The Site and its History
A Former Airbase
Panama Pacifico is located on the 2,750 acre former U.S. Howard
Air Force Base with an operating 8,500 foot airstrip. The entire
site was an operating military base from 1942 to 1999. The base was
decommissioned in late 1999 and the land was turned over to the
Panamanian Government at that time. At its peak, the base had a
population of some 20,000 service personnel and families housed in
more than 700 houses and barrack blocks, which still remain.
Because the site was a self-sufficient operation for its residents,
many other buildings exist here including four aircraft hangars,
administration and office buildings, a church, a gas station,
recreational facilities and a school. The gas station, church,
school and aircraft hangars are still in operation by private
entities.
Redevelopment Plans
The Panama-Pacifico Special Economic Area
Agency (AAEEPP) is the governmental arm of Panama responsible for
the redevelopment, management and oversight of the old Howard air
force base. The Panamanian Government, with the help of the
International Financial Corporation (a member of the World Bank)
and skilled consultants, carefully planned the reconstruction of
Howard. Their goal was to combine the world-class telecommunication
and logistic infrastructure at Howard with Panama’s business and
financial service sector. For more information on the AAEEPP,
click here.
The Master Developer:
London & Regional Panama
(L&R) was hired as the private developer in
March 2007. (See The Story So Far for details.) The
master development agreement with the AAEEPP provides L&R:
- A 40-year time frame for L&R to fully
develop the site
- Allows great flexibility in doing real
estate transactions including:
- Building sales and leases
1. Commercial, Office and Retail
2. Residential, Hotel and Tourist
3. Industrial and Flex
- Commercial, Office and Retail
- Residential, Hotel and Tourist
- Industrial and Flex
- Land sales and leases
- Other creative transactions to meet your
company´s needs
The Site Today
Businesses Currently Open:
The majority of the buildings that were in use
during the base years are still in place. The AAEEPP sold or
leased land to some companies who continue to do business here
today. These include:
- Dell, who has its second
largest call center in the world here, and employs 2000
workers.
- I.P. Leather
Corporation, a leather manufacturing company.
- River Latinoamerica
Industrial, a business that manufactures and
repackages fertilizer materials.
- The Technology University of
Panama (La Universidad Tecnológica de Panama) has its
operations in Panama Pacifio, in the area once occuppied by a
church, gas station, supermarket, playground and primary
school.
- Howard Kids, a primary
school.
- Accel, a gas station and
convenience store.
There are a number of office buildings that
are available to lease for small to mid-size
companies immediately with minor rehabilitation.
The Airport:
The airport and its facilities are in working
condition and are being used for private and charter planes
currently. While the airport capacity is such that an Airbus
or a 747 plane could land here, there are no plans for a commercial
public airport onsite. Singapore Airlines and COPA Airlines
currently have fleet maintenance and repair operations
here.
Plans are in discussion for the airport to be
utilized for private company travel and charter operations, as well
as for other companies to expand with fleet maintenance
and repair operations.
The availability of the airport for company
private travel is a competitive advantage which provides ultimate
convenience to our onsite companies.
Recreational Facilities:
Onsite recreational facilities include a
gymnasium, a 1200-seat movie theater, an Olympic size swimming
pool, numerous sports fields, tennis courts, and a bowling
alley. L&R is in discussions to secure a professional
company to operate a sports club using these amenities for
residents and visitors. If your company has interest in this
opportunity, please contact us.
There are numerous hiking and walking trails
on the site for walking, mountain biking, and hiking. The
scenery is unbelievably beautiful, and with numerous birds and
native animals in their protected environments, you just might see
a few!