The manager of Tocumen Airport stated that currently, the airport contributes resources to the State, including the Civil Aviation Authority. The administrator of the Panama Tourism Authority, Gloria De León, warned that the proposal to increase the transit passenger fee could reduce the country's competitiveness at a time when the tourism sector is beginning to consolidate its results. She added that the focus should be on promoting initiatives that strengthen air connectivity, attract new airlines, and result in a greater flow of visitors to the country, rather than implementing measures that could negatively impact the sector. De León agreed that even the discussion of the issue generates a negative perception internationally. "You can see what happened in Peru: they built a new airport and established a fee of around $12 for transit passengers, and the number of routes and airlines has decreased," she said. Ruiz Blanco emphasized that Panama is a transit airport, with a volume reaching 74% of passengers passing through the airport to other destinations. "The airport is growing. In the last year, the airport registered a 9% growth," he said. Ruiz Blanco specified that it is estimated that by 2030, it could reach 30 million passengers, a projection that could be affected by the proposal of substitute deputy Benicio Robinson Jr. of Bocas del Toro. "If a measure like this is adopted, the country is not going to grow, the airport is not going to grow, and that impacts the country directly," he added. "We will be in the discussion (...) to give a fee to transit passengers and that it be destined for our people," Robinson Jr. added. The measure has been attempted to be debated since last year and has been rejected by all the guilds of the country's tourism, commercial, and air sectors. Last Wednesday, the 25th, it was in order to be debated in the Commission of Economy and Finance, presided over by deputy Eduardo Gaitán of the independent Vamos faction, but it did not session due to lack of quorum. The fee may have to go up, but if it happens, it must be for the growth of the airport. "By impacting this segment, airlines begin to withdraw or slow their growth," he specified. He noted that this week he has received messages from different airlines concerned about the issue, even from Japan, a country with which new connectivity is being analyzed. "There are countries that charge 20 dollars for transit. He pointed out that Panama has been advancing in its international positioning during the last year and a half, so he questioned the need to promote measures that could affect that progress. "We are starting to position ourselves and we are on the right track, with strategies that have given results. We must focus on bringing more airlines, improving connectivity, and strengthening the country's competitiveness," he affirmed, while indicating that the Tourism Authority was not consulted during the drafting of the bill. What does the bill propose? Bill 131, presented by Benicio Robinson (son), substitute of his father Benicio Robinson, from the PRD, seeks to raise the fee charged for transit service to passengers to $10. The proposal, called "Transit Airport Facility Usage Fee," aims to capture part of the high flow of international passengers who use Panama as a hub to formally enter the country and generate new income. "This is not an increase, it is a fee so that we can give it to the Oncology, the Children's Hospital, Santo Tomás (...) so that our people can have a better quality of life," said Robinson Jr. during the incidence period of the Assembly last Monday. The proposal to charge a $10 fee to transit passengers at Tocumen International Airport and other terminals in the country would be a "dangerous" measure that would drive international airlines and travelers away from the country. So warned José Ruiz Blanco, general manager of Tocumen S.A., by indicating that, with just the fact of trying to debate the bill, a great concern has been generated among airlines and the air sector in general. "This is a very serious, very dangerous issue for the country. Why take away that competitiveness?" he posed. The concern is not only that the measure is being proposed, but that it is being talked about. "This should not be part of the conversation. Panama charges $1.25.
