Maritime Chamber  calls for airport reopening

The Panama Maritime Chamber (CMP) has called for the July reopening of Tocumen International Airport “without fail”,  following the protocols of the Ministry of Health (Minsa) and international organizations.

The Chamber brings together more than 200 companies from the marine, logistics and port sectors of the country.

“International commercial flights are vital to revive tourism and crew change service and represent for most CMP companies 30 to 50 percent of their monthly turnover, income that is affecting the industry, with the restrictions of airport operations since the start of COVID-19 in Panama, ”said  Nicolás Vukelja the group’s president.

“Auxiliary maritime companies provide added value to our maritime route with support services for ships that transit the Panama Canal,”

According to the union, the crew change services represent a “strong income” of $3 million dollars a month to the country’s economy, involving the unionized auxiliary maritime companies, with services that are activated from the crew’s arrival at the airport, until boarding their boat in our waters and vice versa with the departure of the sailors from the country.

The crew change service represents the movement of more than 3,000 seafarers a month and involves a conglomerate of services such as agencies, shipping companies, private land transport, hotels, restaurants, boat services, migration services

 “The reopening of the Tocumen International is a vital and important start for the revival of tourism and the arrival of investors in our country,” says the union.

Due to the COVID-19 health crisis, the airport only handles humanitarian and cargo flights.