City, Mexico 260,868 Copa, Aeroméxico
6 Cuba Havana, Cuba 273,488 Copa
7 United States Houston, Texas 202,313 United
8 Peru Lima, Peru 244,647 Copa
9 Dominican Republic Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic 192,974 Condor, Copa
10 Colombia Medellín, Colombia 228,532 Copa, Copa Colombia
11 Argentina Buenos Aires, Argentina 135,344 Copa
12 Guatemala Guatemala City, Guatemala 127,490 Copa, Copa Colombia
13 Brazil São Paulo, Brazil 126,568 Copa
14 United States Orlando, Florida 118,968 Copa
15 United States Newark, New Jersey 111,731 United
16 Ecuador Guayaquil, Ecuador 107,841 Copa, TAME
17 El Salvador San Salvador, El Salvador 106,104 Avianca, Copa
18 Chile Santiago de Chile 103,014 Copa
19 Ecuador Quito, Ecuador 98,651 Copa, TAME
20 Netherlands Amsterdam, Netherlands 176,113 KLM

References

 This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the Air Force Historical Research Agency.

  1. ↑ Airport information for MPTO at World Aero Data. Data current as of October 2006.Source: DAFIF.
  2. ↑ Airport information for Tocumen International Airport at Search (for) Travel website.
  3. ↑ "History of Tocumen Airport". Tocumen Airport Panama. Retrieved 2010-08-01.
  4. ↑ Thompson, Chuck (August 14, 2015). "World's longest nonstop flight announced". CNN. Retrieved August 15, 2015.
  5. ↑ "Flights to Panama City". Emirates. Retrieved 2016-01-12.
  6. ↑ "General Information of Tocumen Airport". Tocumen Airport Panama. Retrieved 2015-05-12.
  7. ↑ "Admirals Club Lounge | Airline Clubs And Lounges | American Airlines". Aa.com. Retrieved 2015-04-25.
  8. ↑ "Expansion Plan of Tocumen Airport". Tocumen Airport Panama. Retrieved 2010-08-01.
  9. ↑ "Air Canada Rouge". flyrouge.com. 25 July 2015. Retrieved 25 July 2015.
  10. ↑ "This winter, fly off to Panama with Air France! : Air France - Corporate". Corporate.airfrance.com. Retrieved 2015-04-25.
  11. ↑ "Copa Airlines Adds Belize Service from Dec 2015". Retrieved 30 July 2015.
  12. ↑ "Copa Airlines Adds Holguin Service from late-June 2016". airlineroute. Retrieved 1 February 2016.
  13. ↑ "Copa Airlines Announces 2014 Growth Plans, Three New Destinations". Copaair.com. Retrieved 2015-04-25.
  14. ↑ "Copa Airlines to Start New Orleans Service from late-June 2015". Airline Route. 3 February 2015. Retrieved 3 February 2015.
  15. ↑ "SFO welcomes Copa Airlines". FlySFO.com. 29 May 2015. Retrieved 29 May 2015.
  16. ↑ "Nuevo destino Tampa, EEUU". Copaair.com. Retrieved 2015-04-25.
  17. ↑ "COPA Airlines Anuncia Dos Nuevos Destinos a México y Uno a Estados Unidos | EnElAire". Enelaire.mx. 2015-02-25. Retrieved 2015-04-25.
  18. ↑ "Emirates Delays Panama City Launch to late-March 2016". Airlineroute.net. 14 January 2016. Retrieved 14 January 2016.
  19. ↑ "Lufthansa Delays Panama City Launch to March 2016". Airlineroute.net. 7 July 2015. Retrieved 7 July 2015.
  20. ↑ "TAP Portugal S16 Long-Haul Service Changes". Airlineroute.net. 15 January 2016. Retrieved 15 January 2016.
  21. ↑ Tocumen Airport Report 2004 Website
  22. ↑ Tocumen Airport Report 2006 Website
  23. ↑ Tocumen Airport Report 2007 Website
  24. ↑ Tocumen Airport Report 2008 Website
  25. ↑ Tocumen Airport Report 2009 Website
  26. ↑ Tocumen Airport Report 2010 Website
  27. ↑ Tocumen Airport Report 2011 Website
  28. ↑ Tocumen Airport Report 2012 Website
  29. ↑ Tocumen Airport Report 2013 Website
  30. ↑ Reporte Estadístico 2014 Aeropuerto Internacional de Tocumen
  31. ↑ |title=Reporte Estadistico Aeroportuario 2010 |publisher=Tocumenpanama.aero |accessdate=2015-04-25

External links

Media related to Tocumen International Airport at Wikimedia Commons

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