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PTY · Panama

Landing at Tocumen International Airport

The region's connecting hub, where a great many passengers pass through without ever seeing the city outside.

If you are only connecting, keep the line running while you wait, because updating a flight status and telling someone at the other end what time you will land are things you do sitting down, not after you have arrived. If you are entering the country, switch on as the aircraft descends and use the walk to immigration to order a car. That walk is long and branches in several places; the signage is clear but it does have to be read. The immigration queue can stretch when a wave of connecting flights lands together, which is the norm here rather than the exception.

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Tocumen International Airport

What PTY is like

Tocumen works as the connecting point for much of Central America and the north of South America, so a large share of the people walking through it are waiting a few hours for another flight rather than heading into town. There are two terminals, joined, and the walk between the far ends of them is a long one. Those who do go into Panama City find a skyline of towers along the bay that looks unlike most people's mental image of the region. Whether you are transiting or arriving changes what you need from a connection, and it is worth deciding which you are before you land.

On arrival

If you are only connecting, keep the line running while you wait, because updating a flight status and telling someone at the other end what time you will land are things you do sitting down, not after you have arrived. If you are entering the country, switch on as the aircraft descends and use the walk to immigration to order a car. That walk is long and branches in several places; the signage is clear but it does have to be read. The immigration queue can stretch when a wave of connecting flights lands together, which is the norm here rather than the exception.

How far the airport Wi-Fi gets you

The airport Wi-Fi sits behind a sign-in page and is leaned on by a great many transit passengers at the same time, which is why the speed is unpredictable when the terminal fills. If you have a long connection and intend to work or call home, relying on it alone means meeting the session cut-off partway through. For anyone hopping onward across the region, coverage that spans several countries usually saves more trouble than hunting for a hotspot in each terminal in turn. The Wi-Fi is a backup, not a plan.

Getting into town

The airport lies east of the city and the road is the practical way in, quick enough when it is clear and noticeably slower in the peak. Options are the organised taxi rank, a hotel shuttle, or an app car, which works in this city. Most people are heading either for the towers along the bay or for the old quarter that holds the tourist streets. Traffic here rearranges quickly, so the map recalculates often on the way in. If your plan involves the canal or onward travel out to the islands, expect the signal to thin once you are past the edge of the built-up area.

What people ask about this airport

  • Transits need data too — Connecting passengers still need to update an arrival time and watch for a gate change, which is why waiting to get online at the destination is a poor plan.
  • The walks are long — The two terminals connect, but the distance is further than expected, so on a short connection start walking straight away and follow the signage.
  • Think regionally — Plenty of people passing through fly on to another country the same day, so coverage that works across several is the better fit for this route.
Plans that work on landing

eSIM plans for Panama

Panama +116 countries 20GB 30 days

117 countries · partner networks

Fixed
Works in 117 countries: Panama, Japan, Australia +114Alle ansehen

Panama, Japan, Australia, China, Hong Kong, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, United Kingdom, United States, Albania, Argentina, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belgium, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Bulgaria, Cameroon, Canada, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, DR Congo, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Estonia, Eswatini, Finland, France, Gabon, Germany, Ghana, Gibraltar, Greece, Guam, Guatemala, Guinea-Bissau, Honduras, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Ivory Coast, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kosovo, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Liberia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Mali, Malta, Mauritius, Mexico, Moldova, Montenegro, Morocco, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, North Macedonia, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Qatar, Republic of the Congo, Romania, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Serbia, Seychelles, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Switzerland, Tanzania, Thailand, Tunisia, Turkey, Uganda, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Zambia

Daten
20GB
Gültigkeit
30 days
Hotspot
Ja
Technik
3G / 4G / 5G
  • 5G-fähig
  • Hotspot
  • Aufladbar

