Copa Airlines Delays US Debut Of Boeing 737 MAX 8 To Florida & Washington DC

Copa Airlines has delayed the debut of its Boeing 737 MAX 8 service. The Panama City-based carrier will deploy the aircraft type at the end of summer on routes to Central and South America and the Caribbean before operating it for the first time in the US on routes to Florida and Washington DC in the fall.

The airline reportedly filed changes to its flight schedule last month, pushing back the aircraft’s inaugural flight by six weeks. It comes as the airline has been dealing with delivery delays from Boeing since the end of last year.

Starting with three US routes

According to Aeroroutes, Copa has scheduled the first 737 MAX 8 flights to the US to begin in September. From its hub at Tocumen International Airport (PTY), the airline will fly to Miami International Airport (MIA), Orlando International Airport (MCO), and Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD).

Service to MIA and MCO are set to begin on September 15th, while the IAD service will launch on September 18th. Between PTY and MIA, the MAX 8 will be deployed on 10 total flights – five in each direction, according to aviation data and analytics firm Cirium. It is a small percentage of the nearly 430 flights that are scheduled during the month of September. The 737-800 will handle the majority of flights at 239, while the MAX 9 will fly 180 flights.

Check it out: Get tickets for flights between Panama City & Miami right here!

Photo: Wirestock Creators | Shutterstock

The MAX 8 will be introduced on only four flights between PTY and MCO. This particular route has 300 scheduled flights during the month with the 737-700, -800, and MAX 9 also utilized. Similar to PTY-MIA, the -800 will be deployed the most, handling nearly 260 of the 300 flights.

Interested in this route? Find flights between Panama City & Orlando right here!

Copa will also introduce the MAX 8 on four flights between PTY and IAD. Capacity will be shared among its other 737 family aircraft, with the exception of the -700.

Read More

Copa Airlines Wants Compensation From Boeing For 737 MAX 9 Grounding

In an earnings call, airline executives said they expected “fair compensation.”

The airline will roll out the MAX 8 on more US routes throughout the rest of the year, according to Aeroroutes:

• October: Baltimore, Denver, Fort Lauderdale, & Las Vegas
• November: Austin, Chicago, & Tampa
• December: Atlanta & Boston

First flights pushed back to August

The US debut will come after the airline will officially inaugurate the MAX 8 on several routes across Central and South America and the Caribbean in mid-August, which is a delay from its previous plans to debut the aircraft in early July. Data from ch-aviation shows that the service to Lima, Peru, will have the most frequencies, while flights to Bogotá, Colombia, and San Pedro Sula, Honduras, will occur once a week.

Boeing delivery delays

The airline currently has two MAX 8s in its fleet, according to its website. The planes are configured to accommodate 166 passengers across a two-class layout – the same as its 737-800s. Business class is equipped with 16 recliner seats, while the main cabin has 150 seats. 24 main cabin seats are designated as “Economy Extra” which have a few more inches of legroom and an increased recline.

Photo: Gualberto Becerra | Shutterstock

Copa reportedly has 19 additional MAX 8s on order. The carrier previously forecasted to add 12 examples this year, but has since only taken two deliveries. The airline’s CEO Pedro Heilbron, stated at the end of last year that Boeing’s delivery delays were expected to reduce its capacity growth estimates from between 12% and 14% to 10% in 2024, according to ch-aviation.

Read Next

Copa Airlines To Serve Tampa International Airport 7 Times Weekly

The carrier currently serves Tampa six times weekly from its hub at Tocumen International Airport.