Copa Airlines Colombia
Encyclopedia
AeroRepública S.A., operating as Copa Airlines Colombia, is an airline
based in Bogotá
, Colombia
. It is the third largest air carrier in Colombia
. It operates scheduled services from Bogotá to 11 domestic destinations, Panama
, Venezuela
, Cuba
, Mexico
, Guatemala
and Ecuador
as well as charter services to domestic destinations, the United States and the Caribbean. Its main base is El Dorado International Airport
, Bogotá, with a focus city at José María Córdova International Airport
, Medellín
.
in years. The initiative was echoed and achieved concrete the support of banks and business groups in Colombia and the United States.
The result of this process was the start of operations of AeroRepublica in June 1993 with 727-100 aircraft painted with the colors of the flag of Colombia (yellow, blue and red), initially flying from Bogotá
to cities of the Colombian coast as Santa Marta, Cartagena and San Andres. Precisely in Santa Marta accelerated the market significantly, gaining honorable mention by the mayor of the city and the government of Magdalena.
AeroRepublica continued to expand, reaching new cities of country like Cali
, Medellín
, Barranquilla
, Montería
, and Leticia, among others. Just as in Santa Marta
, Leticia AeroRepublica arrival meant an important dynamic of the market which resulted in a drop in price very important at the time. Alongside all this, changed its fleet of 727-100 aircraft by McDonnell-Douglas DC-9-30 from Continental Airlines
and Alitalia
raided while flying in the international market to Havana
and other places in charter form.
Despite having a very good safety record, it had in its history only two notable incidents (recorded in Cali on January 8, 2005 and in Santa Marta on July 17, 2007) in which there were no deaths or injuries. During the 90s AeroRepublica had a bad reputation in Colombia due to the constant mechanical problems, punctuality and general disorder that had the Carrier, and as a consequence, some passengers commented that the airline's name was becoming known as "AeroRecocha" referring specifically to these factors. AeroRepublica was then a radical change in their business processes in its image and its fleet, its advertising slogan was "Live the Change" to reflect this.
He began to bring their aircraft fleet McDonnell-Douglas MD-80, changed their colors and reorganized its route map, leaving to fly to destinations such as Carthage. All these positive changes were noticed by the public and the nickname "AeroRecocha", which gave to the airline many negative reviews, was withdrawn after these changes were made. Today AeroRepublica has no mechanical problems of timeliness or those who may have an average airline, and has sometimes led these statistics at national level.
The past decade was a great movement in the Colombian Aviation and Copa Airlines of Panama was interested in entering the domestic market by acquiring one of the local airlines, the local airline was AeroRepublica (despite having been involved initially in the auction process by the country's flag carrier, Avianca
). With this acquisition came a new series of corporate changes and AeroRepublica fleet. Alfonso Avila Velandia left the presidency of the airline that helped position and instead was aimed at Roberto Junguito, changed new corporate image for a nearly equal to the Cup and started the replacement of the fleet of MD-80 aircraft by making an order of 20 modern Embraer 190, 10 orders for the Boeing 737-800 and taking in 10 of the 18 older Boeing 737-700 from Copa Airlines fleet to their fleet, a process that begun in January 2010 with the departure from service of the last MD-80 of their fleet, after operating this type of aircraft for over 8 years and when the firsts EMB-190 and the two first older Boeing 737-700 from Copa Panama arrived. Anecdotally, in early 2007 AeroRepublica Embraer 190 took a Enrique Olaya Herrera Airport in Medellín for demonstration, although current regulations an aircraft of that capacity can not operate from this airport.
In addition to this there has been further consolidation in the domestic routes and began expanding internationally again, serving initially at Quito
, Caracas
and Panama City
and other cities, but future projections to other cities including Miami and São Paulo
. In August 2010, Aero Republica announced plans to start services to Mexico
and Cuba
.
In October 2010, Copa Holdings
changed the name from Aero Republica to Copa Airlines Colombia, unifying the brand.
Copa Airlines Colombia fleet modernization and expansion plan includes firm orders for 4 additional Embraer
190 aircraft (3 signed from GECAS and 1 from manufacturer), as well as options for 20 additional aircraft.
