Air Canada Launching Direct Flights to Panama in December
Canada’s largest airline is starting non-stop service to Panama City in December, in another sign of our growing relationship with the Great White North.
Air Canada will start direct flights to Panama City from Toronto on Dec. 17, making it easy for anyone in the Toronto area to hop on a flight in the morning and be sitting on their oceanfront terrace by the afternoon. Service is planned for year-round, with weekly flights on Wednesday, Friday and Sunday.
“Panama City is growing and vibrant, and is both a business and leisure destination for Canadians, many of whom own vacation properties in the area,” Air Canada executive v.p. Benjamin Smith said in July, when the service was originally announced.
As a Canadian myself, I can attest to the key role Canadians have always played in the Panama real estate market, especially after the collapse of the U.S. market. Canadians were not hurt as much by the recession and continued to shop for ways to escape their winters, making the sunny skies and blue water extra appealing.
Even in the worst days of the downturn, we continued to see Canadian second buyers and investors falling in love with Punta Pacifica. Last year, Canadians accounted for the largest number of transactions amid international buyers in the U.S., spending $13.8 billion on U.S. real estate, compared to $11.8 billion in 2013, according to the National Association of Realtors.
The Air Canada flights are big news for the Panama real estate market. The availability of direct flights is always listed as a key consideration for second home buyers. And this is no small commitment — Air Canada predicts the service will offer 3,000 seats a month to Panama,
Winter is always the time when we see the snow birds migrate to Panama, and we’re looking forward to introducing more of them to the year-round beauty of Panama and Panama City.
Duncan McGowan is president of Punta Pacifica Realty, a Panama real estate agency focused on Punta Pacifica, the exclusive neighborhood of 18 towers perched on the edge of the Pacific Ocean.
