A tense situation unfolded on Friday night at Captain José Ezequiel Hall Airport on Isla Colón, Bocas del Toro. A Fokker 50 aircraft operated by Air Panama, conducting Flight 982 from Panama City, veered off the runway during landing at 21:01, according to the Civil Aviation Authority (AAC).
The aircraft was carrying 35 passengers and three crew members. Fortunately, no injuries were reported, as confirmed by the Fire Department, which responded promptly to assist the occupants.
The AAC announced the launch of a formal investigation to determine the cause of the runway excursion.
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Criticism of Bocas del Toro Airport’s Condition
Following the incident, Mayer Mizrachi, Mayor of Panama City, commented via his X account: “Bocas has needed a proper airport (for years) to match its status as a tourist gem. The issue isn’t just the terminal or the runway’s size, but also the lack of an Instrument Landing System (ILS) for instrument approaches. Currently, it’s visual-only. Not to mention people trespassing onto the runway to play soccer.”
He added, “Larger aircraft from other countries can’t land on this runway. That’s why the only arrivals are small planes from Costa Rica and PTY. This is one of the biggest limitations to expanding Bocas’ tourism potential.”
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