On 18 October 2006, Copa Airlines Colombia announced that it had signed with GE Commercial Aviation Services (GECAS) a lease agreement for an E-190 aircraft to be delivered in the fourth quarter of 2007. This agreement increases Copa Airlines Colombia delivery commitments to eight Embraer E-190 aircraft through 2007, three of which will be leased through GECAS and five purchased directly form the manufacturer. In addition to these commitments,Copa Airlines Colombia has options and purchase rights for twenty additional E-190 aircraft through 2011.
. Customers accumulate miles from flight segments they fly through Copa Airlines Colombia, Copa Airlines, Continental Airlines or other partners. OnePass elite tiers are Silver, Gold, and Platinum Elite which have benefits such as mileage bonus, priority check-in, priority seats and priority boarding. The airline will terminate its OnePass program by December 31, 2011 and will use United's Mileage Plus frequent flyer program in 2012.
(This list does not include Star Alliance airlines) AeroMéxico
Copa Airlines
Cubana de Aviación
Gol Transportes Aéreos
Continental Airlines
United Airlines
KLM TAME
(January 2011)
Airline
An airline provides air transport services for traveling passengers and freight. Airlines lease or own their aircraft with which to supply these services and may form partnerships or alliances with other airlines for mutual benefit...
based in Bogotá
Bogotá
Bogotá, Distrito Capital , from 1991 to 2000 called Santa Fé de Bogotá, is the capital, and largest city, of Colombia. It is also designated by the national constitution as the capital of the department of Cundinamarca, even though the city of Bogotá now comprises an independent Capital district...
, Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
. It is the third largest air carrier in Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
. It operates scheduled services from Bogotá to 11 domestic destinations, Panama
Panama
Panama , officially the Republic of Panama , is the southernmost country of Central America. Situated on the isthmus connecting North and South America, it is bordered by Costa Rica to the northwest, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The...
, Venezuela
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
, Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
, Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, Guatemala
Guatemala
Guatemala is a country in Central America bordered by Mexico to the north and west, the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, Belize to the northeast, the Caribbean to the east, and Honduras and El Salvador to the southeast...
and Ecuador
Ecuador
Ecuador , officially the Republic of Ecuador is a representative democratic republic in South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and by the Pacific Ocean to the west. It is one of only two countries in South America, along with Chile, that do not have a border...
as well as charter services to domestic destinations, the United States and the Caribbean. Its main base is El Dorado International Airport
El Dorado International Airport
El Dorado International Airport is an international airport located in Bogotá, Colombia. It is the largest Latin America airport in terms of cargo movements with 593,946 tons and the third in terms of passenger traffic, only behind São Paulo-Guarulhos International Airport and Mexico City's...
, Bogotá, with a focus city at José María Córdova International Airport
José María Córdova International Airport
José María Córdova International Airport is the main airport serving the Colombian city of Medellín and its surrounding metropolitan area. The airport is located about 30 minutes from the urban area by the new Las Palmas express way, in the municipality of Rionegro...
, Medellín
Medellín
Medellín , officially the Municipio de Medellín or Municipality of Medellín, is the second largest city in Colombia. It is in the Aburrá Valley, one of the more northerly of the Andes in South America. It has a population of 2.3 million...
.
History
During the early years of the 90s was immersed in Colombia's economic liberalization policy of President Cesar Gaviria, and although there were many problems and obstacles, under the leadership of Alfonso Avila Velandia who had worked in the airline industry before and Amos Ginor, discussions and negotiations began in 1992 to create Aero Republica, the first airline to be created in ColombiaColombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
in years. The initiative was echoed and achieved concrete the support of banks and business groups in Colombia and the United States.
The result of this process was the start of operations of AeroRepublica in June 1993 with 727-100 aircraft painted with the colors of the flag of Colombia (yellow, blue and red), initially flying from Bogotá
Bogotá
Bogotá, Distrito Capital , from 1991 to 2000 called Santa Fé de Bogotá, is the capital, and largest city, of Colombia. It is also designated by the national constitution as the capital of the department of Cundinamarca, even though the city of Bogotá now comprises an independent Capital district...
to cities of the Colombian coast as Santa Marta, Cartagena and San Andres. Precisely in Santa Marta accelerated the market significantly, gaining honorable mention by the mayor of the city and the government of Magdalena.
