Copa Airlines to Enhance Fleet of Commercial Jetliners

Panama’s Copa Airlines announced today its intention to buy four new Boeing 737 aircraft over the next couple of years. So far this year, the air company has added two more planes to its fleet and is planning to purchase a 737-800 airliner in October and a 737-700 in December.

Copa Airlines CEO Pedro Heilbron spelled out the details of the new purchase and said his company will soon count on twenty Boeing 737-700 and 737-800 aircraft for a grand total of 26 jetliners in 2006.

The revamping of Copa’s fleet will come to a close in February 2005 when the Panamanian company is scheduled to receive its twenty-first plane.

Mr. Heilbron admitted that Copa Airlines is much aware of the need to make the purchase of new planes and the possibility of getting access to new routes go hand in hand every step of the way.

At the same time, Mr. Heilbron welcomed the opportunity of having more flights to Colombia and regretted Colombian President Alvaro Uribe’s recent remarks when he said that “Colombia remains closed to all Panamanian air carriers.”

”That situation ought to change because of the market’s push and due to the high demand of passengers between these two nations, a situation that’s been increasing in recent years as more businesspeople and tourists are traveling between Colombia and Panama,” Mr. Heilbron concluded.