Panama’s Copa Airlines launched a nonstop flight four times a week to Atlanta last weekend, competing directly with Delta Air Lines Inc. on the route and offering one-stop access to an array of destinations across Latin America.
Copa was welcomed with a water-cannon salute at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport Sunday, Dec. 12, where officials marked the arrival at gate F14 with a press event where they cut a cake topped with a likeness of Copa’s Boeing 737-800.
The flight has 16 business-class seats and 138 in the main cabin, taking off from Panama’s Tocumen International Airport in the mornings on Tuesday, Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday, returning on those same evenings from Atlanta.
The fact that the flight arrived at the international terminal in Atlanta is significant at this moment, given that Copa is the first international carrier to announce new service since the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic.
It represents an expansion of options for Atlanta business travelers seeking deeper access into cities beyond the major economic hubs and Latin American capitals Delta often serves directly from Atlanta.
The hometown carrier has served Panama City and cities like Bogota, Colombia, for years but lacking codeshare partners on the ground has been unable to forward one-stop transfers into the interior cities of many large Latin American economies. Better connectivity in the region is one reason Delta is seeking a 10 percent stake in LATAM Airlines as it comes out of bankruptcy restructuring.
“Copa Airlines is excited to have begun flights to and from Atlanta and connect this rich and dynamic city with not only big cities but also the unique, underserved secondary destinations in Latin America,” said David DeFossey, regional sales manager for North America at Copa Airlines, in a news release.
Copa serves 68 destinations in 29 countries in the Americas.
“As the world’s busiest and most efficient airport, we are excited that Copa Airlines will add to our travelers’ choice of expanded connectivity from Georgia to Central and South America,” said Balram “B” Bheodari, general manager at Hartsfield-Jackson. We look forward to a long and successful partnership with Copa Airlines.”