Enrique Malek International Airport (Spanish: ''Aeropuerto Internacional Enrique Malek'') is an international airport serving David Sur, a city in the

Chiriquí Province Chiriquí () is a province of Panama located on the western coast; it is the second most developed province in the country, after Panamá Province. Its capital is the city of David. It has a total area of 6,490.9 km2, with a population of 47 ...

Panama Panama, officially the Republic of Panama, is a country in Latin America at the southern end of Central America, bordering South America. It is bordered by Costa Rica to the west, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north, and ...

. During heavy travel times, the airport registers 900 operations monthly, serving approximately 20,000 passengers from Mexico, the United States, Canada and Central America.

Facilities and expansion

The airport is on the south side of the city, from downtown. In early 2009, the Chiriqui regional director for the Authority of Civil Aeronautics (AAC), Inés de Esquivel, informed La Estrella: "...in the last five years, $1.5 million in investments have been made for the improvement of various areas at the Enrique Malek airport." An estimated US$12 million improvement fund was passed by the Panamanian legislature that included runway expansion to allow for heavy aircraft. Additionally, the DAV perimeter fencing, first responders, hospitals, security, baggage claim, and terminal facilities were all included in the expansion. The airport ramp and fueling facilities were expanded between 2008 and 2009. The extension of the runway from began in 2010. The former terminal was demolished and a new one built. When construction had finished, daily flights from

Air Panama Air Panama is a regional airline based at Albrook "Marcos A. Gelabert" International Airport in Panama, and is currently the second-largest air carrier in the country, surpassed only by Copa Airlines. The carrier offers both scheduled and charte ...

began. Also car rentals commenced operations in the new terminal. The international flight terminal receives numerous daily flights from

Copa Airlines Compañía Panameña de Aviación, S.A., branded as Copa Airlines, is the flag carrier of Panama. It is headquartered in Panama City, Panama, with its main hub at Tocumen International Airport. Copa is a subsidiary of Copa Holdings and a member o ...

and Air Panama.

History

Known as David Field or San Jose Field during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, the airport was an auxiliary of

Howard Field Howard is a masculine given name derived from the English surname Howard. ''The Oxford Dictionary of English Christian Names'' notes that "the use of this surname as a christian name is quite recent and there seems to be no particular reason for i ...

, which is near

Panama City Panama City, also known as Panama, is the capital and largest city of Panama. It has a total population of 1,086,990, with over 2,100,000 in its metropolitan area. The city is located at the Pacific Ocean, Pacific entrance of the Panama Canal, i ...

. It accommodated a variety of

United States Army Air Forces The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...

personnel, dedicated for the most part in training and reconnaissance missions over the Southeast Pacific coastline, from

Honduras Honduras, officially the Republic of Honduras, is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the west by Guatemala, to the southwest by El Salvador, to the southeast by Nicaragua, to the south by the Pacific Ocean at the Gulf of Fonseca, ...

in the north, to

Peru Peru, officially the Republic of Peru, is a country in western South America. It is bordered in the north by Ecuador and Colombia, in the east by Brazil, in the southeast by Bolivia, in the south by Chile, and in the south and west by the Pac ...

in the south as part of the defense of the

Panama Canal The Panama Canal () is an artificial waterway in Panama that connects the Caribbean Sea with the Pacific Ocean. It cuts across the narrowest point of the Isthmus of Panama, and is a Channel (geography), conduit for maritime trade between th ...

. Enrique Malek International Airport was first built in 1941 as part of an agreement between the U.S and

. Wartime units assigned to the airfield were: *

397th Bombardment Squadron The 7th Reconnaissance Squadron is a squadron (aviation), squadron of the United States Air Force. It is assigned to the 319th Operations Group and is stationed at Naval Air Station Sigonella, Sicily, Italy. The squadron was first established ...

(

6th Bombardment Group Alec Trevelyan is a fictional character who is the main antagonist in the 1995 James Bond film ''GoldenEye,'' portrayed by actor Sean Bean. Bean's likeness was also used as the model for Alec Trevelyan in the 1997 video game '' GoldenEye 007'' ...

), 11 December 194118 August 1942 (B-18 Bolo, B-17 Flying Fortress) * 45th Bombardment Squadron (

40th Bombardment Group 4 (four) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 3 and preceding 5. It is a square number, the smallest semiprime and composite number, and is considered unlucky in many East Asian cultures. Evolution of the H ...

), 13 November 194218 February 1943 (LB-30 (B-24A) Liberator) *

3d Bombardment Squadron The 3rd Bombardment Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the 111th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing, based at Travis Air Force Base, California. It was inactivated on 1 January 1953. History World War ...

(

VI Bomber Command The VI Bomber Command was a military formation of the United States Army Air Forces. Its last assignment was with Sixth Air Force. It was based throughout its service at Albrook Field, in the Panama Canal Zone. It was inactivated on 1 November ...

), 12 March1 April 1943; 11 June 19436 April 1944; 8 December 1944 – 28 October 1945 (B-17 Flying Fortress)

Airlines and destinations

References

External links

OurAirports - Enrique Malek International Airport
* {{authority control Airfields of the United States Army Air Forces in Panama Airports in Panama Buildings and structures in Chiriquí Province Airports established in 1941

Facilities and expansion

History

Airlines and destinations

See also

References

External links