Company Description
Copa Holdings, S.A. (NYSE: CPA) is a Latin American airline group in the scheduled passenger air transportation industry. According to the company’s public disclosures, Copa Holdings is a provider of passenger and cargo services through its operating subsidiaries. The company states that it provides air service to countries in North, Central, and South America and the Caribbean, positioning it as a regional carrier within the broader transportation and warehousing sector.
Copa Holdings reports that it operates through an air transportation segment that includes international air transportation for passengers, cargo, and mail. Information from prior descriptions indicates that the company uses a hub in Panama City in the Republic of Panama and also offers domestic and international air transportation for passengers, cargo, and mail through Copa Colombia, a Colombian air carrier with a point‑to‑point route network. The company’s geographic exposure includes North America, South America, Central America, and the Caribbean.
Business focus and services
The company describes itself in multiple press releases as a “leading Latin American provider of passenger and cargo services.” Through its subsidiaries, Copa Holdings provides scheduled air transport that carries passengers as well as cargo and mail across its network. Its disclosures emphasize international routes connecting countries across the Americas and the Caribbean, reflecting a focus on regional connectivity within the hemisphere.
Operational statistics released by Copa Holdings highlight core airline metrics such as available seat miles (ASMs), revenue passenger miles (RPMs), and load factor. The company defines ASMs as aircraft seating capacity multiplied by the number of miles the seats are flown, RPMs as the number of miles flown by revenue passengers, and load factor as the percentage of aircraft seating capacity that is utilized. These measures are central to how Copa Holdings describes its air transportation activity and capacity utilization.
Geographic footprint
According to company statements, Copa Holdings’ services reach countries in North America, Central America, South America, and the Caribbean. Earlier descriptions also note that it operates from a hub in Panama City and that Copa Colombia supports a point‑to‑point network. This combination of a hub operation and additional point‑to‑point routes provides connectivity among multiple countries within the Americas, as described in the company’s public materials.
Financial and operating reporting
Copa Holdings regularly publishes traffic statistics and financial results, including quarterly earnings releases furnished to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on Form 6‑K. In these materials, the company presents operating data such as ASMs, RPMs, load factor, revenue per available seat mile (RASM), and operating cost per available seat mile (CASM). It also discloses passenger revenue, cargo and mail revenue, and other operating revenue, along with operating profit, net profit, and margins. The company notes that it reports under International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) and provides reconciliations for certain non‑IFRS measures, such as CASM excluding fuel.
The company’s financial statements include line items typical for an airline group, such as fuel expense, wages and employee expenses, passenger servicing, airport facilities and handling charges, sales and distribution, maintenance, depreciation and amortization, and flight operations. On the balance sheet, Copa Holdings reports assets including cash and cash equivalents, short‑term and long‑term investments, property and equipment, right‑of‑use assets, and intangible assets, as well as liabilities such as loans and borrowings, lease liabilities, air traffic liability, and frequent flyer deferred revenue.
Regulatory status and listings
Copa Holdings files reports with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission as a foreign private issuer on Form 20‑F and furnishes current information on Form 6‑K. The filings identify the company as Copa Holdings, S.A. and indicate that it is organized in Panama, with principal offices in Panama City, Panama. The company’s shares trade on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol CPA, as referenced in multiple press releases and 6‑K filings.
Operational performance indicators
In its periodic traffic updates, Copa Holdings reports year‑over‑year changes in capacity (ASMs), traffic (RPMs), and load factor. These releases provide insight into how the company describes trends in its operations, such as increases in capacity and passenger traffic across its network. The company also highlights operational metrics such as on‑time performance and flight completion factor in its earnings releases, using these measures to characterize operational execution.
Corporate structure and reporting currency
Copa Holdings refers to itself and its subsidiaries collectively as “Copa Holdings” or the “Company” in its financial reports. The financial information presented in the earnings releases is denominated in U.S. dollars and prepared under IFRS, as stated in the company’s disclosures. The group structure includes operating subsidiaries that carry out the passenger and cargo transportation services described in its public communications.
Use of non‑IFRS measures
In its earnings materials, Copa Holdings explains that it uses certain non‑IFRS financial measures, including operating CASM excluding fuel. The company states that these measures are presented because it believes they are useful indicators of operating performance and for comparing results with other companies in the airline industry, while also emphasizing that they should be considered together with the comparable IFRS measures such as operating profit and net profit.
Investor communications
The company regularly announces schedules for the release of quarterly financial results and related conference calls and webcasts. These announcements, which are also furnished on Form 6‑K, outline the planned dates and times for earnings releases and investor presentations. Copa Holdings indicates that replay options are made available after these events, and it directs interested parties to its investor relations channels for access to detailed financial information.