There is a little choice when it comes to domestic flights within Panama. Airlines such as Air Panama and Aeroplas both offer flights to all the main airports within the country. Aeroplas has a good selection of flight times and destinations in the eastern part of the country while Air Panama covers the western part of the country. Other domestic airlines include Mapiex. The major domestic airlines are assessed by the US Federal Aviation authority for quality of service and technology.

The main domestic airport in the capital is Aeropuerto Marcos A Gelabert which can be found in the Albrook district. Most of the domestic flights are small planes and have weight limits, so you are limited on the amount of baggage you can take and you will be asked for your body weight when you check in.

All the domestic airlines have websites which provide information on destinations and flight times and prices. Aeroplas offers flights from Panama City to David which takes just over three quarters of an hour and which are currently run three times daily six days a week. Flights to Bocas del Toro take an hour and are also run several times each day. Flights to Pedasi take around 40 minutes and are run several times a week. If you want to take a flight to Kuna Yala you need to allow a minimum of 30 minutes for the flight, depending upon weather conditions and the type of plane being used. Flights to Kuna Yala are usually once a day and travellers should be aware that the airport at Kuna Yala is extremely basic.

Air Panama covers more than 20 destinations in the country and has 15 aircraft making daily flights to most of the destinations including Bocas del Toro, Sambu Airport and Enrique Malek Airport at David. Smaller airports such as Mulatupo are also covered.

The websites of the airlines give information on flight times and ticket prices and you can also obtain this from the airports websites. Flights from Panama City to Mulatupo take around 1 hour, with a similar flight time to Sambu airport.

If you want to take flights from David you can reach Bocas del Toro in around 30 minutes and a flight to San Jose in Costa Rica will be just around 1 hour.

When you are checking in for a local flight in Panama you need to ensure that you are at the airport at least one hour before the flight is due to depart. This is mainly due to the fact that check in queues in Panama tend to move very slowly.

Useful Resources

Aeroperlas Regional Airlines
www.aeroperlas.com
Local Reservations: (507) 378-6000 Fax. (507) 315-7580
Monday to Friday from 7:00 to 18:00, Saturday and Sunday from 8:00 to 16:00
E-mail: info.aeroperlas@aviancataca.com

Air Panama
www.flyairpanama.com
Tel: (507) 316 9000