Air Panama

Last updated
Air Panama
Air Panama logo.svg
IATA ICAO Call sign
7PPSTAIR PANAMA
Founded1980 (as PARSA)
Hubs Albrook "Marcos A. Gelabert" International Airport
Focus cities Enrique Malek International Airport
Frequent-flyer program Preferential Service
Fleet size8 (As of September 2024)
Destinations5 (As of September 2024)
Headquarters Panama City, Panama
Key people
Employees600 (2015) [1]
Website Airpanama.com

Air Panama is a regional airline based at Albrook "Marcos A. Gelabert" International Airport in Panama, [2] and is currently the second-largest air carrier in the country, surpassed only by Copa Airlines. The carrier offers both scheduled and charter passenger flights to more than 31 destinations from its hub at Albrook International Airport.

Contents

History

Inauguration

A former Air Panama Fokker 70 parked at Albrook Airport in 2011 AirPanamaF70.JPG
A former Air Panama Fokker 70 parked at Albrook Airport in 2011

The airline was founded in 1980 as PARSA, though certain services were operated as Turismo Aéreo. At the time of its startup, Panama had been ruled by a military dictatorship government since 1968, but together with Aeroperlas, the company became one of the biggest and most prominent airlines in the country. On 20 December 1989, in the wake of the United States invasion of Panama, two Britten-Norman Islander aircraft owned by PARSA were damaged beyond repair in fighting action. Despite this, the airline expanded rapidly to other destinations around Panama and Costa Rica during the 1990s, and began to acquire newer aircraft.

On New Year's Eve 1997, PARSA suffered its first fatal accident when a Britten-Norman Islander crashed into the jungle 6.5 kilometres short of Rio Sidra Airport, Darien, killing all on board.

In January 1999, the airline moved its headquarters to the new Albrook - Marcos A. Gelabert International Airport, when the old airport located at Paitilla was shut down after 70 years of operation. In 2005, the Air Panama trademark rights were acquired. The name had been unused since the demise of Air Panamá Internacional in January 1990, and PARSA formally adopted the new name that year.

Expansion years

An Air Panama Cessna 208 Caravan, used primarily on regional routes across Panama Air Panama - Cessna 208 Caravan.JPG
An Air Panama Cessna 208 Caravan, used primarily on regional routes across Panama

After the purchase of the trademark rights in 2005, Chairman George Novey unveiled on a Fokker F-27 aircraft PARSA's new identity Air Panama. Shortly afterward, the airline introduced new scheduled services to other regional destinations around Panama and began to acquire turboprop aircraft such as the Saab 340 and the Bombardier Dash 8-300 series, replacing the aging British Aerospace Jetstream 31 and Fokker F27 Friendship fleet.

In 2009, Air Panama reached a historic milestone when it transported its one millionth passenger. That same year, the airline entered the jet age when it acquired two Fokker 70s. In 2011, Air Panama bought two used Fokker 50s previously owned by Scandinavian Airlines System and transported around 172,154 people. In January 2012, Air Panama announced a codeshare agreement with Copa Airlines, Panama's flag carrier and largest airline, linking all tourist destinations within Panama with several in Latin America. The agreement became effective five months later when the company started charter regional flights to Isla Colon from Tocumen International Airport. [3] As of 2016, this codeshare is no longer active.

A former Air Panama Fokker 100, mainly deployed for short-medium haul routes Air Panama Fokker 100 - 6.jpg
A former Air Panama Fokker 100, mainly deployed for short-medium haul routes

On 29 February 2012, domestic competitor Aeroperlas Regional ceased operations due to financial troubles, leaving Air Panama as the sole regional carrier in the country. [4] The same month, the airline expressed an interest in initiating a non-stop international route from Panama to the Cayman Islands, using jet-powered aircraft. [5] [6] In anticipation for these flights, Air Panama ordered two Fokker 100 aircraft, receiving the first one in June and the second two months later. As of February 2015, the planned service to Cayman Islands is on standstill. Almost six months after Aeroperlas' bankruptcy, Air Panama assumed all of its domestic routes. [7]

In November 2012, Air Panama launched an updated version of its website (www.airpanama.com), with a new operational system that allowed travelers to purchase tickets in real time, and to see flight schedules and status. It was the first time the airline extensively overhauled its website since its official rebranding in 2006.

