Copa Holdings plans to increase flights to Venezuela
Copa Holdings plans to increase its flights to Venezuela as the nascent economic recovery boosts travel demand, and new connections to Colombia will be opened.
Panama-based Copa Airlines plans to add eight new flights to its existing 35 weekly flights, Copa’s general manager in Venezuela, Roberto Pulido, said Tuesday. These will connect the capital and three other cities in the country with Panama City, he said in an interview published by Bloomberg.
Improving relations between Venezuela and neighboring Colombia are also increasing opportunities for airlines. Copa’s low-cost carrier Wingo is set to resume flights between the two countries once it receives authorization from their governments, he added.
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“Our current occupancy rate is over 80%,” Pulido said. “That’s very high.”
Last June, Copa added the Venezuelan city of Barcelona to its direct destinations from Panama. The route to this eastern city near the oilfields of Anzoátegui and Monagas states is now the fastest-growing in the country, Pulido said.
Other airlines, including Turkish Airlines and Iberia, are also increasing their operations in the country, which is recovering from a seven-year recession. The Venezuelan economy grew by 6% last year, the fastest pace since 2007 according to International Monetary Fund estimates, thanks to the recovery of the oil sector and the easing of U.S. sanctions.
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