{"id":15042,"date":"2026-07-27T06:25:00","date_gmt":"2026-07-27T11:25:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/?p=15042"},"modified":"2026-07-26T06:54:00","modified_gmt":"2026-07-26T11:54:00","slug":"colon-free-zone-eyes-takeover-of-neglected-caribbean-airport","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/travel-tourism\/colon-free-zone-eyes-takeover-of-neglected-caribbean-airport\/","title":{"rendered":"Col\u00f3n Free Zone Eyes Takeover of Neglected Caribbean Airport"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Barely 285 travelers passed through the <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Enrique_Adolfo_Jim%C3%A9nez_Airport\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Enrique Adolfo Jim\u00e9nez Airport<\/a> in the first five months of this year, yet its location at the doorstep of one of the hemisphere&#8217;s busiest free trade zones has business leaders pushing for a dramatic overhaul. Representatives from the <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Col%C3%B3n_Free_Trade_Zone\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Col\u00f3n Free Zone<\/a> want to wrest control of the terminal from <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Tocumen_International_Airport\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Panama&#8217;s main airport operator<\/a> and fold it into a sprawling logistics expansion already reshaping hundreds of hectares next door.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">A Terminal Stuck in Low Gear<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Official data from Tocumen S.A., the state entity that manages Panama&#8217;s airport network, reveals just how quiet the Col\u00f3n airfield has been. Between January and May 2026, <strong>the passenger count totaled 285 people while 1,598 aircraft movements were recorded<\/strong>. Almost all of that traffic involved cargo flights, private aviation, and general aviation operations rather than scheduled commercial service. That anemic activity stands in sharp contrast to the trade dynamism radiating from the Col\u00f3n Free Zone, a duty-free hub that moves billions of dollars in goods each year along the Panama Canal&#8217;s Atlantic flank.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<iframe src=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/maps\/embed?pb=!1m18!1m12!1m3!1d98118.14336331788!2d-79.89958070900094!3d9.381767092531195!2m3!1f0!2f0!3f0!3m2!1i1024!2i768!4f13.1!3m3!1m2!1s0x8fab6cf8a1d6e82b%3A0xd16b594838fe9649!2sEnrique%20Adolfo%20Jim%C3%A9nez%20International%20Airport%20(ONX)!5e0!3m2!1sen!2spa!4v1785066319560!5m2!1sen!2spa\" width=\"600\" height=\"450\" style=\"border:0;\" allowfullscreen=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\"><\/iframe>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The airfield itself sits on land with a storied military past. Long before it became a civilian facility, the runways served as a U.S. air base known as France Field, then later as a strategic regional transport point. The infrastructure still offers sufficient runway length and tarmac space to support heavier cargo aircraft, an asset that currently gets only fractional use. For years Tocumen S.A. has overseen the airport without installing commercial flight rotations, leaving the terminal a largely dormant asset on prime coastal real estate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Newfield Reclamation Fuels Ambition<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The fresh push to transfer the airport to the free zone&#8217;s administration emerged during a logistics cabinet meeting held at the port of Crist\u00f3bal on July 23. Dovi Eisenman, president of the Col\u00f3n Free Zone\u2019s Chamber of Commerce, confirmed to reporters two days later that the business community wants direct management authority over the terminal. The rationale hinges on Newfield, a 280-hectare reclaimed land project abutting the airport that the free zone is developing to house additional warehouses, light manufacturing plants, and logistics parks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe Col\u00f3n Free Zone would like to have some form of management and administration of the Enrique Jim\u00e9nez Airport, because soon the Newfield area will be developed and it is right next to the air terminal, which could generate a great deal of logistics and passenger flow, taking advantage of the cruise port and other attractions\u201d [Translated from Spanish]<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/president-of-the-colon-free-zone-users-association-dovi-eisenman-credit-zona-libre-1200x800-1-1024x683.webp\" alt=\"President of the Colo\u0301n Free Zone Users Association Dovi Eisenman Credit Zona Libre\" class=\"wp-image-15044\" srcset=\"https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/president-of-the-colon-free-zone-users-association-dovi-eisenman-credit-zona-libre-1200x800-1-1024x683.webp 1024w, https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/president-of-the-colon-free-zone-users-association-dovi-eisenman-credit-zona-libre-1200x800-1-300x200.webp 300w, https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/president-of-the-colon-free-zone-users-association-dovi-eisenman-credit-zona-libre-1200x800-1-768x512.webp 768w, https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/president-of-the-colon-free-zone-users-association-dovi-eisenman-credit-zona-libre-1200x800-1-150x100.webp 150w, https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/president-of-the-colon-free-zone-users-association-dovi-eisenman-credit-zona-libre-1200x800-1-450x300.webp 450w, https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/president-of-the-colon-free-zone-users-association-dovi-eisenman-credit-zona-libre-1200x800-1.webp 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">President of the Colo\u0301n Free Zone Users Association Dovi Eisenman &#8211; Credit Zona Libre<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Eisenman explained that coupling air cargo operations with the adjacent commercial expansion could turn the area into a multimodal node, linking maritime freight arriving at nearby container ports, merchandise processed inside the free zone, and airborne shipments bound for regional markets. Business leaders also see untapped tourist potential in tying flights to Col\u00f3n&#8217;s cruise ship terminal and the expanding visitor economy along the Caribbean coast.