AeroRepublica continued to expand, reaching new cities of country like Cali
Calì
Calì, also written in English as Cali, is an Italian surname, widespread mainly in the Ionian side of Sicily.For the surname Calì is assumed the origin of the Greek word kalos , or from its Sanskrit root kali, "time."The surname refers to:...
, Medellín
Medellín
Medellín , officially the Municipio de Medellín or Municipality of Medellín, is the second largest city in Colombia. It is in the Aburrá Valley, one of the more northerly of the Andes in South America. It has a population of 2.3 million...
, Barranquilla
Barranquilla
Barranquilla is an industrial port city and municipality located in northern Colombia, near the Caribbean Sea. The capital of the Atlántico Department, it is the largest industrial city and port in the Colombian Caribbean region with a population of 1,148,506 as of 2005, which makes it Colombia's...
, Montería
Montería
Montería is a municipality and city located in Northern Colombia and is the capital of the Department of Córdoba. The city is located away from the Caribbean, by the Sinú River. The city and region are famous for their distinct cultural heritages, which include a blend of indigenous Zenú Indians,...
, and Leticia, among others. Just as in Santa Marta
Santa Marta
Santa Marta is the capital city of the Colombian department of Magdalena in the Caribbean Region. It was founded in July 29, 1525 by the Spanish conqueror Rodrigo de Bastidas, which makes it the oldest remaining city in Colombia...
, Leticia AeroRepublica arrival meant an important dynamic of the market which resulted in a drop in price very important at the time. Alongside all this, changed its fleet of 727-100 aircraft by McDonnell-Douglas DC-9-30 from Continental Airlines
Continental Airlines
Continental Airlines was a major American airline now merged with United Airlines. On May 3, 2010, Continental Airlines, Inc. and UAL, Inc. announced a merger via a stock swap, and on October 1, 2010, the merger closed and UAL changed its name to United Continental Holdings, Inc...
and Alitalia
Alitalia
Alitalia - Linee Aeree Italiane S.p.A. , in its later stages known as Alitalia - Linee Aeree Italiane S.p.A. in Extraordinary Administration, was the former Italian flag carrier...
raided while flying in the international market to Havana
Havana
Havana is the capital city, province, major port, and leading commercial centre of Cuba. The city proper has a population of 2.1 million inhabitants, and it spans a total of — making it the largest city in the Caribbean region, and the most populous...
and other places in charter form.
Despite having a very good safety record, it had in its history only two notable incidents (recorded in Cali on January 8, 2005 and in Santa Marta on July 17, 2007) in which there were no deaths or injuries. During the 90s AeroRepublica had a bad reputation in Colombia due to the constant mechanical problems, punctuality and general disorder that had the Carrier, and as a consequence, some passengers commented that the airline's name was becoming known as "AeroRecocha" referring specifically to these factors. AeroRepublica was then a radical change in their business processes in its image and its fleet, its advertising slogan was "Live the Change" to reflect this.
He began to bring their aircraft fleet McDonnell-Douglas MD-80, changed their colors and reorganized its route map, leaving to fly to destinations such as Carthage. All these positive changes were noticed by the public and the nickname "AeroRecocha", which gave to the airline many negative reviews, was withdrawn after these changes were made. Today AeroRepublica has no mechanical problems of timeliness or those who may have an average airline, and has sometimes led these statistics at national level.
The past decade was a great movement in the Colombian Aviation and Copa Airlines of Panama was interested in entering the domestic market by acquiring one of the local airlines, the local airline was AeroRepublica (despite having been involved initially in the auction process by the country's flag carrier, Avianca
Avianca
Avianca S.A. is the flag carrier airline of Colombia since December 5, 1919 when it was initially registered under the name SCADTA. It is headquartered in Bogotá, D.C. with its hub at the El Dorado International Airport...
