A renewed legislative push to charge a $10 fee to passengers transiting through Tocumen International Airport has reignited debate over Panama’s role as a regional air hub and the potential effects on connectivity and public finances.
What Happened
Deputy substitute Benicio Robinson González (Partido Revolucionario Democrático), from Bocas del Toro, reintroduced draft bill No. 131 proposing a fixed $10 Tasa de Uso de Instalaciones Aeroportuarias en Tránsito (TUIAT) to be applied to travelers in transit through Tocumen and other national airports. The initiative is currently on this week’s discussion list in the National Assembly, appearing before the Commission of Economy and Finance.
Background and Proposal Details
The draft law envisions that the $10 charge would be collected by airlines at the point of ticket purchase and incorporated into the ticket price. Robinson has argued the fee is a social contribution: he said it is “not an increase, it is a fee so that the Oncologico, the Hospital del Niño, the Santo Tomás (…) can have better quality of life.” The deputy has estimated potential revenue of up to $190 million per year, with 30% earmarked for maintenance and modernization of the national airport network and 70% for strengthening public hospitals including Santo Tomás, Hospital del Niño and the Instituto Oncológico Nacional.
Passenger flows through Tocumen underscore the scale at stake: in 2025 the airport handled more than 20.9 million passengers, of which about 15.2 million were connection passengers — roughly 7.63 million transfer arrivals and 7.60 million transfer departures.
Reactions and Risks
The proposal faces opposition from aviation and tourism sectors that warn the charge could undermine Tocumen’s competitiveness as a hub. Industry groups caution that an added fee would alter transit cost structures, potentially prompting airlines to reconfigure routes toward airports with lower charges and possibly increasing fares for end passengers, affecting demand and connection volumes.
APATEL, the Panamanian Hotel Association, issued a formal rejection, voicing “deep concern” that the measure would set a negative precedent by using a strategic sector as a revenue source for unrelated expenditures and warning it could weaken the connectivity model that has positioned Panama as a major regional linking center. APATEL noted that more than 60% of Tocumen’s passengers are connections, making cost a key factor for carriers.
The draft revives regional comparisons: Lima’s Jorge Chávez airport applies a TUA of $11.86 for international-only connections; IATA has attributed cancellations of at least 11 international routes from Lima and a migration of traffic to other hubs to that charge — an effect critics fear could be repeated in Panama.
What This Means
The Assembly’s discussion will weigh potential fiscal gains against risks to air connectivity and tourism. Lawmakers must consider whether projected hospital and airport investments justify a charge that industry groups say could change airlines’ routing economics and passenger costs. The outcome will influence Panama’s standing as a regional hub and the financial outlook for public health and airport infrastructure funding.