The general balance of airport activities at the Tocumen International Airport corresponding to the year 2022, carried out by the general manager of the Raffoul Arab air terminal, indicates that during that period more than 15 million passengers transited through this airport.
Arab stressed that 2022 marked an important moment for the recovery of a large part of the international routes, the return of airlines, passenger traffic, the modernization of the infrastructure and the full commissioning of the new Terminal 2.
According to the statistical balance, Tocumen has closed 2022 with the traffic of 15,779,103 million passengers, which represents 6,615,105 million more passengers than in 2021.
Destinations and markets
Arab highlighted the launch of new destinations to cities in North and South America, as well as the recovery of more than 95% of the routes that connected the Tocumen International Airport prior to the health crisis, which shows the good path for the that the reactivation of the airline industry in the Latin American and Caribbean region is advancing.
In addition, he highlighted in his annual report that 18 of the 24 airlines that provide services in the Panama Hub to 85 destinations, some have increased their flight frequencies.
“We have had a robust closing of the year and if the current trend continues by 2023, we estimate that we will break all records for processed passengers with more than 16.8 million,” Arab said.
Among the most important milestones for the year 2022, Arab highlighted the full operation of Terminal 2, the reopening of the Panama Pacifico airport, the direct flights from Frankfurt operated by Eurowing Discover, the direct flights from Istanbul operated by Turkish Airlines and the flights regular to Río Hato by the airline Air Transat, among others.
air cargo
On the other hand, he indicated that the increase in cargo by 16% confirms the immense potential of Tocumen as a regional and domestic logistics hub. At the end of the year 2022, Tocumen managed to mobilize 234,935 metric tons of cargo, 32,192 more compared to the scenario of the previous year, “he said.
Financial results
As passenger movement recovers, more routes resume, flight frequencies increase, and commercial concessions are awarded for the duty-free business line at both terminals, Tocumen’s financial situation also improves. 2022 closed with 242.2 million dollars in income, with a variation of -5% compared to 2019. For the year 2023 an income of 278.9 million dollars is estimated, that is, 15.1 more compared to the year 2022.
In compliance with Law No. 23 of January 29, 2003, which creates Tocumen SA, it complied with its contributions to different state entities.
Civil Aeronautics Authority 3.2 million dollars, Panama Tourism Authority 6.2 million dollars and the National Commission for the Prevention of Sexual Exploitation Crimes (CONAPREDES) 627,414 dollars.
Regional Terminals
Regarding the regional terminals managed by Tocumen SA, the Enrique Malek International Airports in the Province of Chiriquí, the Panama Pacifico International Airport, and the Scarlett Martínez Airport in Río Hato, together handled a total of 354,813 passengers, while the domestic terminal handled 147,029. passengers, which contributes to the generation of direct and indirect jobs, the promotion of tourism and the economic recovery of the country.
In terms of infrastructure, Tocumen has managed to complete other important projects in 2022 that provide greater opportunities for connectivity, reactivation of the economy, and promotion of tourism in different regions of the country.
This is the case of the Enrique Malek International Airport in the Province of Chiriquí, the Panama Pacífico International Airport, the Enrique Adolfo Jiménez de Colón International Airport, which included modernization and improvements to the infrastructure, rehabilitation and maintenance of runways, taxiways and platforms, river channels, among other adjustments, with a total investment of more than 3 million dollars.
After three years of pandemic, the outlook is less turbulent for Tocumen. However, the scenario for the airline industry continues to be uncertain due to the global situation, although with a more optimistic outlook.
Although the results to date and the end-of-year projections are encouraging, the manager of Tocumen, SA considers that it is necessary to be cautious for this year 2023, since the air transport industry has not yet recovered from the most serious health crisis that humanity has experienced in a century and with risks of “some economies entering recession, but despite the economic uncertainties there are many reasons to be optimistic in 2023”.
