✈️ Eight Fewer International Business Jet Arrivals at Tocumen
Business jet landings at Tocumen International Airport (MPTO) by aircraft arriving from outside Panama were lower in the first 27 days of September 2026 than in the same date window in August. Avi-Go data show that business jets departing from countries other than Panama made 83 landings at MPTO from September 1 through September 27, 2026, compared with 91 from August 1 through August 27, 2026—a decrease of eight landings, or approximately 8.8%. Both windows include the first and last days, and each qualifying landing counts as one arrival. This change reflects cross-border arrivals at MPTO under the specified departure-country criteria, not all business jet takeoffs and landings at the airport.
Impact: For ground handling teams serving international arrivals at MPTO, the 83 qualifying landings recorded in the September window provide a recent reference for planning aircraft reception, stand coordination, and arrival-service staffing. The eight-landing difference from the same August window means that teams using the August workload of 91 landings to allocate resources should adjust shifts based on actual arrival forecasts. These figures measure arrival demand and should not be used directly to estimate departure-side activity or the airport’s overall workload.
Recommendation: MPTO ground handling teams can review the 83 landings from September 1 through September 27, 2026, alongside the 91 landings in the corresponding August window when assessing staffing schedules. They should assign arrival-service personnel according to confirmed arrival times for aircraft coming from outside Panama, rather than applying the 8.8% decline across all service areas. The next point to monitor is how landings measured on the same basis change during the remaining days of September and in October, to determine how the eight-landing gap holds up over a longer period.