Connecting at Panama Tocumen airport

Connection time calculator, immigration and security, and how to move between terminals at PTY.

How connections work at PTY

At PTY, passengers connecting between two international flights can usually stay in the transit area without going through immigration. If you connect from an international to a domestic flight, you enter the country here: you go through immigration and collect and re-check your bags.

The airport has 2 terminals or concourses (Terminal 1, Terminal 2). All of them are connected after security, so you do not need to clear security again to change.

Connecting passengers go through a transfer security screening.

Connection time calculator

Is your layover at PTY long enough? Pick your connection and get an estimate with the times of this airport.

Terminals / concourses: Terminal 1, Terminal 2

Getting between them: Airside connector walkway (walk) and free shuttle buses operating between terminals from 05:00 to 23:00.

Both terminals are connected airside via a 170-meter connector walkway and transfer buses, allowing international transit passengers to move between terminals without clearing immigration or customs.

Official transfer times:

  • Terminal 1 → Terminal 2: up to 15 min walking

No immigration or passport control required for international-to-international transit connections.

  • Dress warmly or carry a jacket as terminal air conditioning is notoriously cold.
  • Verify your departure gate on flight status boards upon arrival as gate reassignments between T1 and T2 are frequent.
  • Arrive early at your boarding gate for flights to the United States due to mandatory secondary security screening at the gate.

Estimate based on typical times at this airport, not your airline's official minimum connection time. Immigration and security lines change with the time of day and season. On a single ticket, the airline must rebook you if you miss the connection; on separate tickets, it does not.

Sources: tocumenaero.com · prioritypass.com · sleepinginairports.net.

Times are estimates: always check with your airline.

More about PTY

Airport guide Departures Arrivals