In Guatemala, according to the air transport union, the project of the new cargo airport to be developed in the Port of San Jose, Escuintla, is unfeasible in operational and commercial terms.
Tocumen is preparing a plan to tender several expansion works and equipment at the airfields of Panama Pacific, David, Colon and Rio Hato.
One of the regional airports where Tocumen plans to invest in order to improve its functionality is Panama Pacific, which is projected to double capacity of the terminal in order to handle five flights simultaneously instead of two, increasing the number of airline counters from 3 to 7 and improving the waiting area for departing passengers and the migration area.
The second terminal under construction will not be enough to meet projected demand by 2020, therefore a third airport expansion is being considered.
The authorities at Tocumen SA have projected that by 2020 the average annual number of passengers who transit through the international airport in Panama City will amount to 20 million and the second terminal, in which they are investing $800 million, will exceed its capacity in 2022.
The funds raised will be used to complete construction of waiting rooms and a food area and start works on four aircraft platforms and the parking area.
Pension operators were the main buyers of the securities placed by Hencorp Exchange on October 19 in the local market, as part of the total emission worth $78 million approved in 2012 to finance the expansion of the international airport.
After complaints from the private sector, improvements have been announced in attention and services at the airport in the capital, which now operates throughout the day and night for both cargo and passengers.
The registration of passengers on domestic flights, one of the steps that employers considered cumbersome and detrimental to attracting tourism, has been eliminated as part of the improvements made in the terminal.
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.
Days after securitization was mentioned as an option to finance the expansion of the international airport, the government is now saying that it would be better to use pension funds.
Sending signals which only confuse and generate more uncertainty about such an important work as the extension of the main air terminal in the country, the Salvadoran government now says that using pension funds is the best option for financing the expansion.
Works have started with the movements of land to build a new aircraft maintenance hangar at the international airport in San Jose, a project valued at $39 million.
From a statement issued by the Government of Costa Rica:
New aircraft hangar to be built at Juan Santamaria Airport
Under the supervision of the Technical Council of Civil Aviation, earthworks have started for the construction of a new aircraft maintenance hangar, with corresponding workshops and other facilities that will be occupied by Coopesa, in the Juan Santamaria International Airport.
A terminal for domestic flights and a new fire station are part of the works that the administration of San Jose International Airport plans to start in November.
This project includes two ramps for aircraft waiting at the new domestic terminal and a fire station in in the southern sector, and it is expected that construction will start in November this year.The investment for these two works to be carried out simultaneously amounts to $20 million and is expected to be completed during 2016.
The delay in the resurfacing of the runway at the International Airport has prevented logistics companies from using larger aircraft for their operations in the country.
The scheduled execution time to complete the asphalt layer of 3.2 km of the main runway ends on June 15 and the company responsible has reported that the deadline will not be met due to "weather" problems, causing the company DHL to postpone the planned establishment of its hub in the country. In addition, the unfinished remodeling work on airport facilities is affecting the flow of Avianca passengers which has increased its "hub" in El Salvador.
The company which is already operating other airports in Honduras was the only one to provide a technical and financial proposal for the award.
The Honduran company Servicios Aeroportuarios Integrados S.A. (Saisa), a subsidiary of Terra Group, submitted the technical and financial offer after being shortlisted along with the consortium of Colombian origin Concay SA, who ultimately decided not to present a proposal for the construction of the new terminal.
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.
The company Conceptos y Espacios was the only party interested in bidding for the extension of the north terminal at Tocumen offering $2.8 million.
The authorities at Tocumen SA have said that in less than a year the total debt acquired will be paid off, thanks to new grants to be awarded in the North Terminal which will have a final cost of $71 million.
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.