Tocumen Airport In Panama Continues to Grow and Improve.
Tocumen International Airport’s General Manager José Antonio Ruiz Blanco stated the airport has the capacity to handle 25 million passengers. “We’re close to reaching that limit next year,” and 2028 is going to be a very challenging and interesting year because we’ll be operating overcapacity.” Demand at Tocumen will range between 25 and 28 million passengers between 2027 and 2028.
With the goal of reaching 35 million passengers annually by 2030 Tocumen will receive bids this month for two tenders to improve the straining infrastructure.
One of the expansions is the Terminal 2 South Pier Extension at a projected cost of over $208 million dollars. This will add 13 gates (10 contact stands, plus remote/reconfigured positions), 1,420 seats, and over 20,000 m² across three levels. The bids for this project are due November 23, 2026, with a planned 30-month execution period.
The second expansion aims to expand and upgrade the airfield, a project with an estimated investment of $98 million dollars. This will reduce runway occupancy times and delays from taxiway congestion. Works could start during the second quarter of 2027, with an execution period of 27 months from the notice to proceed, which would place the completion no earlier than the second half of 2029. Bids will be accepted by November 30 and construction is scheduled to begin in the second quarter of 2027 and take 27 months to complete.
The rehabilitation of two runways at Tocumen is currently progressing at a cost of $56.9 million and is 75 percent completed. A $22.2 million modernization and remodeling project for Terminal 1 is also underway.
For Blanco, the aim is to anticipate the growth of the industry. “This investment will improve the efficiency of operations, make better use of the capacity of our runways and strengthen Panama’s role as a strategic connection point between the Americas, Europe and the Caribbean”.
