Interview: Copa Airlines CEO on Building the ‘Hub of the Americas’ in Panama
Photo Credit: Over 30 years, Copa CEO Pedro Heilbron has turned the airline from a tiny regional player into one of the most profitable carrier sin the Americas. Copa Airlines
Skift Take
Panama's Copa Airlines is not well-known in most of North America, but it's among the most profitable airlines in the Americas. Its secret? Like Southwest Airlines, it keeps its model simple.
Future of Passenger Experience
To better understand the challenges facing airlines in an age of fluctuating oil prices, rapid growth, and changing passenger expectations, our Future of Passenger Experience series will allow leaders in the industry to explain their best practices and insights.In the last year, Copa Airlines' stock price has more than doubled, rising roughly 135 percent on the New York Stock Exchange.
What do investors know that casual flyers might not?
Panama's flag carrier is among the best-run — and most consistently profitable — carriers in the Americas, even though its home country does not have one the region's overall largest economies. In the first quarter, Copa reported net income of $102 million with an operating margin of 19 percent. Last year, its net income was $339.8 million, with a 12.4 percent margin.
The airline's model is simple. Copa relies on a well-placed hub in Panama City to connect passengers between most destinations in the Americas. Through what it calls "the hub of the Americas," Copa carries passengers between places like New Orleans, and Manaus, Brazil, or from Cordoba, Argentina to Havana. In all, the airline flies to more than 70 destinations in the Americas, including b
