Tocumen International Airport will be put to the test during the run-up to World Youth Day (WYD), which is not a “day” but an event from January 22 to 27. And traffic at the airport will rise 66%.

Ahead of that, it is expected that 20,000 people will arrive on Sunday, January 20. "It will be the day with the largest flow of passengers, according to the figures of reservations provided by the airlines," said Yuseth Córdoba, administrator of the Airport Zone-Tocumen of the National Customs Authority (ANA). The daily traffic between the days before, during and after the WYD will range between 13,000 thousand and 15,000, the official told La Prensa.

Currently, in the hours of greatest demand (4:00 pm to 6:00 pm) the operation of the air terminal reaches 110% of its maximum capacity, but with the WYD this will be exceeded as the normal one day transit is 12,000  people.

In 2018 the highest transit demand for Tocumen was registered for national holidays. On November 6, 14,000 travelers arrived and this figure is taken as a reference to make daily estimates during WYD, says Córdoba.

As of Monday, January 7,   there will be  330 ANA officials working on the entry of pilgrims in Tocumen and in the three land access points in the province of Chiriqui.

In the inspections, at the entry points of the country, 60 students from the career of Customs of the University of Panama will participate as volunteers.