Panama's Copa Airlines Commits to 100+ 737 MAX Fleet Growth with New Boeing Order

Panama – Copa Airlines, the Panamanian flag carrier, has ordered 40 Boeing 737 MAX aircraft with options for an additional 20, in a deal announced at a signing ceremony in Panama attended by President of Panama José Raúl Mulino, Copa Airlines CEO Pedro Heilbron, and Boeing Commercial Airplanes President and CEO Stephanie Pope.

• The order covers 40 firm 737 MAX aircraft with options for up to 20 additional jets, bringing Copa Airlines' planned fleet expansion to more than 100 737 MAX airplanes when combined with its existing order book.
• Copa Airlines operates an all-Boeing 737 fleet of more than 110 aircraft, including Next-Generation 737, 737 MAX, and 737 Boeing Converted Freighters, connecting 88 destinations in 32 countries across North, Central, and South America, and the Caribbean from its Hub of the Americas® in Panama City.
• The fleet expansion of this scale will drive significant pilot training demand across type-rating, recurrent, and new-hire training, with Copa Airlines benefiting from fleet commonality across its all-737 operation to streamline pilot conversion and cross-qualification requirements.
• Boeing's Commercial Market Outlook projects that airlines in Latin America and the Caribbean will require more than 2,300 new airplanes over the next 20 years, with single-aisle jets like the 737 MAX comprising nearly 90% of deliveries — underscoring sustained long-term pilot training demand across the region.
• The agreement builds on more than 40 years of partnership between Boeing and Copa Airlines.

Statements

• "For Copa Airlines, the signing of this agreement represents an important step in further strengthening the operation and connectivity we provide from Panama. The addition of new aircraft will be key to continuing to expand our operations and route network, while supporting the economic development of Panama and the region," said Pedro Heilbron, CEO of Copa Airlines.
• "This major order builds on more than 40 years of partnership with Copa and the airline's history of success with the Boeing 737 family. The additional 737 MAX aircraft will help Copa maintain one of the world's youngest and most capable fleets," said Stephanie Pope, President and CEO of Boeing Commercial Airplanes.

Source: Boeing/Copa Airlines