On Wednesday, June 22, 2022, operations and commissioned passenger processing began within the new Terminal 2 of Tocumen International Airport. The Panamanian airline Copa Airlines is the first to operate from this new terminal 2. Passengers praised the new infrastructure. The former president of the Republic, Martín Torrijos, was the first Panamanian diplomat to leave for a trip from Terminal 2.
The general manager of Tocumen International Airport, Raffoul Arab, delivered a reconnaissance plaque to the Argentine spouses Yanno Boffino, being the first passengers to arrive at Terminal 2 this early morning of June 22. “We didn’t know about it. We arrived from Panama to the airport to make a connection to the United States. And well, the same transfer told us: I think they are inaugurating the new terminal. So when we arrived and met the cameras, journalists and the manager who received us in a very pleasant way, well we feel privileged.”
Raffoul Arab said that there is a historic day for the country with the start of operations of this new terminal.
It is a historic moment, despite the company’s failures, we have made a great effort to achieve today the opening and commissioning of this important terminal that expands passenger processing capacity to an additional 10 million and continues to position Panama as a HUB in the region,” Raffoul Arab said.
Arab added that the start of operations will contribute to the country’s economic recovery. All departure and entry flights through Copa will be from this new port and later other airlines will be added, we talk with KLM, Air France, United that will join T2, Arab said.
The new work, which raises the operational capacity of Tocumen International Airport to 54 boarding gates and 12 remote aircraft parking positions, facilitates connections between continents with flights to more than 80 different destinations in the Americas and Europe.
Arab, said that “the new T2 will serve at the same time as a potential global showcase for commercial brands, where they have the opportunity to offer their products to millions of people from different parts of the world. “In the Dutty Free area we have allocated 150 spaces for shops and 50 for the food court in an enclosure that exceeds 12,900 m2.” He assured that the Migration and Customs areas of Terminal 2 triple the installed capacity in the current Terminal 1.
At 5:40 a.m. on Wednesday, June 22, Panamanian Copa Airlines Flight 214 arrived from Guayaquil (Ecuador), thus becoming the first operation, whose passengers were completely processed in the modern facilities.
Airport authorities reported that, during this day, Copa Airlines is scheduled to process passengers for 283 arrival and departure flights, of which 6,487 are travelers entering or emigrating from the country. In total, more than 36,935 Copa Airlines people leave or arrive at Tocumen International Airport during this date.