A new terminal is to be built at Tocumen Airport in Panama, increasing the airport capacity to up to 18 million passengers - double its current capacity - by 2014.

The new Muelle Sur (South Dock) Terminal will require an investment of around US$450 million and will occupy a space of 80,000 square metres with 36 new boarding gates. 

According to Juan Carlos Pino, general manager of Tocumen, the new terminal is expected to be ready by mid 2014.

This new terminal follows the US$100 million expansion, at the beginning of 2012, of the Muelle Norte (North Dock) terminal at Tocumen, which helped alleviate congestion caused by the increased frequency of flights.

Tocumen Airport, outside Panama City, is used by around six million passengers every year, a figure that has been increasing by more than 15 per cent in recent times. 

It provides one of the main connecting points between North and South America, as well as receiving transoceanic flights from Spain and Holland.

Iberia and KLM have recently increased their flight frequency to Tocumen, and other airlines such as Lufthansa are also showing interest in establishing a hub in Panama.