Copa Airlines

Is Copa Airlines safe?

Yes. Copa has one of the cleanest records in the Americas: one fatal crash, in 1992, and no aircraft lost since 1993. It flies a single family of jets, the Boeing 737, from a single hub at Panama City-Tocumen, which keeps training, maintenance and spare parts simple. We score it 85, close to the big US and European airlines. The main questions are about the airports it flies into rather than the airline itself, and about two recent approach errors that ended without harm but show the crews are not immune to the mistakes that cause accidents elsewhere.

What happened on Copa flight 201?

On the night of 6 June 1992, a Boeing 737-200 left Tocumen for Cali in Colombia. About ten minutes into the climb, the captain's main attitude indicator began to fail intermittently because of a short circuit. In the dark, with bad weather ahead and no visible horizon, the crew followed the false readings. The aircraft rolled into a steep dive, began to break up at about 10,000 feet and hit the jungle near Tucutí almost vertically. All 40 passengers and seven crew died.

Investigators found the crew had not cross-checked the faulty instrument against the standby, and that Copa's 737s had different switch layouts that confused pilots moving between them.

How strong is the oversight?

Copa holds its certificate from Panama's Autoridad Aeronáutica Civil (AAC). Panama is in FAA Category 1FAA IASAThe US FAA's check of whether a country's aviation regulator meets ICAO standards. Category 1 means it does; Category 2 means it does not.More in the glossary, meaning the FAA judged its oversight to meet ICAO standards. Copa is an IATA member and goes through the IOSAIOSAThe IATA Operational Safety Audit, an international audit of an airline's safety management and operations. Every IATA member must pass it.More in the glossary audit every two years, most recently in 2024.

The AAC is a small regulator, and it tends to follow the FAA's lead. When an Alaska Airlines MAX 9 lost a door plug in January 2024, Copa grounded its 21 MAX 9s with the same door plug on 6 January, and the AAC banned all MAX 9 operations in Panama on 11 January until US inspection rules were in place. Copa's first MAX 9 went back into service on 25 January.

Wingo, Copa's low-cost brand, flies under a separate Colombian certificate (AeroRepública), overseen by Colombia's Aerocivil. Check the operator if you book a Wingo flight.

Recent incidents

Copa's record since 2015 has no accidents with deaths or serious injuries, but a few events show where risk sits:

• Tocumen, September 2022. Flight 135, a 737-800, landed with one thrust reverser out of service under the minimum equipment list. At touchdown the crew felt a strong yaw, and the jet ran off the left side of runway 03R. The aircraft was repaired; Panama's investigators (OFINVAA) examined it.
• Guatemala City, January 2025. A Copa 737-800 went around from runway 02 while an Avianca A320neo was taking off from the same runway. ADS-B data show the two came within about 0.27 nautical miles at the same height before turning apart. Guatemala's aviation authority opened an investigation; both airlines said they had not been aware of a conflict.
• Lima, May 2025. A 737-800 lined up for runway 16L, which was closed for works, instead of the cleared 16R. The tower sent it around at about 500 feet, while a KLM 777 was about to cross 16L.

How old are Copa's planes?

The group fleet of 125 jets, which includes Wingo's ten 737-800s and two 737-800 freighters, averaged 10.2 years at the end of 2025. The 47 737 MAX jets average 2.9 years, the 737-800s 13.3. The oldest are nine 737-700s at 22 years, which Copa plans to retire by 2031. With 85 more MAX on order, the average age will fall.

How to fly Copa safely

Most Copa trips include a connection at Tocumen, often a short one. Do not let a tight connection push you to skip the safety briefing or to stand while the aircraft is still taxiing. Flights into Central America and the Andes often meet afternoon thunderstorms, so keep the belt fastened whenever you are seated. On a Wingo ticket, check the operator: it is a different airline and certificate.

How we scored it

One fatal crash 34 years ago gives Copa a strong accident record (92). Oversight (85) and fleet (80) are solid. Serious incidents (76) and the operating environment (75) are where it loses points. Compare LATAM and Aeroméxico, the other big network airlines in the region.