• 

  Copa Airlines

  IATA/ICAO Code:

  CM/CMP

  Airline Type:

  Full Service Carrier

  Hub(s):

  Tocumen International Airport

  Year Founded:

  1944

  Alliance:

  Star Alliance

  CEO:

  Pedro Heilbron

  Country:

  Panama

  Region:

  South America

Panama’s Copa Airlines has taken delivery of a brand-new Boeing 737 MAX 9 aircraft on August 12th. This is the carrier’s eighteenth MAX 9, and the fifth one delivered in 2022. The new airframe comes at a time when the Panamanian carrier is undergoing a massive modernization effort, which will see its fleet expand by 10% by 2023.

Jose Montero, Senior Vice President of Finance at Copa Airlines, said,

“The delivery of this aircraft will help continue the expansion of the Hub of the Americas with more frequencies and destinations for the convenience of our passengers. It will be yet another step in our efforts to increase our capacity to meet passenger demand.”

New MAX 9

Copa Airlines’ new Boeing jet is registered as HP-9918CMP with MSN number 44179/8319. The airframe is brand-spanking-new and completed its first flight less than a month ago on July 24th, data from ch-aviation shows. Copa placed an order for 61 MAX 8 and 9 aircraft back in 2015, in what was the largest financial transaction between a US and a Panamanian company at the time.

HP-9918CMP was ferried to Tocumen International Airport (PTY) in Panama City on its delivery flight from Boeing Field Airport (BFI) in Seattle. The plane embarked on the eight-hour flight just after midnight (YTC time) on August 12th and reached PTY at approximately 07:54 am UTC, according to Flightradar24.

This particular airframe has been taken on a long-term operating lease from US-based lessor Aviation Capital Group (ACG) LLC. More specifically, it is part of a sale-and-leaseback deal between the Panamanian airline and ACG. The lessor has said this agreement will also cover other aircraft, but details on that are scarce at this point. However, HP-9918CMP is Copa’s eighth Boeing plane on lease from ACG, the other seven are all 737-800 variants.

Marine Benoit, ACG Vice President Marketing for the Latin American region, said,

“We are pleased to build on our long-standing relationship with Copa Airlines and to support the airline’s current fleet expansion requirements.”

Simple Flying has written to ACG seeking more details on the new sale-and-lease back agreement. This article will be updated when a response is received.

Updated fleet

Copa Airlines has ambitious plans for the coming years, which largely depend on fleet modernization. The airline currently has 83 active aircraft in its fleet, all Boeing 737s. Copa’s fleet as of today includes six units of the -700 variant, 59 of the -800, and 18 MAX 9s. In addition, the carrier’s consolidated fleet also includes three stored 737-700s and a single -800 freighter airframe.

Copa expects to take another three MAX 9s before the end of this year. 2023 will see another ten brand-new aircraft added to the airline’s fleet, bringing the total number to well above 100. This will also mean Copa Airlines’ 2023 fleet will include more planes than what the carrier flew before the pandemic, signaling a solid recovery.

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What do you make of Copa Airlines’ fleet modernization efforts? Have you ever traveled on their newer MAX airplanes before? Please, share your thoughts in the comments below.