PANAMA CITY, Oct. 10 (Xinhua) -- Panama's Tocumen International Airport said Saturday it is maintaining safety precautions following Friday's major earthquake to ensure the safety of passengers and staff.
The airport, located east of Panama City, said in a statement that takeoffs and landings are temporarily suspended whenever an aftershock occurs to allow inspections of runways, taxiways, aprons and other airport facilities.
Operations will resume once inspections are completed and safety conditions are verified, it said.
Airport personnel are conducting the inspections to ensure operations can continue safely.
The airport said it is coordinating with airlines to reschedule flights, warning that the temporary suspensions could cause further delays and schedule changes.
Passengers were urged to remain calm, follow airport staff instructions and check with their airlines for flight updates.
Friday's magnitude-7.2 earthquake has injured 27 people and damaged homes, public buildings, businesses, churches and roads, according to Panama's National Civil Protection System. ■
