On the afternoon of October 9, a powerful earthquake measuring 7.7 on the Richter scale struck Panama. Despite being approximately 200 kilometres from the Panamanian capital, the earthquake reportedly had noticeable effects in Panama City, prompting the evacuation of several large buildings and skyscrapers.
Following the earthquake, operations at three airports serving Panama City were suspended or disrupted to allow engineers and government officials to assess infrastructure and determine whether it was safe to resume operations. Although no damage has been reported at the airports at the time of writing, Marcos A. Gelabert International Airport (PAC), also known as Albrook Airport, appears to be the only facility to have resumed passenger and general aviation operations.
Balboa Airport (BLB)
Panama Pacifico International Airport, also referred to as Balboa Airport, is situated across the Panama Canal from Panama City. Wingo (P5), Copa Airlines’ low-cost subsidiary, operates scheduled passenger services from the airport to several destinations.
One such service, flight P57097 from Havana (HAV), was forced to divert to Barranquilla (BAQ), Colombia, following the airport’s closure. Meanwhile, Wingo flight P57073, scheduled to depart Balboa for Bogotá (BOG), was listed as operating on time at the time of writing. However, the ongoing disruption may affect its departure schedule.
Marcos A. Gelabert International Airport (PAC)
Marcos A. Gelabert International Airport, more commonly known as Albrook Airport, is located approximately 1.5 kilometres from downtown Panama City. The facility serves a range of domestic passenger services and general aviation (GA) operations.
At the time of writing, Albrook appears to be the only airport in the city handling passenger and general aviation traffic following the earthquake. Air Panama (7P) has reported delays affecting several flights, although flight 7P981 from Bocas del Toro (BOC) was en route to the airport with an estimated delay of approximately three hours.
Tocumen International Airport (PTY)
Tocumen International Airport (PTY)
As the busiest airport in Panama and a major aviation hub in Central America, Tocumen International Airport plays a critical role in connecting the country with destinations across the Americas.
Copa Airlines (CM) operates its primary hub from Tocumen, with Panama City’s geographical position making the airport an important transfer point for passengers travelling between North and South America. The suspension of operations consequently disrupted hundreds of flights, with services delayed, diverted or cancelled.
Among the affected services was Copa Airlines flight CM416, which reportedly transmitted the emergency transponder code 7700 before diverting to Cartagena (CTG), Colombia. The reason for the emergency declaration has not been officially confirmed, although a fuel-related issue was a possibility.
Based on the flight schedules available at the time of writing, operations were tentatively expected to resume between 21:00 and 22:00 local time. However, this remained subject to change, as no official announcement confirming the resumption of operations had been issued.
Given Tocumen’s size and operational importance, infrastructure and safety assessments are expected to be thorough before normal operations can resume. These evaluations are essential to ensure the safety of passengers, aircraft and airport personnel.
Even after all three airports resume normal operations, the effects of the earthquake are likely to persist in the immediate aftermath. Flight schedules may remain disrupted as airlines reposition aircraft, accommodate affected passengers and restore their operations. Airport capacity could also remain constrained while assessments are completed and any necessary recovery measures are implemented.
Aviation24news will monitor these effects, providing timely updates in due course.
