Cars, drugs, and international flights headed to Tampa

TAMPA — What a week for economic development news in Hillsborough County — Bristol-Myers Squibb is bringing nearly 600 high-paying jobs to the area, long-sought flight service to Panama is on the way and a new ship terminal to import cars from Mexico will be built.

Capping the week, Edelweiss Air announced Friday it would start a second weekly flight next week to Zurich from Tampa International Airport. Two days earlier, Copa Airlines said it was adding a Tampa to Panama route, a long sought route that airport officials says opens up South and Central America to TIA travelers.

Thursday, Fortune 500 drug maker Bristol-Myers Squibb announced plans to open a 70,000-square-foot facility in Hillsborough that will employ nearly 600 people who will earn an average of $65,000 annually.