AAirlines

Copa Airlines Highlights the Value of Women’s Participation in Aviation

Follow us on social media and always stay updated

In the month of International Women’s Day, Copa Airlines is promoting a series of initiatives that seek to highlight the value of women’s role in the development of the aviation industry, reaffirming its IATA Commitment 25 by 2025, which seeks greater participation of women at all levels and in non-traditional roles. Signatory airlines are committed to increasing female representation by 25% by 2025 in areas where women are traditionally underrepresented, such as pilots and aviation technicians.

→ Copa Airlines Announces Flights to Santa Marta, Colombia, Beginning in June.

“At Copa, we recognize the value that women bring to the aviation industry. For this reason, we are pleased to offer more and more opportunities in positions that traditionally were not occupied by women, but today we see how they have demonstrated that when you set your mind to it, there are no goals that cannot be achieved. We are proud to count on each of the thousands of female employees who work every day, committed to providing a professional and world-class service, contributing to the development of our country,” said Pedro Heilbron, CEO of Copa Airlines.

This March was the first Copa Airlines flight prepared and crewed 100% by Panamanian women with diverse profiles, and highly qualified in their different professions, demonstrating that there are no limits for women to occupy technical positions of importance to the operation, such as aerospace engineering, pilots, auxiliary crew, logistics, flight dispatch and tracking, airport operational personnel, among others. The ELEVA MUJER CM270 flight to Cancun, Mexico, was successfully operated by a committed and passionate team demonstrating that there are no limits for a woman to reach her goals.

In recognition of the work of Copa Airlines’ women and professionals, MOVErse Foundation Panama invited Copa Airlines to be part of the 10th edition of the prestigious “Women’s Film Week,” organized by UN Women in Jordan, to represent the country from the Panamanian Embassy in Jordan. This year, 13 inspiring documentaries were presented, telling the stories of women as agents of change in environmental sustainability.

→ Copa Airlines announces new route to Barcelona (Venezuela) starting in June.

During the meeting, held on March 9, the documentary produced in conjunction with Movimiento Creativo, “Women Flying Dreams” was presented, which highlights the professional growth story of three women, leaders of Copa Airlines, protagonists of the planning and implementation of initiatives and programs of the airline to balance its operational growth in a sustainable manner, fulfilling its commitment to reduce its carbon footprint and its impact on the environment.

“Offering equal opportunities where all employees, regardless of gender, race, sexual orientation or religion, can grow, contribute their skills and ideas, and reach their full potential, is key to our sustainability strategy as a company. For this reason, we created the ELEVA program, which has initiatives that promote and encourage equality, diversity and inclusion in all aspects of work life at Copa Airlines. One of its pillars is ELEVA Mujer, which seeks to empower and develop women leaders in non-traditional positions of relevance to the industry,” said Laura Plata, director of employee experience at Copa Airlines.

ELEVA is based on three pillars: Diversity, Equality and Inclusion, and one of its work focuses on promoting greater participation of women at all levels and roles within the airline. As part of this program, this March, with the support of Vital Voices, Copa Airlines organized the Women’s Mentoring Walk in Panama City, where its employees also participated in the talk “Unleash Your Power as a Woman Leader,” led by speaker Denise Dziwak. Additionally, it is running a training program with the objective of developing skills to promote gender complementarity.

Currently, the airline has 26% female directors or senior positions, of which 41% are female managers; 98 female pilots, representing 10% of the total pilots, one of the highest numbers in the industry; and 34 female aviation mechanics and aeronautical engineers currently working in Copa Airlines’ Maintenance Center.

In addition to Commitment 25 by 2025, Copa Airlines is a signatory of the United Nations Global Compact, a signatory of the Women’s Empowerment Principles (WEP’s), an active participant in the Gender Parity Initiative of the Ministry of Social Development (MIDES), and in 2020 received certification in the Gold category of the “Yes Gender” Equality Seal led by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP).

Plataforma Informativa de Aviación Comercial con 13 años de trayectoria.

— Previous article

Mexico City's new airport inaugurated
Next article —

Closure of Russian airspace forces airlines to find new routes to Asia