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Copa Airlines was founded in 1947 by a group of visionary Panamanian entrepreneurs with technical and financial support from Pan American Airways. Established as Compañia Panameña de Aviacion, S.A. (COPA), the airline began operations with a team of 24 employees, serving domestic routes to three cities in Panama using a fleet of three Douglas C-47 aircraft.
Shortly after its founding, Copa expanded internationally with the launch of service to Guatemala. By 1977, the airline’s route network had grown to cover destinations across Central America and two cities in Colombia. In response to changing market conditions, Copa discontinued all domestic flights by 1980, becoming an exclusively international airline.
During the 1980s, Copa modernized its fleet by acquiring its first Boeing 737-100 aircraft. New destinations were added, including Cartagena, Port-au-Prince, Santo Domingo, Kingston, San Juan, and Miami. The airline also introduced a versatile Boeing 737-200 "combo" aircraft capable of transporting passengers, cargo, or both—marking the beginning of dedicated cargo operations to select destinations in the Caribbean and Central America.
The 1990s saw continued growth, with new routes launched to Mexico City, Santiago, Cali, Bogotá, Montego Bay, Quito, Guayaquil, Lima, Buenos Aires, and Havana. Copa Cargo established daily cargo service to Miami and weekly flights to Bogotá, Medellin, and Cali, strengthening its logistics network across Central America, the Caribbean, and Colombia.
In 1997, Copa Cargo moved its operations in Panama to the Panama Air Cargo Terminal, one of the region’s most advanced airfreight facilities, significantly enhancing service efficiency. A year later, in 1998, Continental Airlines acquired a 49% stake in Copa Airlines, forming one of the most important commercial alliances in Latin American aviation. By May 1999, Copa introduced the state-of-the-art Boeing 737-700 Next Generation aircraft into its fleet.
Between 2000 and 2005, Copa Airlines continued its strategic expansion, increasing flight frequencies and adding new destinations such as Cancun, Orlando, São Paulo, Los Angeles, and San Andrés.
Today, Copa Airlines operates a fleet of Boeing 737-700 and 737-800 aircraft, each with an average cargo capacity of 3,000 kilograms. The airline transports approximately 75,000 kilograms of cargo, mail, and courier items daily. These services are supported by a dedicated cargo fleet of Boeing 737-200, 727-100, and 727-200 aircraft with scheduled cargo flights to San José, Managua, El Salvador, Guatemala, Santo Domingo, Kingston, Bogotá, Cali, Medellin, and Guayaquil. Charter cargo services are also available throughout the region.
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