Terminal 2, whose opening is scheduled for next year, promises to improve conditions at the Panamanian airport, making it competitive with other hubs in Latin America.
The new Terminal 2, which is 92% complete, will have capacity to serve aircraft in 20 contact doors and 8 remote locations, taxiways, parking platform and aircraft circulation, adding up to pavement surface measuring more than 250,000 square meters.
The new parking platform raises to 22 the number of aircraft that can be attended to simultaneously at the international airport in San Salvador.
Elsalvador.com reports that "...The work represents the first expansion project with a direct impact on customer service for passenger aircraft at San Salvador International Airport in the last 18 years and will be crucial in improving its operational capacity."
In countries where airlines work closely with airport authorities and governments, the sector's development has been remarkable, as is the case of Panama.
Air connectivity in Latin America and the Caribbean is expensive: there are 130 different taxes on airfare, costs which are charged to companies, individual travelers, the aviation industry and tourism in general.
Tenants of commercial property at the international airport have announced they will not make investments until the government states whether it will renew contracts and maintain rent costs.
The lack of concrete answers from the Autonomous Executive Port Commission (CEPA) could endanger new investment of at least 84 tenants operating in the El Salvador International Airport, reported Elsalvador.com.
The airline, the main user of the Salvadoran air terminal, will maintain the hub as long as the government carries out its expansion plans.
The airline reiterated the need to improve Infrastructure at San Salvador International Airport.
An understanding agreement signed between Avianca and the Autonomous Executive Port Commission (CEPA) aims to accelerate the funding processes and start expansion works at the airport, where the airline connects 27 destinations.
The private sector is urging the government to define and execute financing once and for all for the expansion works of San Salvador's airport, which already operates at "200% of its capacity."
Avianca representatives say the current capacity of Monsignor Romero airport has already been far exceeded and the terminal needs to be expanded in order to improve passenger services and increase air operations.
Construction of roads, renovation and expansion of airports, an industrial park in Zacatecoluca and works at the border crossings in La Hachadura and Anguiatú are the top five proposals to be developed using funding from the U.S. aid program.
The proposals presented to the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) will be developed through public-private partnerships, and will receive technical and financial support for the creation of the partnerships. Wiliam Pleites, executive director of the board of FOMILENIO II, presented the first five projects and said that three new proposals will be presented to be analysed and approved by the MCC.
From August 28th to September 2nd, 500 airport executives will be gathering together in Panama City in the world assembly of the International Airports Council.
During the convention the main challenges of the sector will be assessed from the perspective of the constants regulations they face. Also to be discussed is the global trend towards privatization of the airport terminals.
Although the master plan is ready, changes in the Autonomous Executive Port Commission and other factors have delayed, again, the modernization of the international airport in El Salvador.
Roberto Kriete, co-founder and member of the board of Avianca Holdings told Laprensagrafica.com that "... 'the airport is an issue that has a very large financial impact nationally and it is a topic that unfortunately when there are changes of government and even more so changes in leadership at the CEPA (the modernization process) there is a delay of at least six months while it is all reviewed ...There are obvious needs for the expansion of the airport terminal, and (it is obvious) that the process of modernization should be sped up.'"
The Autonomous Executive Port Commission is preparing a tender for the construction of a passenger waiting room and the remodeling of the parking spaces at the international airport in San Salvador.
According to information from the Autonomous Executive Port Commission (CEPA) of El Salvador, the waiting room will require an investment of about $5 million, and will be on the first floor of the airport terminal and will have capacity for 400 people.
An announcement has been made that there will be a review of the conditions of the infrastructure at El Jagüey airport so see if it has capacity for international commercial flights.
In order to alleviate air traffic at the international airport of El Salvador, the authorities of the Autonomous Executive Port Commission (CEPA) and Civil Aviation will be evaluating the state of the military airport in La Union for its potential to become an international airport.
Changes in Avianca flight paths added 600,000 passengers per year to the current movements, forcing development of a plan for emergency works.
The increase in passenger arrivals is due to the hub belonging to Avianca. This has motivated the Comisión Ejecutiva Portuaria Autónoma (CEPA) to speed up the work being carried out at the International Airport El Salvador (AIES) in order to be able to attend to the new passengers.
CEPA has announced that its master plan for the renovation and modernization of the El Salvador International Airport will be ready in November.
According to Alberto Arene, president of the Comisión Ejecutiva Portuaria Autónoma (CEPA), the plan aims to leverage more non-airport operations and will be executed next year.
In terms of how modern the infrastructure for air transport is, Panama leads the field, followed distantly by Costa Rica.
"None of the airports in Central America comes close to knocking Tocumen off its number one position in the ranking by Skytrax, nor the ranking by the World Economic Forum. The latter measures the quality of infrastructure for air travel in the country , where Panama climbed from 38th place in 2007 to last year reach the prestigious position of sixth place," reported Elsalvador.com.
The infrastructure in most airports in Central America can not cover the increase in the number of air passengers transiting in the region.
In the region, traffic has increased by almost 80% over the last ten years going from 95 million to 170 million passengers. "Today, 30% of Latin American flights take off or land at congested airports, which constitutes one of the main difficulties in the development of the airline industry," noted an article in Eleconomista.net.