We recommend at least 55 minutes for a comfortable connection at Tocumen International. The minimum connection time is 30 minutes for domestic flights and 50 minutes for international flights. Transit between terminals takes up to 30 minutes.

Domestic-to-Domestic: 30 min. Domestic-to-International: 45 min. International-to-Domestic: 45 min. International-to-International: 50 min. These are the shortest layovers airlines will sell at Tocumen International.

Tocumen is Copa Airlines' primary hub and the busiest connection point in Latin America, purpose-built for fast transfers between North, Central, and South America. Most itineraries never touch Panamanian soil in a legal sense — connections are largely airside — but the addition of Terminal 2 has added a bus/walkway transfer that complicates some routings. For same-terminal Copa-to-Copa connections it's genuinely one of the easiest hubs in the hemisphere; for anything crossing to Terminal 2 or requiring immigration, budget extra time. Within Terminal 1, concourses are linked by long corridors with moving walkways, taking 10-15 minutes gate to gate. Reaching Terminal 2 requires a shuttle bus or elevated walkway connection that adds 15-20 minutes and involves a fresh security screening, since it is not airside-linked to T1 for all passenger flows. Transit passengers on international-to-international itineraries generally avoid immigration, but security re-screening is common when switching terminals or connecting to US-bound flights.

This falls below PTY's minimum connecting time even for domestic-domestic itineraries. See full 30 min guide →

This matches PTY's domestic-international MCT but leaves no margin if your inbound flight arrives late during a wave bank. See full 45 min guide →

A full hour comfortably covers walking time and security even during busy wave periods. See full 1 hr guide →

Ample time for any Terminal 1 connection and workable for most Terminal 2 transfers as well. See full 1¼ hr guide →

Covers even a Terminal 2 shuttle transfer with re-screening and some queuing time to spare. See full 1½ hr guide →

Two hours is generous even accounting for terminal transfers and immigration if required. See full 2 hr guide →

Well beyond any operational need, useful mainly if connecting to a less-frequent onward destination. See full 2½ hr guide →

Plenty of buffer, though may mean waiting through a full wave-bank cycle before your next flight. See full 3 hr guide →

Excess time at PTY, better spent exploring the airport's shops or lounges than worrying about the connection. See full 4 hr guide →