Construction of the new passenger terminal at   Tocumen International whose cost with the last addendum will increase to $917.2 million dollars from the original $679 million negotiated with the construction company Odebrecht is 95% complete.

It will handle between 40% and 45% of the airport's traffic once the 20 new boarding doors are operational.

To date, without counting the $25.5 million of the new addendum, Tocumen has paid  Odebrecht 870.4 million dollars, The Brazilian company, confessed to paying $22 million in bribes to officials in the last administration.

Mario Caparroso, Vice President of Project Management of Tocumen, SA, said that the construction company has more than 1,200 workers in the project who are focused on putting  finishes on  the building

With the start of operations of the electrical substation on Thursday, where $30 million dollars were invested, Tocumen can make the final tests of the electrical systems of the project.

The plan of the airport is to inaugurate the new terminal at the end of April, and the 20 boarding doors are already installed. The first 5 doors will be enabled for those attending the World Youth Day (WYD).

Caparroso indicated that the most pressing work that Odebrecht must complete is the change of the baggage system. In the fourth addendum to the contract, awarded in 2012 for $679 million $7.2 million dollars are added to replace the baggage review system to comply with new regulations on airport security.

"Our plan is to inaugurate the new terminal at the end of April and only the work on the baggage system will remain pending, “ said Caparasso.

He said that Odebrecht must leave in operation on May 31.

The area of the five doors that will be enabled for WYD already has signage that will be in three languages (Spanish, English, and Portuguese).