Flown through Panama City’s Tocumen International Airport recently? Copa Airlines’ “Hub of the Americas” has a spiffy new Foster + Partners-designed terminal that opened in 2022.
Terminal 2 is your typical contemporary “airport under the big hat,” as HOK’s Peter Ruggiero has described it. A large open space under a signature roof — one described as an “aerodynamic bronze-coloured roof” by Foster + Partners — with most load-bearing structural supports either on the exterior or in the central concessions and utilities core.
I had the opportunity recently to fly through the new Tocumen Terminal 2 on Copa Airlines enroute to the Routes Americas conference in Bogotá.
Tocumen Terminal 2 is maybe a bit more budget than the massive, seemingly no expense sparred edifices at Doha Hamad or iGA Istanbul but it is still a big, much needed upgrade on Terminal 1.
As efficient as Terminal 1 was — Tocumen is widely regarded as the most efficient airline hub in Latin America — it could, at best, be described as utilitarian. Low ceilings. Crowded gate areas. Unimaginative design. It got the job done, and still does.
This not to say Terminal 2 is without its issues. Why, for one, does a two-year old terminal already look worn? Scuff marks on the floor, for example.
Still, it’s nice to see a needed upgrade to a Latin American airport — a region that seems constantly in need of more airport investment — come to fruition.
What I’m Writing
It’s been a busy few weeks! I had the pleasure of writing about former United Airlines’ employee Andrew Mortensen’s ride from Spain to Singapore — and around the world — for The Washington Post. Along the way, he encountered some stunning scenery, mindlessly straight stretches of road, and welcoming people all along the way. I even got to interview him on a bike!
eVTOLs, electric and hydrogen propulsion, supersonic jets — all are topics of a deep dive into aviation innovation I wrote for The Washington Post. “You need to have a similar revolution as [with] the electric car” in aviation, Heart Aerospace co-founder and CEO Anders Forslund said.
Allegiant Air is on the cusp (finally) of becoming a Boeing 737 Max operator. The discounter’s first plane is expected by the end of April with entry-into-service planned for late June. But getting the plane is just the beginning, Allegiant is ensnared in all of Boeing’s production and delivery issues, and that’s making its planning for the Max difficult. Read more in The Air Current.
Southwest Airlines provided more details of its plans for red-eye flights at Routes. Commercial chief Ryan Green offered a bit of the where, when, how many, and why. Read more in the Post.
And Delta Air Lines VP of North America Network, Amy Martin, spoke a bit about the carrier’s strategy in Austin. In short: Expect more routes that go where locals want to go, plus a healthy dose of connections. Details on The Points Guy.
What I’m Reading
I’m planning for a cycling trip to Denmark this summer and really enjoyed Helen Russell’s A Year of Living Danishly. Good book and some interesting insights for any foreigner planning to spend an extended period in Denmark (or at least Jutland).
All Denmark cycling tips welcome!