Starting October the airline Air France-KLM will increase to five the number of direct flights between Paris and Panama.
After four months operating direct flights from Paris to Panama, the airline will add two new frequencies making the total five flights a week.
"The additional flights will start operating from 27th October. With this increase, the Air France-KLM group will have 12 weekly flights to Europe from the air hub at Tocumen.
The airline plans to build a hangar for carrying out heavy maintenance processes on its fleet of aircraft.
The airline is also evaluating moving all of its aircraft maintenance to Panama which would bring cost savings.
The enlargement of maintenance works requires a hangar for which "the company is only waiting for the airport administrators to transfer the land in order to begin building the new structure."
In March a tender will be held for the award of commercial spaces in the southern terminal of the international airport.
Tocumen SA plans to tender in March retail spaces in the south terminal of Tocumen International Airport. They're just waiting for the final plans in order to determine the space that will be used for the installation of the shops.
Starting June Copa Airlines will offer direct flights from Panama City to Georgetown in Guyana, Fort Lauderdale in the U.S. and Montreal, Canada.
From a press release by Copa Airlines:
Copa Airlines, a subsidiary of Copa Holdings, SA (NYSE: CPA) has announced its growth plans for the first half of 2014, including the start of three (3) new direct flights from Panama to Montreal, Canada, Fort Lauderdale USA and Georgetown, Guyana, expanding its aircraft fleet and 10% growth in available seats.
The U.S. has chosen Panama to be part of the Global Entry agreement which allows expedited entry into the airport in that country.
Tocumen International Airport is considered one of the safest in the region, one of the reasons leading to Panama being one of the countries chosen to form part of the bilateral agreement for trusted travelers known as Global Entry.
TAP, BlueSky and Aeromexico are negotiating flight connections from Portugal, Grand Cayman and Mexico City to Tocumen airport.
The Mexican carrier has already made the first approaches for connections to the Tocumen International Airport. Although it has not defined when flights would start, representatives indicated that it could begin with seven a week.
In 2013 more than 7 million passengers passed through the Panamanian International Airport, 744,000 more than in the previous year.
Data from the Department of Statistics at Tocumen International Airport (TIA) reveals that passenger movement this December was 1.8 million, up 6.1% compared to the same month in 2012.
"... Passengers in direct transit up to November 2013 totaled 3,519,353 passengers, equivalent to 18.4% growth compared to the same period in 2012."
Millennium Security Services offered $2.9 million in the abbreviated best value tender for the perimeter surveillance service at Panama International Airport.
The evaluation committee resolved that the company complied with the requirements of the specifications of the tender whose reference price $3 million.
Prensa.com reports: "After signing the order for the award, Millennium Security Services will be responsible for overseeing the gated access ramp for level 200, the entrance of the cargo terminal, parking for employees and satellites A and B, of the airport. "
During the first eight months of 2013 5.1 million passengers transited through the main airport of Panama.
The number of passengers who travelled in that period is greater than the 4.5 million tourists who came through the air terminal in the same period in 2012, indicated by data supplied by the Department of Statistics at Tocumen International Airport.
After several complaints from bidders in the tender for a project management services, the works on the South Terminal are progressing without any supervisor to certify them.
On August 23 the evaluation committee for the tender for project management services, presented a report stating that the highest score was awarded to the consortium ADPI / Ayesa / Csa / Cemosa while points were reduced for Prointec with the score being downgraded from 98 to 95.5 points and it was confirmed the Louis Berger Group received 96.5 points.
Up to September 30th the Panamanian stock market reported $2.433 billion in new registrations, while in the same period of 2012 there were $1.913 billion.
According to the Superintendency of the Securities Market (SMV ) , the main registrations were the $650 million in corporate bonds issued by Tocumen International Airport SA to finance the expansion of the airport and the mortgage bonds issued by Global Bank Corporation in the amount of $500 million.
During the first day of trading 61.5% of the $650 million issue by Tocumen SA was placed in the Panamanian market.
From a press release by Tocumen:
For the first time in its history, Tocumen International Airport has gone to the Panama stock market in order to partially finance its investment plan for the medium term.
To that end, the airport administration, together with Banco Prival SA, has structured and successfully carried out the placement of a first tranche of bonds on the Stock Exchange of Panama, in the amount of $400 million, which aims to meet AITSA's immediate financial needs .