An Air Panama Fokker 50 at Changuinola "Capitan Manuel Nino" International Airport in 2019 Air Panama FokkerF50.jpg
An Air Panama Fokker 50 at Changuinola "Capitán Manuel Niño" International Airport in 2019

In 2013, Air Panama sold the two Fokker 70s in favour of more spacious Fokker 100s. Between August and November of the same year, the airline acquired two Boeing 737-300s as part of a strategic expansion plan into the international market, which started with the launch of scheduled commercial services to Medellín, Colombia, in June 2014. [8]

In 2015, the airline added three more Fokker 100 aircraft. In July 2015 the airline began daily non-stop flights from Panama to San José, Costa Rica. Services to Costa Rica from David, Chiriqui are still maintained. On December 1, of the same year, Air Panama started services to Armenia, its second destination in Colombia.

Destinations

As of September 2024, Air Panama will only operate regional flights on a regular basis to the following domestic destinations in Panama: [9]

Base
Future
Terminated
Air Panama Destinations
CountryCityAirportNotes
Armenia El Edén International Airport Suspended in February 2019 [10]
Cartagena Rafael Núñez International Airport Suspended in November 2018
Medellín José María Córdova International Airport Suspended in July 2019 [11]
San José Juan Santamaría International Airport Suspended in March 2020
Bocas del Toro Isla Colón International Airport
Changuinola Capitán Manuel Niño International Airport
Chitré Alonso Valderrama Airport
David Enrique Malek International Airport
Panama City Albrook International Airport HUB
Pedasí Pedasí Airport

Fleet

Current fleet

As of September 2024, Air Panama's fleet consists of the following aircraft: [12] [13]

Air Panama Fleet
AircraftIn ServiceOrdersPassengersNote
Bombardier Dash 8 Q400 2—76Delivered in September 2024
Cessna 208B Grand Caravan 1—12
Fokker 50 5—48Three std at Albrook
To be replaced by the Dash Q400
50
TOTAL8—

Former fleet

Air Panama previously operated the following aircraft:

Air Panamá's former fleet [14] [15]
typeNúmberIntroducedRetiredRegistration
Boeing 737-300QC 320132018HP-1795PST, HP-1796PST and HP-1923PST
British Aerospace Jetstream 120062006HP-1477PS
Britten-Norman BN-2 Islander 820062018HP-1153PS, HP-1232PS, HP-1759PS, HP-639PS, HP-1494PS, HP-870PS, HP-986PS and HP-1016PS
Cessna 182J Skylane 1????HP-1502PS
Cessna 208 Caravan 119911991HP-1812PS (for airplane parts)
Cessna 208 Grand Caravan 120102018HP-1611PS
Cessna U206E Stationair 1????HP-512PS
De Havilland Canada DHC-6 220062019HP-1507PS and HP-1509PS
De Havilland Canada DHC-8 120072011HP-1625PST
Fokker 70 220102013HP-1731PST and HP-1732PST
Fokker 100 620122020HP-1763PST, HP-1764PST, HP-1894PST, HP-1895PST, HP-1896PST and HP-1900PST
Fokker F27 Frienship 620042015HP-1543PST, HP-1541PST, HP-1605PST, HP-1604PST, HP-1542PST and HP-1631PST
Fokker F28 Fellowship 320102019HP-1900PST, HP-1731PST and HP-1732PST
Piper PA-34 Seneca 120062020HP-1688PS
Saab 340 220092018HP-1670PST and HP-1671PST

Accidents and incidents

During its history, Air Panama (PARSA) had the following incidents and accidents:

