Copa Airlines to focus on adding capacity to existing markets

Media reports recently indicated that Copa Airlines is planning to aim for a slightly more modest ASK growth of 14 percent in 2013. The reports also stated that Panama’s flagship carrier Copa Airlines will be focusing more on adding capacity to its existing markets this year.

Copa Airlines has only added Boston as its new destination so far this year. This only destination to be added on the airline’s network was introduced on July 11, 2013. The airline has since been operating one daily flight to Boston.

Aimed at including more destinations on its network, Copa Airlines has announced that it will be launching flights to Tampa starting from December 16, 2013. The airline will be operating four flights every week on this route.

With Boston and Tampa on its flight network now this year, Copa Airlines will be offering services to 66 destinations. The airline will be serving 63 destinations from the Panamanian capital Panama City, and nine destinations in the United States.

Copa Airlines said that its ASKs increased 19 percent y-o-y in H1 2013. The airline further said that its RPKs were up 20 percent during the same period this year, while its load factor also improved by 0.7 point to 76 percent. According to the airline, the H1 results are a strong indication of the buoyant demand in the intra-Latin American market.

Copa Airlines succeeded in its capacity expansion this year with the help of seven newly purchased Boeing 737-800 aircrafts. In 2013, the airline has so far 83 aircrafts in its fleet and plans to increase it to 90 aircrafts by the end of this year.