More international flights are coming to the Raleigh Durham International Airport this summer. 

Copa Airlines is set to bring direct flights to Panama City, Panama in June.

Friday the airline’s CEO, Pedro Heilbron, spoke with the Regional Transportation Alliance and other organizations at the Umstead Hotel about the plans and how it will benefit the Raleigh and Durham areas. 

“It’s an amazing destination from the location of part of the Research Triangle,” said Heilbron. “There’s a lot of tourists here that are going to come to Panama and corporations and there will be a lot of Panamanians that will come here for tourism, business and education.” 

The airline is just one of many new destinations to the airport as it continues to expand. 

This summer Lufthansa will begin offering service from RDU to Frankfurt, Germany. 

There are also plans in the works to provide nonstop flights to Mexico City, Mexico on Aeromexico in July.

It all comes as RDU is seeing record travel numbers.

The airport saw over 1.2 million travelers through the airport during the spring break season, that’s a 7 percent increase compared to last year.

“We connect all of Latin America, Central America, and the Caribbean and now we’re going to be connecting it with a region that no one else serves from Latin America and that’s what makes it so special and unique for us,” said Heilborn. 

Service to Panama City, Panama on Copa Airlines begins June 21st.