In a 30-hectare lot located five kilometers from the Container Terminal in Moin, Costa Rica, construction will begin in the first half of 2021, a logistics complex that will focus on the management of local or imported cargo.
The project, called "Plataforma Logística Caribe" (PLACA), will be placed near Route 32, the road section from Limón to San José.
Building specialized docks for the auxiliary marine industry and increasing the capacity to deliver quickly by air are some of the challenges that Panama will face in the coming years.
The Panamanian economy depends heavily on the logistics sector, but currently faces new challenges because of the increasing competition from other regional players who offer better costs in managing cargo on a large scale.
Because Colombian ports have a lower operating cost base than Panamanians, the South American country competes to appropriate the logistics business in the region.
Until a while ago, Panama led the logistics operations in the region, however, there are some signs that indicate that this situation could be changing, since the growth in the movement of maritime cargo in the country has reported a slowdown in recent years. For example, between 2016 and 2017 there was a 10% increase, and last year the reported rise was just 1.7%.
The Mexican Volaris announced that next year will turn Costa Rica into its hub, from where it will open flights to South America and will put two or three more aircraft based in the Central American country.
The representatives of the low-cost airline reported that their plan for 2019 is to start direct flights to South America from Juan Santamaria International Airport and expand from four to seven the number of aircraft departing from Costa Rica.
From October 18 to 20, logistics and foreign trade companies will be gathering together in Panama City to take part in conferences on issues related to the sector.
The event, which will take place at the ATLAPA Convention Center, will involve companies and consultants in logistics and foreign trade.
As a gateway to 90 destinations in America and Europe, and soon Asia, Panama International Airport is venturing into the high value air cargo business.
The development of the logistics area at Tocumen International Airport will bring opportunities for infrastructure development in terms of roads, land leveling and construction and fitting of galleys and sheds. But it is also predicted that it will dynamise a discrete market, that of air cargo transport, whose business represents only 9% of the income of the world's airlines.
Money in the pocket for every grandstanding politician and every wannabe business consultant, logistics in Central America is a much talked about theme on which no action is actually taken.
EDITORIAL
Logistics is vital for sustainable economic development, and it is perhaps the area of business management that has made the greatest strides in the last 50 years.
A feasibility study will be carried out on converting the canton of Orotina in Alajuela, into a center to attract economic development in order for large logistics companies to establish there.
From a statement issued by the Georgia Tech Foundation:
Major airports are not only business magnets, but also regional economic accelerators, which act as catalysts and promoters, for miles around, of urban development and business.
While in the rest of the world the development of the city-airports, or aerotropolii, has been remarkable , in Latin America there are only two places that qualify to be called as such: Belo Horizonte International in Brazil, and Tocumen International airport in Panama.