Panama’s flag carrier Copa Airlines is an all-Boeing 737 operator

This year, Panamanian flag carrier Copa Airlines will mark 75 years of service, having commenced operations in August 1947. An all-Boeing 737-operator, Copa presently has more than 80 aircraft at its disposal. Let’s take a look at the different models that it flies.

Two Boeing 737NG variants
According to data from ATDB.aero, there are presently 82 aircraft in Copa Airlines’ fleet. The extensive database also notes that an 83rd, a Boeing 737-800 registered as HP-1715CMP, is presently out on lease to Colombian low-cost carrier Wingo.

Despite this jet’s absence, the 737-800 is still the dominant variant at Copa Airlines, with 59 examples present, of which all are presently listed as being active. They are 8.9 years old on average, and account for more than 70% of the Panamanian flag carrier’s total fleet. The 737-800 is one of two variants from the 737NG (‘Next Generation’) family that Copa flies, with the other being the 737-700.

This version of Boeing’s popular narrowbody family is far less numerous, with just six examples present. These twinjets have an older average age of 17.1 years. Despite their age, Copa has committed to upgrades for its 737NG aircraft. These consist of new wheels and carbon brakes, as Simple Flying reported last year.

The 737 MAX at Copa
In recent years, Copa has also begun modernizing its fleet with the addition of aircraft from the next-generation Boeing 737 MAX family. It will eventually operate three of the four variants of this next-generation narrowbody. However, it currently only flies one: the MAX 9, of which, there are presently 17 examples in Copa’s fleet.

All of these aircraft are currently listed as being active, and they have a much younger average age of just 1.8 years old. Going forward, the Panamanian flag carrier will receive a further 9 MAX 9s, bringing its total to 26.

Simple Flying reported in November 2021 that Copa was aiming to accelerate its remaining deliveries for Boeing’s new 737 MAX series. Its other orders for the type consist of 22 examples of the MAX 8, and 8 examples of the stretched-fuselage MAX 10. This leaves the MAX 7 as the only variant it hasn’t ordered.

Copa will eventually operate three 737 MAX variants.

The airline industry is always full of new developments! What aviation news will you check out next?

A single converted freighter
Copa also previously operated a single cargo aircraft, namely another 737-800. ATDB.aero shows that it converted this jet, which bears the registration HP-1522CMP, from one of its own passenger-carrying examples between August and December last year. This took place at Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport (CAN).

According to data from RadarBox.com, the aircraft flew from its Tocumen hub to Guangzhou via Los Angeles, Anchorage, and Tokyo. Meanwhile, its return journey took it via Seoul, before repeating its stops (albeit in reverse order, of course) in Alaska and California. The 18-year-old jet now flies for Wingo.

https://simpleflying.com