Copa Airlines starts direct flights to Puerto Vallarta

Copa Airlines {NYSE: CPA}, a subsidiary of Copa Holdings, SA, and member of the global airline network Star Alliance, announces that starting December 16, 2018, with two weekly flights, it will begin direct operations between Panama City and Lic. Gustavo Díaz Ordaz International Airport serving the Puerto Vallarta -Riviera Nayarit region, thus adding its fifth destination in Mexico.

This will allow travelers better connectivity to 78 destinations in 32 countries in North, Central, South America and the Caribbean, through the Hub of the Americas in Panama City. On the other hand, Puerto Vallarta-Riviera Nayarit will increase its tourist and commercial potential thanks to the possibility of connecting with Copa Airlines’ extensive network of destinations.

Mauro Arredondo, General Manager of Copa Airlines in Mexico, commented, “For Copa Airlines, Mexico is an important market to continue developing and providing world-class service, connectivity, and punctuality, and with the Panama-Puerto Vallarta-Riviera Nayarit route, It will strengthen the development of the tourism sector as well as commercial and investment opportunities in this important region of southeastern Mexico. ” He also added, “With this new route, the Hub of the Americas at the Tocumen International Airport in Panama, continues to consolidate as the most efficient and best-connected air hub in the Americas.”

Marc Murphy, general director of the Convention and Visitors Bureau of Riviera Nayarit and the Association of Hotels and Motels of Bahía de Banderas said: “The new route Panama – Puerto Vallarta-Riviera Nayarit will bring great benefits for Latin American tourists, since it avoids multiple connections to reach our destination, thus reducing times, distances and costs, while ensuring greater commercial interest on the part of the South American wholesale agencies. ”

For his part, Javier Aranda, general director of Tourism Trust Puerto Vallarta, stressed that “after years of joint promotional work to generate greater knowledge of Bahía de Banderas and its many attractions in South America, we see today the reward with the start of operations of this direct flight, from the hand of a commercial partner of recognized prestige like Copa Airlines “.

Frequencies
The Copa Airlines flight will start with two weekly flights on Thursday and Sunday, departing from Panama City at 09:05 am and arriving at the Vallarta-Nayarit Airport at 1:25 pm (local time). The return flight will depart the same days from Puerto Vallarta at 03:40 p.m., arriving in Panama City at 8:00 p.m. (local time). The route will be operated with a Boeing 737-700 with capacity for 12 passengers in business class and 112 in the main cabin.

Puerto Vallarta & Riviera Nayarit are five destinations that Copa Airlines operates in Mexico: it offers five daily flights between Panama and Mexico City, seven daily flights to Cancun, one daily flight to Guadalajara and four weekly flights to Monterrey. This broad coverage allows Copa Airlines to consolidate its position as one of the leading airlines in connectivity to the Mexican Republic.

About Copa Holdings, SA
Copa Airlines and Copa Airlines Colombia, subsidiaries of Copa Holdings, are the leading airlines in Latin America for passengers and cargo. Airlines currently offer service to 78 destinations in 32 countries, in North, Central and South America and the Caribbean. Throughout 70 years of uninterrupted operations, they have managed to convert the Hub of the Americas, located in Panama, into the leading connection center in all of Latin America. They have one of the youngest and most modern fleets in the industry, consisting of 100 aircraft: 80 Boeing 737 Next-Generation and 20 Embraer-190, and a punctuality close to 90%, one of the best indicators in the industry.

Thanks to this timeliness, Copa Airlines has been recognized by FlightStats, for the fifth consecutive year, as “The most punctual airline in Latin America”, and by the Official Airline Guide of London as “The fourth most punctual airline in the world” for its results obtained in 2017. In 2016, the company was the recipient of the award as the “Leading Airline of Mexico and Central America” in the World Travel Awards. Visit:  www.copa.com