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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
Copa Airlines has officially become the Felipe Ángeles International Airport's (NLU) third international airline. On Monday, the Panamanian flag carrier launched its newest route from Tocumen International Airport (PTY) and now serves five destinations, all across Mexico.
The new route
On Monday, Copa Airlines operated flight CM119 for the first time, landing at the Felipe Ángeles International Airport, located north of Mexico City. By launching this new route, Copa became the third international carrier in this hub (and sixth overall), following the steps of Conviasa (Venezuela) and Arajet (the Dominican Republic).
The service between Panama City and Mexico City will have three flights per week on Mondays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. This route is in addition to the service Copa Airlines offers to Mexico City Benito Juárez International (MEX), on which it currently operates 32 flights per week. Maria Luisa Navarro, senior director of government relations for Copa Airlines, said,
“We are pleased to continue increasing the offer and strengthening the air connectivity between Mexico and Panama and the rest of Latin America and the Caribbean. Through the inauguration of this new option for Mexico City and its metropolitan area, we seek to offer a variety of international connections in a safe way and a world-class service while contributing to the development of tourism and economic activity in these areas.”
The Felipe Ángeles Airport was opened in March 2022 to decongest Mexico City’s airspace.
Copa Airlines flights
Copa Airlines currently offers flights to 76 destinations across the Americas. It employs Tocumen Airport, also known as the ‘Hub of the Americas,’ as a connectivity center between North America, the Caribbean, and South America.
Weekly, Copa Airlines offer around 2,064 flights, according to data provided by Cirium. It offers passenger flights to every country in the Americas, from a weekly-high 58 services to San José (SJO), Costa Rica, to one flight per week to Belize City (BZE).
NLU’s services
In October, NLU will offer 206 weekly flights per Cirium. The airport will be connected to 17 destinations, primarily domestic. NLU has slowly been increasing its connectivity in the last few months.
In August, the Felipe Angeles Airport received 49,919 passengers, growing compared to July. It received 14,802 additional passengers compared to the previous month. This traffic stat was an all-time record for the airport.
Find the latest South American aviation news here
Copa Airlines aircraft stuck at Tocumen
On Sunday night, a Copa Airlines Boeing 737 ran off the runway in Panama City. The flight landing from Mexico City had 159 passengers and seven crew members. There were zero injuries reported due to this incident, which may have been caused by bad weather at Tocumen.
Between Monday and Tuesday, Tocumen airport authorities have been working to remove the aircraft that suffered the runway excursion. Runway 03R remains closed, and all flights are landing and departing from runway 03L, said the airport in a statement.
On Tuesday morning, Tocumen briefly suspended all commercial flights and diverted some incoming services due to bad weather.
Have you traveled with Copa Airlines? How was the experience? Let us know in the comments below.