Meet The Winners: Copa Airlines

Speaking at Routes Americas 2025 in Nassau & Paradise Island, Copa Airlines reflected on being named the winner of the Airline category at the Routes Awards and highlighted the strategy behind its success.

Copa Airlines expanded its network to 85 destinations across 32 countries in 2024, introducing new destinations such as Raleigh-Durham International Airport (RDU), U.S.; Florianópolis–Hercílio Luz International Airport (FLN), Brazil; and Tulum Airport (TQO), Mexico.

Amid shifting market dynamics, regulatory changes, and operational challenges, Copa has demonstrated resilience and adaptability. These efforts have led to a 10.5% year-over-year increase in available seat miles.

The airline, Panama’s flag carrier, recently announced the launch of a four-times-weekly route between San Diego International Airport (SAN) and Tocumen International Airport (PTY), set to begin in June 2025. This will be Copa’s third destination in California. Additionally, Copa plans to expand service to Boston in April 2025 to meet growing passenger demand.

During Routes Americas 2025, Gabriel Varela, Copa Airlines' senior director of planning and alliances, spoke about receiving the Routes Award: “We were hopeful but knew it would be a close competition. We have a great team that comes to the meetings but also a fantastic team back in Panama that spends a lot of time on the analysis. It’s a result of their work so I’m thankful to them and we’re happy to receive this recognition.”

Varela emphasized that Copa’s strong relationships with airport and tourism authority partners have enhanced the efficiency of its network and operations. “The conference has been great, and we’ve had two fully packed tables with productive meetings and the destination has been awesome,” he added.