Validity starts on first connection at the destination

ab74,73 €70,99 €
Details

Panama +116 countries 20GB 90 days

117 countries · partner networks

Fixed
Works in 117 countries: Panama, Japan, Australia +114Alle ansehen

Panama, Japan, Australia, China, Hong Kong, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, United Kingdom, United States, Albania, Argentina, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belgium, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Bulgaria, Cameroon, Canada, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, DR Congo, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Estonia, Eswatini, Finland, France, Gabon, Germany, Ghana, Gibraltar, Greece, Guam, Guatemala, Guinea-Bissau, Honduras, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Ivory Coast, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kosovo, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Liberia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Mali, Malta, Mauritius, Mexico, Moldova, Montenegro, Morocco, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, North Macedonia, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Qatar, Republic of the Congo, Romania, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Serbia, Seychelles, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Switzerland, Tanzania, Thailand, Tunisia, Turkey, Uganda, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Zambia

Daten
20GB
Gültigkeit
90 days
Hotspot
Ja
Technik
3G / 4G / 5G
  • 5G-fähig
  • Hotspot
  • Aufladbar

Validity starts on first connection at the destination

ab83,33 €79,16 €
Details

Panama +19 countries 20GB 30 days

20 countries · partner networks

Fixed
Works in 20 countries: Panama, Puerto Rico, Argentina +17Alle ansehen

Panama, Puerto Rico, Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guadeloupe, Guatemala, Honduras, Martinique, Nicaragua, Paraguay, Peru, Saint Barthélemy, Saint Martin, Uruguay

Daten
20GB
Gültigkeit
30 days
Hotspot
Ja
Technik
3G / 4G / 5G
  • 5G-fähig
  • Hotspot
  • Aufladbar

Validity starts on first connection at the destination

ab87,63 €83,25 €
Details

Panama 20GB 30 days

movistar

Fixed
Daten
20GB
Gültigkeit
30 days
Hotspot
Ja
Technik
3G / 4G
  • Hotspot
  • Aufladbar
  • Bester Preis pro GB

Validity starts on first connection at the destination

  • 4G only, no 5G
  • One network
ab73,87 €70,18 €
Details

Panama 10GB 30 days

movistar

Fixed
Daten
10GB
Gültigkeit
30 days
Hotspot
Ja
Technik
3G / 4G
  • Hotspot
  • Aufladbar
  • Langer Aufenthalt

Validity starts on first connection at the destination

  • 4G only, no 5G
  • One network
ab39,47 €37,50 €
Details

Panama +116 countries 10GB 30 days

117 countries · partner networks

Fixed
Works in 117 countries: Panama, Japan, Australia +114Alle ansehen

Panama, Japan, Australia, China, Hong Kong, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, United Kingdom, United States, Albania, Argentina, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belgium, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Bulgaria, Cameroon, Canada, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, DR Congo, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Estonia, Eswatini, Finland, France, Gabon, Germany, Ghana, Gibraltar, Greece, Guam, Guatemala, Guinea-Bissau, Honduras, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Ivory Coast, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kosovo, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Liberia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Mali, Malta, Mauritius, Mexico, Moldova, Montenegro, Morocco, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, North Macedonia, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Qatar, Republic of the Congo, Romania, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Serbia, Seychelles, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Switzerland, Tanzania, Thailand, Tunisia, Turkey, Uganda, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Zambia

Daten
10GB
Gültigkeit
30 days
Hotspot
Ja
Technik
3G / 4G / 5G
  • 5G-fähig
  • Hotspot
  • Aufladbar

Validity starts on first connection at the destination

ab47,21 €44,85 €
Details
Fragen

Getting online at PTY

Do I have to clear immigration when connecting in Panama?+

It depends on your routing and airline, so follow the signage and staff instructions on the day, and always allow time when flights arrive in waves.

Is the airport Wi-Fi enough for a work call?+

Not something to plan around: too many transit passengers use it at once and sessions tend to cut out mid-call, whereas your own line simply continues.

How long does it take to get into Panama City?+

Quick when the road is clear and considerably longer in the peak, so check live times on the map before you promise to meet anyone the evening you land.

What is coverage like heading out to the islands?+

Solid in the built-up area but thinner along the coast and on the boats, so download maps and your accommodation details before you set out.