The airline will now fly between Panama City and Maracaibo
After the air connectivity between Panama and Venezuela was restored in January (suspended since December), Copa Airlines agreed that it will continue to resume its routes between the two nations. It already flies to Caracas and Valencia (to which it will add another frequency this week), and now it will add Maracaibo twice a week, from March 2.
Through a statement, Copa Airlines reported that from March 2 it will restart flights between Panama City and the Venezuelan town of Maracaibo, in addition to increasing its frequencies with Valencia, after the reopening in January of the connectivity between Panama and Venezuela, then of more than a month of closure.
The National Institute of Civil Aeronautics (INAC) of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela authorized Copa last month to restart its operations from the Panamanian capital to both Caracas and Valencia. But now Maracaibo will also join twice a week (Tuesdays and Thursdays). Regarding Valencia, the frequencies will be increased until two weeks from February 26.
In early November 2020, INAC authorized the reopening of flights between the two countries, after many months of suspension as a result of the pandemic. But connectivity was closed again on December 13 due to the “reciprocity” that Venezuela demanded of various countries in the treatment of its passengers. In addition to Panama, the claim extended to Iran, Russia and the Dominican Republic.
As reported, the differences between the regulators of both countries reached such a point that the International Air Transport Association (IATA) urged both to restore flights, warning that the interruption had occurred at the “worst time.” And, in addition, Panama is a key connection hub for the Venezuelan receptive and emissive.
