Adapted from original:

La Prensa Wednesday June 25, 2008

By Roberto Gonzalez Jimenez

www.laprensa.com.pa

Tocumen Registered 18.15% More Passengers Until April

Confirming what most folks in Panama have already noticed, official numbers were released this week that show a significant increase in air traffic in Panama. With international tourism, real estate and business all booming in Panama, it’s no wonder that the Tocumen International Airport is handling more flights and passengers this year than it ever has before.

The number of passengers who used the Tocumen International Airport in Panama between the months of January and April of 2008 grew by 18.15% versus the same time period last year, reported the Tocumen Corporate quarterly report.

Overall there were 423,994 passengers who departed, arrived or made connections to other flights at the airport.

Panama is definitely one of the major - if not the top, maritime hub in all of the Western Hemisphere; but it is also trying to become a regional leader in air traffic as well. With a growing economy, Panama needs to accommodate more international contacts, connections and relations to take advantage of today’s global economy. Panama’s central location makes it a desirable location to do business, but also makes it an ideal spot to organize and redistribute regional air traffic. It would be easy to leave your home, fly directly to Panama, and then transfer onto another flight that will take you to your final destination.

According to the report, the Tocumen terminal has enjoyed the highest rate of air traffic growth in all of Latin America, beating out the regional average of 8.2%

In terms of the general movement of all air travel, including both passenger and cargo planes, traffic increased 14.4% over the first quarter of 2008.

In 2007 3.8 million passengers used the Tocumen airport.

The capacity of the airport will pass from 5 million currently per year up to 10 million once the construction of the northern dock is completed, assured Orcila de Constable, the general manager of the Tocumen International Airport.

With an additional terminal under construction that is set to double the airport’s capacity, Panama and the Tocumen International Airport may soon pass air traffic through the isthmus in a similar fashion to the way boats and cargo ships go in and out of the Canal.