Tocumen International Airport
Airport serving Panama City, Panama
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Tocumen International Airport (Spanish: Aeropuerto Internacional de Tocumen) (IATA: PTY, ICAO: MPTO) is the primary international airport serving Panama City, the capital of Panama. The airport serves as the hub for Copa Airlines and is a regional hub to and from the Caribbean, South, North and Central America and additionally features routes to some European cities as well as cargo flights to Qatar.
Tocumen International Airport Aeropuerto Internacional de Tocumen | |||||||||||||||
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 Copa Airlines aircraft at the airport in 2023 | |||||||||||||||
| Summary | |||||||||||||||
| Airport type | Public | ||||||||||||||
| Operator | Tocumen S.A. | ||||||||||||||
| Serves | Panama City, Panama | ||||||||||||||
| Location | Tocumen | ||||||||||||||
| Opened | 1 June 1947 | ||||||||||||||
| Hub for |
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| Elevation AMSL | 135 ft / 41 m | ||||||||||||||
| Coordinates | 9°04′17″N 79°23′01″W | ||||||||||||||
| Website | tocumenpanama.aero | ||||||||||||||
| Map | |||||||||||||||
  PTY Location in Panama | |||||||||||||||
| Runways | |||||||||||||||
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| Statistics (2024) | |||||||||||||||
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| Source: WAD[1] STV[2] GCM[3] | |||||||||||||||
History
After nine years, the original name was reestablished after the fall of the dictatorship of Panama by the U.S. invasion of 1989, when the airport was seized by 82nd Airborne Division paratroopers.[4] 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 31 May 2003, Tocumen International Airport was managed by the Civil Aeronautics Directorate (which is known today as the Civil Aeronautics Authority). On 1 June of that year, an innovative terminal management platform was created through Law No. 23 for 29 January 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.[5]
In August 2015, it was announced that Emirates would operate flights to Tocumen International Airport from Dubai starting in February 2016, at which point it would have become the world's longest non-stop flight.[6] In January 2016, the route was delayed due to a lack of economic opportunities for the flight. It has not yet been announced when the flight will begin regularly scheduled operations.[7]
On 16 March 2023, the Aeropuerto metro station of the Panama Metro opened at the airport.[8]
Expansion
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 30 June 2012.[9] The Lounge Panama,[10] a VIP airport lounge operated by Global Lounge Network[11] started operations at Tocumen on 9 January 2019.
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.[12]
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 included 20 additional gates. It included the construction of a new terminal, hundreds of parking spots, Tocumen river diversion, and four new direct-access lanes to the airport. The new terminal was officially inaugurated on 29 April 2019 and started operations on 22 June 2022.[13]
Airlines and destinations
The following airlines operate regular scheduled and charter flights at Tocumen International Airport:
Statistics
Annual traffic
| Year | Passengers | Passengers using ICAO methodology (2015) | % Change | % Change using ICAO methodology values (2015) | Cargo | % Change | Movements | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | 2,145,489 | 11.5% | 85,508 | - | 43,980 | - | ||
| 2004[69] | 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[70] | 3,215,423 | 16.6% | 82,186 | -20.3% | 53,853 | 12.7% | ||
| 2007[71] | 3,805,312 | 18.3% | 82,463 | 0.3% | 61,400 | 14.0% | ||
| 2008[72] | 4,549,170 | 19.5% | 86,588.8 | 4.8% | 73,621 | 19.9% | ||
| 2009[73] | 4,748,621 | 6,531,927 | 4.4% | 83,513 | -3.8% | 80,330 | 9.1% | |
| 2010[74] | 5,042,410 | 7,005,031 | 6.2% | 7.2% | 98,565 | 18.0% | 84,113 | 4.7% |
| 2011[75] | 5,844,561 | 8,271,459 | 15.9% | 18.1% | 110,946 | 12.6% | 93,710 | 11.4% |
| 2012[76] | 6,962,608 | 10,174,870 | 19.1% | 23.0% | 116,332 | 4.9% | 110,206 | 17.6% |
| 2013[77] | 7,784,328 | 11,586,681 | 11.8% | 13.9% | 110,186 | -5.3% | 121,356 | 10.1% |
| 2014[78] | 8,536,342 | 12,782,167 | 9.7% | 10.3% | 110,789 | 0.5% | 135,406 | 11.5% |
| 2015[79] | 8,913,501 | 13,434,673 | 4.4% | 5.1% | 96,902 | -12.5% | 141,642 | 4.6% |
| 2016[80] | 14,741,937 | 9.7% | 110,364 | 13.9% | 145,245 | 2.54% | ||
| 2017[81] | 15,616,065 | 5.9% | 113,228 | 2.59% | 145,914 | 0.46% | ||
| 2018[82] | 16,242,679 | 4.01% | 168,108 | 48.47% | 148,556 | 1.81% | ||
| 2019[83] | 16,582,601 | 2.09% | 164,700 | -2.03% | 149,808 | 1% | ||
| 2020[84] | 4,526,663 | -72.70% | 145,929 | -11.40% | 50,976 | - 65.97% | ||
| 2021[85] | 9,163,998 | 102.44% | 202,743 | 38.93% | 88,823 | 74.24% | ||
| 2022[86] | 15,779,103 | 72.18% | 234,945 | 15.88% | 133,084 | 49.83% | ||
| 2023[87] | 17,825,465 | 12.97% | 208,573 | -11.22% | 143,034 | 7.48% | ||
| 2024[88] | 19,250,384 | 7.99% | 216,653 | 3.87% | 152,813 | 6.84% | ||
| 2025[89][90][91] | 20,981,855 | 9.0% | 248,455 | 12.8% | 166,448 | 8.2% |
Busiest routes
| Rank | City | Passengers | Airlines |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Bogotá, Colombia |
1,043,274 | Avianca, Copa Airlines |
| 2 |  Miami, United States |
792,170 | American Airlines, Copa Airlines |
| 3 | Medellín, Colombia |
730,314 | Avianca, Copa Airlines |
| 4 |  San José, Costa Rica |
692,042 | Avianca, Copa Airlines |
| 5 |  Punta Cana, Dominican Republic |
669,396 | Copa Airlines |
| 6 |  Lima, Peru |
628,689 | Copa Airlines |
| 7 |  Cancún, Mexico |
595,357 | Copa Airlines |
| 8 |  São Paulo, Brazil |
562,495 | Copa Airlines |
| 9 |  Guayaquil, Ecuador |
555,155 | Copa Airlines |
| 10 |  Santiago, Chile |
549,006 | Copa Airlines |
Incidents and accidents
- On 4 August 1965, a Rutas Internacionales Peruanes SA (RIPSA), a Douglas DC-4 cargo flight, crashed after takeoff 2.5 mls NE of PTY because of faulty maintenance. All 7 occupants died.[93]
- On 28 September 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.[94]
- On 2 July 2004, an 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.[95]
