Panama City Airport: Size, Scale, And Scope Explored

Panama City has several airports, including Tocumen International Airport, which is the major international airport serving the capital. It was inaugurated in June 1947 and is currently undergoing expansion to increase its capacity from 5.8 to 15 million passengers per year. The airport covers 720 hectares (1,800 acres) and has two runways, one of which is 3,050 meters long and able to accommodate the largest commercial aircraft. Another airport in Panama City is the former Panama City–Bay County International Airport, which was a public airport 3 miles (4.8 km) from the city. It closed in 2010, and the land will be redeveloped for homes, shops, and a marina. Panama City also has a domestic airport, Marcos A. Gelabert International Airport, and Albrook International Airport, the country's second-largest airport.

Tocumen International Airport

Over time, due to Panama's role as a transit country, the original terminal became inadequate to meet the increasing demand for air operations. This prompted aeronautical authorities to consider expanding the airport, and in 1971, construction began on a new terminal building, which involved diverting the bed of the Tocumen River. The current passenger terminal was inaugurated in 1978, and operations started on September 5. The airport is one of the few in the region capable of accommodating the largest modern commercial aircraft with its two landing runways.

The airport has also implemented an innovative terminal management platform, created through Law No. 23 of January 29, 2003, which established a regulatory framework for managing airports and landing strips in Panama. This law led to the formation of Aeropuerto Internacional de Tocumen, S.A. (Tocumen, S.A.), which currently operates the terminal. Tocumen International Airport is currently undergoing further expansion, with plans to upgrade the runways, rebuild the cargo terminal, and enhance the airport's capacity and efficiency.

Cargo terminal expansion

I found information about the following airports in Panama City:

Tocumen International Airport

Tocumen International Airport is Panama's first airport, inaugurated on June 1, 1947, by President Enrique Adolfo Jiménez. The airport covers a vast area of 7.2 km2 at an altitude of 41 meters above sea level. The airport has gone through several expansion and modernisation projects over the years, including the addition of new equipment such as modern boarding gates, elevators, and luggage conveyor belts. The airport has two terminals and a cargo port. The cargo terminal was renovated as part of the modernisation project and included the redesign of the central building and the construction of new buildings for cargo companies.

Panama City–Bay County International Airport

Panama City–Bay County International Airport was a public airport 3 miles (4.8 km) northwest of Panama City, in Bay County, Florida. The airport was owned and operated by the Panama City–Bay County Airport and Industrial District. In 1992, the airport was designated as an international airport and renamed Panama City–Bay County International Airport. The airport underwent extensive development in 1995, which included the demolition of the old terminal building and the construction of a new 55,573-square-foot (5,162.9 m2) facility with six gates. However, by the late 1990s, it became apparent that the airport was nearing the end of its useful life, and all airline services were moved to the Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport on May 22, 2010.

Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport

Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport received a $10 million grant for its terminal expansion project from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law grant. This airport was built to replace the Panama City–Bay County International Airport due to the limitations of its runways.

Gelabert International Airport (PAC)

Gelabert International Airport, also known as Albrook International Airport, is Panama's second-largest airport and home to the country's second-largest airline, AirPanama. The airport offers daily flights to every major town and city in Panama.

Marcos A. Gelbert Airport

Marcos A. Gelbert Airport is the name of Panama City's domestic airport, not to be confused with Tocumen International Airport.

Enrique Malek International Airport (DAV)

Enrique Malek International Airport is Panama's third-largest airport, offering flights to/from San José, Costa Rica, as well as Panama City's Albrook and two airports in Bocas del Toro.

Bocas del Toro "Isla Colón" International Airport (BOC)

Bocas del Toro "Isla Colón" International Airport is a small airport with minimal services, but it does include international customs.

Based on the information provided, it seems most likely that you are referring to the cargo terminal expansion at Tocumen International Airport. Here are some additional details about this project:

The cargo terminal expansion at Tocumen International Airport was part of the airport's modernisation project. The old airport building, which was originally built in 1947, was renovated to be used solely as a cargo terminal. This included the redesign of the central building and the construction of new buildings for cargo companies. The expansion aimed to address the growing demand for air operations in Panama due to its role as a country of transit. The second expansion phase of the airport is the Northern Terminal, which added 12 additional terminal gates at a cost of US$60 million.

Panama City–Bay County International Airport

Panama City has several airports, including Tocumen International Airport, Albrook International Airport, and the Panama City–Bay County International Airport. This answer will focus on the Panama City–Bay County International Airport.

The airport began as a private field owned by J.B. Atkinson, Jr., a citizen of Panama City. The facility had 292 acres (1.2 km2) of land with grass landing strips. In 1932, Atkinson and his wife donated the property to the Panama City Chamber of Commerce, allowing the establishment of a city airport. In 1938, Panama City and the Bay County Commissioners joined forces to develop the airport by constructing a terminal and expanding the airfield. The development project included the construction of a small passenger terminal and two 4,000-foot (1,200-metre) intersecting runways. After the expansion, the airport was renamed Fannin Field in honour of Panama City's then-mayor, Harry G. Fannin.

During World War II, the airport served as a Civil Air Patrol facility and was the location of Coastal Patrol Base 14. In 1948, commercial scheduled passenger airline operations commenced. In 1975, all National and Southern flights to Panama City were operated with mainline jets, with a total of fourteen jet flights arriving every weekday. In 1976, National Airlines operated direct flights to Panama City from major cities across the United States, including New York, Washington, D.C., Las Vegas, and Miami.

In 1992, the airport was equipped with on-call customs and immigration facilities, leading to its designation as an international airport. It was renamed the Panama City–Bay County International Airport. The airport was also declared a Foreign Trade Zone (FTZ), allowing special customs procedures for domestic activities involving foreign items. In 1995, the airport underwent extensive development, including the construction of a new 55,573-square-foot (5,162.9-square-metre) facility with six gates, two of which had jetbridges.

