Copa Airlines is, along with Aeroméxico, another Latin American airline affected by the grounding of over a hundred Boeing 737 MAX 9 aircraft globally following the incident with Alaska Airlines where an emergency exit detached.
The Panamanian company was forced to ground 21 of its 29 737 MAX 9 aircraft, which flew to about 30 destinations (only 21 planes because the first eight received have a different configuration), resulting in impacted operations, quite unusual for a company that usually operates like clockwork at its hub at the Tocumen Airport.
Given this situation, a video was released today in which Pedro Heilbron, CEO of Copa Airlines, sends a message to passengers apologizing for the delays, cancellations, and rebookings they are experiencing due to something beyond their control (which is true).
“We find ourselves in the midst of a situation beyond our control, caused by the temporary suspension of certain Boeing 737 MAX 9 operations, ordered by the United States Federal Aviation Administration or FAA, in response to what happened on January 5th on an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 Max 9 aircraft“, states Heilbron, emphasizing that the measure was taken to ensure the safety of passengers and crew.
However, continues Heilbron, this resulted in the cancellation of about 80 flights daily, which represents more than 20% of its operations, affecting thousands of passengers.
“The return of these aircraft to operation only awaits the FAA’s approval of the necessary technical documentation to start the inspection process“, the executive continues, but notes that “even though the aforementioned review by the FAA is scheduled to take place this week, we have no certainty about its duration or when the operation of the affected aircraft might be authorized again“.
The technical team of Copa Airlines, adds Heilbron, has already conducted a preliminary inspection of the 21 Boeing 737 MAX 9 and is ready to comply with FAA guidelines and return them to operation “as soon as possible in a safe and reliable manner“.
“From the beginning, our staff has worked tirelessly to manage this complex reality in the best possible way and we will continue to do so until we overcome the situation“, concludes Heilbron.
Copa Airlines y los Boeing 737 MAX 9: Pedro Heilbron, CEO; y Diana Mizrachi, directora de Experiencia de Cliente, grabaron un video comentando la situación y pidiendo disculpas a los clientes por los inconvenientes ocasionados.
▶️ 21 de los 29 Boeing 737 MAX 9 de Copa Airlines… pic.twitter.com/Y54vmlTs1h
— Aviacionline.com (@aviacionline) January 16, 2024
Response from Copa to Affected Customers
The video continues with words from Diana Mismoche, Director of Customer Experience at Copa Airlines, who stated that the company “understands that uncertainty can cause concern, especially in a high-travel season where trips have been planned for a long time”.
In this regard, she says they are working to do everything possible to fulfill the travel plans of their passengers, while they have also established some actions to assist them. These include rebooking on flights as close as possible to the original travel date, waiving flight change fees to provide flexibility for those who can choose another date, ticket cancellation and future ticket opening, or even refunding the ticket.
Mismoche calls on passengers to stay alert to their emails, Copa Airlines’ social media, its website, and mobile app for updates on their flights.
“We recognize that we do not always manage to provide solutions or ideal solutions to recover their travel plans and for this reason, I reiterate, on behalf of myself and the entire Copa team, our sincere apologies and commitment to continue making every effort to find solutions for your journey. You have my commitment and that of the entire Copa Airlines staff that we will not rest until we resolve this inconvenience and regain your trust,” added Pedro Heilbron at the end of the video.
Destinations of Copa’s 737 MAX 9
According to information obtained by Aviacionline through Cirium, in January, the Boeing 737 MAX 9 represented 25.8% of the seats offered by Copa Airlines (40% of the capacity in ASK, a higher percentage considering that the MAX operated on longer routes) and 24.1% of the flights.
The destinations served with these aircraft include Aruba, Bogotá, Cali, Córdoba, Cancún, Curazao, Buenos Aires, Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo, Guatemala City, Guayaquil, Havana, Washington, New York, Los Angeles, Lima, Orlando, Medellín, Managua, Miami, Montevideo, Punta Cana, Rosario, San Salvador, San Pedro Sula, Santiago de Chile, Santo Domingo, San Francisco, San José-CR, Quito, Tegucigalpa-Palmerola, and Montreal.
