Panama’s Copa Airlines poised for more rapid expansion and industry-leading profits

This is the second in a two-part series of reports on the fast-growing Panamanian market. The first part looked at the opportunities for growth in Panama's under-served long-haul market as in Nov-2013 Air France will become only the third carrier operating widebody services to Panama, joining KLM and Iberia.

This part looks at the outlook for Panama-based Copa Airlines, which currently accounts for 86% of seat capacity at Panama City and continues to pursue rapid expansion. Copa has emerged as the leading carrier in the intra-Latin America market and has consistently been one of the world's most profitable airline groups.

Copa has successfully leveraged Panama's strategic location in the middle of the Americas region and the superior infrastructure of Panama's Tocumen Airport compared with other Latin American hubs. Copa Holdings is focusing on more rapid international short/medium-haul growth as it further cuts its domestic operation in Colombia and continues to rely on partner carriers to serve markets beyond the Americas.