However, by the late 1990s, it became apparent that the airport was nearing the end of its usefulness. The runways were considered very short by modern standards, and any expansion would have impacted nearby St. Andrews Bay or residential neighbourhoods. As a result, it was decided to build a new airport in Panama City Beach, which became the Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport. All airline services moved to this new airport on May 22, 2010, while the old airfield remained open to general aviation aircraft until October 1, 2010.

In summary, the Panama City–Bay County International Airport played a significant role in the region's aviation history, particularly during World War II and the subsequent decades. However, its limitations, particularly regarding runway length, led to its replacement by a more modern and expansive airport in 2010.

Airport size

Panama City has several airports, including Tocumen International Airport, Panama City–Bay County International Airport, and Gelabert International Airport (Albrook International Airport).

Tocumen International Airport, inaugurated in 1947, is the major international airport serving Panama City, Panama's capital. The airport is currently undergoing expansion, with the first phase involving the expansion of the passenger terminal at a cost of US$85 million. The next phase will involve updating equipment, and the last phase will involve upgrading runways and rebuilding the cargo terminal. The airport is being developed as a multimodal air cargo hub with a large capacity. The airport is expected to increase its capacity from 5.8 to 15 million passengers per year. The terminal has a symmetrical design with two wings extending from the central concourse, under an aerodynamic bronze-coloured roof. The airport is one of the few in the region with two runways that can serve the largest commercial aircraft. The main runway is 3,050m x 45m, and the airport covers 720 hectares (1,800 acres).

Panama City–Bay County International Airport was a public airport located 3 miles (4.8 km) northwest of Panama City, in Bay County, Florida. The airport began as a private field owned by J.B. Atkinson Jr., a citizen of Panama City. The facility had 292 acres (1.2 km2) of land with grass landing strips. In 1938, Panama City and Bay County Commissioners joined forces to develop the airport through the construction of a terminal and extensive airfield expansion. The airport was renamed Fannin Field in honour of Panama City's then-mayor, Harry G. Fannin. In 1992, the airport was equipped with customs and immigration facilities and was designated an international airport. In 1995, the airport underwent extensive development, including the construction of a new 55,573-square-foot (5,162.9 m2) facility with six gates. However, by the late 1990s, the runways were considered very short by modern standards, and the airport was replaced by the Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport in 2010.

Gelabert International Airport, also known as Albrook International Airport, is Panama's second-largest airport and home to the country's second-largest airline, AirPanama. It offers daily flights to every major town and city in Panama.

Airport history

I found information about multiple airports in Panama City. I am unsure which one you are referring to. Here is a history of each:

Tocumen International Airport

Tocumen International Airport is the busiest airport in Panama City and all of Central America. It was inaugurated on June 1, 1947, by President Enrique Adolfo Jiménez, and airport operations began before construction was completed. The administrative building/passenger terminal was inaugurated seven years later during the administration of Colonel José Antonio Remón Cantera. The old airport building, which is currently 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 Panama's role as a country of transit grew, the terminal became too small to meet the demand for air operations. Work on new buildings began in 1971, and the bed of the Tocumen river was diverted to construct the new terminal building. The terminal opened on August 15, 1978, and operations began on September 5. In 1981, the airport's name was changed by the military government to Omar Torrijos International Airport, in honor of the Panamanian leader who died on July 31, 1981. After the fall of the dictatorship of Panama in 1989, the original name was restored.

In 2003, Tocumen International Airport was restructured under a new terminal management platform, which set out a regulatory framework for the management of airports and landing strips in Panama. In 2006, Tocumen S.A. began a major expansion and renovation program, expanding the main passenger terminal and acquiring new boarding bridges. In 2015, it was announced that Emirates would operate flights to Tocumen International Airport from Dubai starting in 2016, which would have been the world's longest non-stop flight at the time.

Panama City–Bay County International Airport

Panama City–Bay County International Airport (PFN) began as a private field owned by J.B. Atkinson, Jr., a citizen of Panama City. The facility had 292 acres (1.2 km2) of land with grass landing strips. In 1932, Atkinson and his wife donated the property to the Panama City Chamber of Commerce so a city airport could be established. In 1938, Panama City and the Bay County Commissioners joined forces to develop the airport through the construction of an airport terminal and extensive airfield expansion. The airport was renamed Fannin Field in honor of Panama City's then-mayor, Harry G. Fannin. During World War II, the airport served as a Civil Air Patrol facility and the location of Coastal Patrol Base 14. In 1948, commercial scheduled passenger airline operations began.

In 1992, the airport was equipped with on-call customs and immigrations facilities and was designated as an international airport, being renamed Panama City–Bay County International Airport. In 1995, the airport underwent extensive development, demolishing the old terminal building and constructing a new 55,573-square-foot (5,162.9 m2) facility with six gates. However, by the late 1990s, the runways were considered very short by modern standards, and it was decided that a new airport would be built in Panama City Beach. All airline services moved to the Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport on May 22, 2010, and the airfield was open to general aviation aircraft until October 1, 2010.

Marcos A. Gelabert International Airport

Marcos A. Gelabert International Airport, also known as Albrook International Airport, is Panama's second-largest airport and home to the country's second-largest airline, AirPanama. It is located at the former U.S. airbase in Panama City. The airport offers daily flights to every major town and city in Panama.

Enrique Malek International Airport

Enrique Malek International Airport is Panama's third-largest airport. It offers flights to/from San José, Costa Rica, as well as Panama City’s Albrook and two airports in Bocas del Toro.

Frequently asked questions