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Rival Visions and Concession Timelines<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Tocumen S.A. has a separate agenda for the airfield. During the same logistics cabinet session, the airport operator floated the idea of establishing an aeronautical logistics cluster on the site, focused on aircraft repair, maintenance hangars, and ancillary services rather than a full-blown cargo terminal run by the free zone. That plan would keep the facility under Tocumen\u2019s umbrella while nodding to the region\u2019s logistics ambitions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Meanwhile, the government is preparing to hand over two other regional airports to private operators. Officials indicated that David\u2019s Enrique Malek airport and R\u00edo Hato\u2019s Scarlett Mart\u00ednez field will be concessioned under an operation and maintenance model, a public-private partnership scheme designed to boost productivity without selling off state assets. The target delivery date for both concessions is January 2027. That timeline has free zone executives urging the central government to treat Col\u00f3n differently, arguing that a simple administrative transfer requires no tender and can be executed far faster than a concession process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/1920px-aeropuerto-internacional-de-tocumen-panam-2015-1200x800-1-1024x683.webp\" alt=\"1920px Aeropuerto Internacional de Tocumen Panam\u00e1 2015\" class=\"wp-image-11579\" srcset=\"https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/1920px-aeropuerto-internacional-de-tocumen-panam-2015-1200x800-1-1024x683.webp 1024w, https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/1920px-aeropuerto-internacional-de-tocumen-panam-2015-1200x800-1-300x200.webp 300w, https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/1920px-aeropuerto-internacional-de-tocumen-panam-2015-1200x800-1-768x512.webp 768w, https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/1920px-aeropuerto-internacional-de-tocumen-panam-2015-1200x800-1-150x100.webp 150w, https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/1920px-aeropuerto-internacional-de-tocumen-panam-2015-1200x800-1-450x300.webp 450w, https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/1920px-aeropuerto-internacional-de-tocumen-panam-2015-1200x800-1.webp 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Tocumen Airport Por AnelGTR &#8211; Trabajo propio, CC BY-SA 3.0, https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/w\/index.php?curid=37697743<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">An Administrative Signature, Not a Bidding War<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Eisenman emphasized that the proposal does not call for a competitive bidding process, only a political decision by the executive branch. The request lands as Panama\u2019s logistics sector looks to rebound from supply chain disruptions and as the Col\u00f3n Free Zone seeks to diversify beyond traditional warehouse and re-export operations. Adding an airport to the asset portfolio would give the zone direct control over air freight corridors for high-value electronics, pharmaceuticals, and perishable goods that often pass through the isthmus en route to Latin American and Caribbean markets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Local entrepreneurs have lined up behind the plan, betting that unified management of land, sea, and now air infrastructure can accelerate cargo turnaround times and attract investment from multinationals seeking nearshoring solutions. For now the quiet runways of Enrique Jim\u00e9nez await a signal from <a href=\"https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/events-culture\/casco-viejo-goes-car-free-this-sunday-for-cultural-bonanza\/\" rel=\"internal\">Panama City<\/a>, where officials must weigh Tocumen\u2019s maintenance hub concept against the free zone\u2019s bolder integration play. Either path could awaken an airport that today sees more seagulls than passengers.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Barely 285 travelers passed through the Enrique Adolfo Jim\u00e9nez Airport in the first five months of this year, yet its location at the doorstep of one of the hemisphere&#8217;s busiest free trade zones has business leaders pushing for a dramatic overhaul. Representatives from the Col\u00f3n Free Zone want to wrest control of the terminal from<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":15043,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_sitemap_exclude":false,"_sitemap_priority":"","_sitemap_frequency":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[35,30,87],"tags":[5592,5594,5591,5593],"class_list":["post-15042","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-travel-tourism","category-business-economy","category-featured","tag-airport-logistics","tag-colon-free","tag-free-zone","tag-terminal-tocumen"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15042","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15042"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15042\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":15045,"href":"https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15042\/revisions\/15045"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/15043"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15042"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15042"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15042"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}