). With this acquisition came a new series of corporate changes and AeroRepublica fleet. Alfonso Avila Velandia left the presidency of the airline that helped position and instead was aimed at Roberto Junguito, changed new corporate image for a nearly equal to the Cup and started the replacement of the fleet of MD-80 aircraft by making an order of 20 modern Embraer 190, 10 orders for the Boeing 737-800 and taking in 10 of the 18 older Boeing 737-700 from Copa Airlines fleet to their fleet, a process that begun in January 2010 with the departure from service of the last MD-80 of their fleet, after operating this type of aircraft for over 8 years and when the firsts EMB-190 and the two first older Boeing 737-700 from Copa Panama arrived. Anecdotally, in early 2007 AeroRepublica Embraer 190 took a Enrique Olaya Herrera Airport in Medellín for demonstration, although current regulations an aircraft of that capacity can not operate from this airport.
In addition to this there has been further consolidation in the domestic routes and began expanding internationally again, serving initially at Quito
Quito
San Francisco de Quito, most often called Quito , is the capital city of Ecuador in northwestern South America. It is located in north-central Ecuador in the Guayllabamba river basin, on the eastern slopes of Pichincha, an active stratovolcano in the Andes mountains...
, Caracas
Caracas
Caracas , officially Santiago de León de Caracas, is the capital and largest city of Venezuela; natives or residents are known as Caraquenians in English . It is located in the northern part of the country, following the contours of the narrow Caracas Valley on the Venezuelan coastal mountain range...
and Panama City
Panama City
Panama is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Panama. It has a population of 880,691, with a total metro population of 1,272,672, and it is located at the Pacific entrance of the Panama Canal, in the province of the same name. The city is the political and administrative center of the...
and other cities, but future projections to other cities including Miami and São Paulo
São Paulo
São Paulo is the largest city in Brazil, the largest city in the southern hemisphere and South America, and the world's seventh largest city by population. The metropolis is anchor to the São Paulo metropolitan area, ranked as the second-most populous metropolitan area in the Americas and among...
. In August 2010, Aero Republica announced plans to start services to Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
and Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
.
In October 2010, Copa Holdings
Copa Holdings
Copa Holdings, S.A. is a publicly traded foreign private issuer listed on the New York Stock Exchange and parent company of Panamanian carrier Copa Airlines and Colombian carrier Copa Airlines Colombia...
changed the name from Aero Republica to Copa Airlines Colombia, unifying the brand.
Fleet
Copa Airlines Colombia fleet consists of the following aircraft (at June 2010):| Aircraft | In Fleet | Orders | Passengers | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| J | Y | Total | ||||
| Embraer 190AR | 2 | 0 | 84 | 94 | ||
| Embraer 190LR | 12 | 20 | 0 | 106 | 106 | |
| Boeing 737-700 | 2 | 10 | 12 | 112 | 124 | |
| Boeing 737-800 | 0 | 10 | ||||
| Total | 16 | 40 | ||||
Copa Airlines Colombia fleet modernization and expansion plan includes firm orders for 4 additional Embraer
Embraer
Embraer S.A. is a Brazilian aerospace conglomerate that produces commercial, military, and executive aircraft and provides aeronautical services....
190 aircraft (3 signed from GECAS and 1 from manufacturer), as well as options for 20 additional aircraft.
On 18 October 2006, Copa Airlines Colombia announced that it had signed with GE Commercial Aviation Services (GECAS) a lease agreement for an E-190 aircraft to be delivered in the fourth quarter of 2007. This agreement increases Copa Airlines Colombia delivery commitments to eight Embraer E-190 aircraft through 2007, three of which will be leased through GECAS and five purchased directly form the manufacturer. In addition to these commitments,Copa Airlines Colombia has options and purchase rights for twenty additional E-190 aircraft through 2011.
OnePass
OnePass is the Copa Airlines Colombia frequent flyer program through a partnership with Continental AirlinesContinental Airlines
Continental Airlines was a major American airline now merged with United Airlines. On May 3, 2010, Continental Airlines, Inc. and UAL, Inc. announced a merger via a stock swap, and on October 1, 2010, the merger closed and UAL changed its name to United Continental Holdings, Inc...