Air Panama Reported Incidents
FlightDateAircraftLocationDescriptionCasualties
FatalSeriousMinorUninjuredGround
N/A [16] December 31, 1997 Britten-Norman Islander Near Rio Sidra Airport, San Blas (Gunayala)On New Year's Eve 1997 at 07:45 local time, a PARSA Britten-Norman Islander (registered HP-986PS) crashed into a jungle area 6.5 kilometres short of Rio Sidra Airport following a flight from Panama City in bad weather conditions. Nine passengers and the pilot lost their lives. It was the first crash since the foundation of the company in 1980.100000
N/A [17] December 29, 2002 Britten-Norman Islander Over the Caribbean Sea, near Bocas Del Toro On 29 December 2002 at 16:06 local time, ATC lost contact with a PARSA Britten-Norman Islander (registered HP-1016PS) during an empty ferry flight from Bocas del Toro to Panama City, while the aircraft was over the Caribbean Sea. The aircraft and its pilot were never found.10000
680 [18] June 1, 2006 Jetstream 31 Bocas del Toro "Isla Colón" International Airport On 1 June 2006 at 07:55 local time, a British Aerospace Jetstream (registered HP-1477PST) skidded and overshot the runway upon landing in heavy rain at Bocas del Toro "Isla Colón" International Airport after a scheduled flight from Panama City. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The 16 passengers and two crew members evacuated the aircraft without any injuries. The plane was written off.000160
980 [19] October 31, 2007 Fokker F27-200 Albrook "Marcos A. Gelabert" International Airport On 31 October 2007 at 20:40 UTC, a Fokker F27 Friendship (registered HP-1541PST) bound for Bocas del Toro "Isla Colón" International Airport for a scheduled passenger flight, veered off the runway at Albrook "Marcos A. Gelabert" International Airport. All nine passengers and four crew members evacuated the aircraft without injuries. The aircraft was written off.00090

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References

  1. ↑ "AirPanama | Ahora todos podemos viajar". www.airpanama.com.
  2. ↑ "Contact us." Air Panama. Retrieved on April 18, 2012. "Marcos A. Gelabert, Airport- Main Office" and "Air Panama - Panama Travel Expert. Panama Tourism. Aeropuerto Marcos A. Gelabert, Albrook Panama, Republic of Panama."
  3. ↑ "Conectarán Isla Colón con Latinoamérica". La Prensa. Archived from the original on 3 May 2012. Retrieved 29 July 2015.
  4. ↑ "Aeroperlas Shuts Down - As Of Today". Archived from the original on March 5, 2012. Retrieved 29 July 2015.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  5. ↑ "Air Panama looks at Cayman flights | the Visitor Panama". Archived from the original on 2012-07-12. Retrieved 2012-03-25.
  6. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2015-02-19. Retrieved 2012-03-25.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  7. ↑ "Air Panamá continuará sola en el mercado". La Prensa. Retrieved 29 July 2015.
  8. ↑ "NOTICIAS" . Retrieved 29 July 2015.
  9. ↑ "Our destinations". Air Panama. Retrieved 13 September 2024.
  10. ↑ "Aerolínea Air Panamá cierra operaciones en Armenia". El Tiempo (in Spanish). 9 November 2018. Retrieved 13 September 2024.
  11. ↑ "Air Panama drops Colombia services from network". ch-aviation. 22 July 2019. Retrieved 13 September 2024.
  12. ↑ "Air Panama fleet". FlightRadar24 . 13 September 2024. Retrieved 13 September 2024.
  13. ↑ "Air Panama Fleet Details and History". Planespotters.net. 10 September 2024. Retrieved 13 September 2024.
  14. ↑ "Air Panama - Fleet - PlaneLogger". planelogger.com. Retrieved 2022-08-07.
  15. ↑ "Air Panamá fleet". rzjets.net. Retrieved 2023-03-19.
  16. ↑ "1997 PARSA crash at the Aviation Safety Network". aviation-safety.net. Retrieved July 4, 2012.
  17. ↑ "2002 PARSA crash at the Aviation Safety Network". aviation-safety.net. Retrieved July 4, 2012.
  18. ↑ "Air Panama 2006 accident at the Aviation Safety Network". aviation-safety.net. Retrieved July 4, 2012.
  19. ↑ "Air Panama 2007 accident at the Aviation Safety Network" . Retrieved July 4, 2012.
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