Copa Airlines
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| Copa Airlines | ||
|---|---|---|
| IATA CM |
ICAO CMP |
Callsign Copa |
| Founded | 1947 | |
| Hubs | Tocumen International Airport | |
| Frequent flyer program | OnePass | |
| Member lounge | Presidents Club | |
| Fleet size | 29 (+17 ordered) | |
| Destinations | 37 | |
| Parent company | Copa Holdings (NYSE: CPA) | |
| Headquarters | Panama City, Panama | |
| Key people | Stanley Motta (Chairman), Pedro Heilbron (CEO), Victor Vial (CFO) | |
| Website: http://www.copaair.com | ||
Copa Airlines is the national flag airline of Panama. Copa is an acronym of Compañía Panameña de Aviación, meaning Panamanian Aviation Company in Spanish. It is the leading Panamanian airline, operating services to North America, Central America, South America and the Caribbean. It is headquartered in Panama City and makes its hub at Tocumen International Airport.
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[edit] History
The airline was established on 21 June 1944 and started operations on 5 May 1947. It was founded with assistance from Pan American, which took a 32% stake. It began operations with a small fleet of Douglas DC-3/Douglas C-47 aircraft. The airline saw its first international service in the 1960s, when services were inaugurated to cities in Jamaica, Colombia, and Costa Rica. It became wholly Panamanian owned in 1972.
Until the early 1980s, the airline had stiff competition from Air Panama, until then a better known airline to the international public. Copa heightened the competition by acquiring its first jet, a Boeing 737-100, and inaugurating flights to Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport in San Juan, Puerto Rico, as well as to the Dominican Republic and Miami, Florida. The 737 became a staple of the Copa fleet, and until the introduction of the Embraer 190 in 2005, was the only aircraft in its fleet.
Expansion continued during the 1990s, when Copa's 737s began to be sighted at Ministro Pistarini International Airport in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Benitez International Airport in Santiago, Chile, José Martí International Airport in Havana, Cuba, Jorge Chávez International Airport in Lima, Peru, Benito Juárez International Airport in Mexico City, Mexico and many other Latin American airports.
On 19 May 1998, Continental Airlines acquired a 49% stake in the airline, marking the beginning of a comprehensive marketing and operating alliance. Since then, it has adopted a livery and corporate logo which resemble those of Continental, and participates in Continental's OnePass frequent flyer program.
In 2000, Copa inaugurated services to Los Angeles, Cancun, Mexico and Orlando, as well as to São Paulo, Brazil. In 2004 it began service to John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City, and announced, in August of that year, a code-sharing alliance with Mexico's Mexicana de Aviacion.
On June 1, 2005, Copa announced that it had purchased 90% of the Colombian domestic air carrier AeroRepública, having earlier announced plans to codeshare with them. The airline also announced its plans to make AeroRepública the second largest carrier in Colombia after the nation's flag carrier, Avianca. It plans to increase domestic destinations, modernize its fleet, and initiate the airline's first international destinations in late 2005. A few days later it was announced among the four future associate members of Skyteam Alliance, due to
2006 - A year of Great Expansion
In 2006 COPA Airlines announced six new destinations order to assure their importance on the Latin American Aviation. These new destinations where:
- Port of Spain, Trinidad & Tobago
- Santiago de los Caballeros, Dominican Republic
- Maracaibo, Venezuela
- Rio de Janeiro, Brasil
- Manaus, Brasil
- San Pedro Sula, Honduras
Apart from these great news, Copa received new aircraft including several new Embraer 190 and several Boeing 737. Copa Airlines was chosen again in 2006 as one of "The 25 Best Airlines in LatinAmerica" and the "Best Airline in CentralAmerica" bye numerous magazines. It also had more than 2 million passengers carried, with more and more passengers being carried every day.
[edit] Destinations
Copa has more than 36 destinations to cities all around North, Central, South America, and the Caribbean. To see all go to Copa Airlines destinations.
[edit] Fleet
Copa Airlines' fleet consists of:
| Type | Number | Seats | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boeing 737-700NG | 20 | 116 | Longhaul regional routes. |
| Boeing 737-800NG | 4 | 145 | High density routes. |
| Embraer 190 | 6 | 94 | Shorthaul regional routes. |
Future Acquisitions
Apart form the 29 aircraft already delivered in its fleet, Copa Airlines has more than 17 aircraft already ordered, more Boeing 737-700, Boeing 737-800, and the newly added Embraer 190 including these aircraft:
| Type | Number | Seats | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boeing 737-700NG | 1 | 116 | Delivery mid 2007. |
| Boeing 737-800NG | 8 | 145 | First delivery November 2006 until 2009. |
| Embraer 190 | 8 | 94 | First delivery 2007. |
With the aircraft already owned, Copa has the most modern fleet in Latin America and with the new aircraft Copa Airlines maintains it position by having the best and most modern aircraft.
[edit] External link
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