. Customers accumulate miles from flight segments they fly through Copa Airlines Colombia, Copa Airlines, Continental Airlines or other partners. OnePass elite tiers are Silver, Gold, and Platinum Elite which have benefits such as mileage bonus, priority check-in, priority seats and priority boarding. The airline will terminate its OnePass program by December 31, 2011 and will use United's Mileage Plus frequent flyer program in 2012.
Codeshare agreements
Copa Airlines has codeshare agreements with the following airlines:(This list does not include Star Alliance airlines) AeroMéxico
Aeroméxico
Airways of Mexico, SA de CV , operating as Aeroméxico, is the flag carrier airline of Mexico based in Colonia Cuauhtémoc, Cuauhtémoc, Mexico City. It operates scheduled domestic and international services to North America, South America, Central America and the Caribbean, Europe, and Asia...
Copa Airlines
Copa Airlines
Compañía Panameña de Aviación, S.A., operating as Copa Airlines ', is an airline based in Panama City, Panama, and serves as Panama's flag carrier...
Cubana de Aviación
Cubana de Aviación
Cubana de Aviación S.A., commonly known as Cubana, is Cuba's largest airline and flag carrier. The airline was founded on 8 October 1929, and has its corporate headquarters in Havana. Its main base is at José Martí International Airport...
Gol Transportes Aéreos
Gol Transportes Aéreos
Gol Transportes Aéreos is a Brazilian airline based in Comandante Lineu Gomes Square, São Paulo City, Brazil....
Continental Airlines
Continental Airlines
Continental Airlines was a major American airline now merged with United Airlines. On May 3, 2010, Continental Airlines, Inc. and UAL, Inc. announced a merger via a stock swap, and on October 1, 2010, the merger closed and UAL changed its name to United Continental Holdings, Inc...
United Airlines
United Airlines
United Air Lines, Inc., is the world's largest airline with 86,852 employees United Air Lines, Inc., is the world's largest airline with 86,852 employees United Air Lines, Inc., is the world's largest airline with 86,852 employees (which includes the entire holding company United Continental...
KLM TAME
Tame
Tame may refer to:*Taming, the act of domesticating wild animals*River Tame, Greater Manchester*River Tame, West Midlands and the Tame Valley*Tame, Arauca, a Colombian town and municipality...
(January 2011)
Incidents and accidents
- On 8 January 2005 an AeroRepública McDonnell Douglas MD-83 aircraftAircraftAn aircraft is a vehicle that is able to fly by gaining support from the air, or, in general, the atmosphere of a planet. An aircraft counters the force of gravity by using either static lift or by using the dynamic lift of an airfoil, or in a few cases the downward thrust from jet engines.Although...
overran the runway at CaliCalìCalì, also written in English as Cali, is an Italian surname, widespread mainly in the Ionian side of Sicily.For the surname Calì is assumed the origin of the Greek word kalos , or from its Sanskrit root kali, "time."The surname refers to:...
's Alfonso Bonilla Aragón International AirportAlfonso Bonilla Aragón International Airport-Cargo airlines:-Accidents and incidents :*On 3 May, Douglas C-47B FAC-1126 of SATENA was damaged beyond repair in an accident at Palmaseca Airport.*On 21 January 1974, a Vickers Viscount of Aeropesca Colombia was hijacked and diverted to Cali....
, ColombiaColombiaColombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
, and the landing gear separated. There were no fatalities among the 6 crew and 164 passengers.
- On 17 July 2007, AeroRepública flight 7330, an Embraer ERJ-190Embraer E-JetsThe Embraer E-Jets are a series of narrow-body, twin-engine, medium-range, jet airliners produced by Embraer, a Brazilian aerospace conglomerate that produces commercial, military, and corporate aircraft. Announced at the Paris Air Show in 1999, and entering production in 2002, the aircraft series...
aircraft, overshot the runway at Simón Bolívar International Airport in Santa MartaSanta MartaSanta Marta is the capital city of the Colombian department of Magdalena in the Caribbean Region. It was founded in July 29, 1525 by the Spanish conqueror Rodrigo de Bastidas, which makes it the oldest remaining city in Colombia...
, went down an embankment, and ended up with the front end of the aircraft in the ocean. There were no fatalities.