Arabs are coming -among others-

The region can expect new investors, following the launch by Emirates in February 2016 of the world’s longest commercial flight, with daily Boeing 777 service between Panama and Dubai.

Some 100,000 travellers a year could come to the region, as a 777-200LR - the aircraft which Emirates will use on the route - carries up to 256 passengers.

The airline is betting that there will be demand from business people in India, the Middle East and Africa.

Emirates may also want to be the first Mid East-based airline with a direct link to Latin America.

With respect to traffic, Chinese investors are unlikely to fly through Dubai, as Los Angeles is a better connection.

For their part, business people from the Middle East, India and Africa historically have shown little interest in the region.

On the other hand, Emirates seems convinced that it can fill an aircraft a day.

As for competition, the Dubai-Panama flight could establish Emirates as a leader in connections from the Middle East.

Turkish Airlines is not yet flying to Latin America, after announcing in 2014 that it would start a flight from Istanbul to Bogota.

The Dubai-Panama route, a distance of 13,825 kilometers, will take almost 18 hours.

From Panama, it's not more than a one-hour flight to any major Central American city.