From left to right: Ambassador Luis Fernando Andrade Falla, ACS Secretary General, Mr Luis Carpio, ACS Director of Transport, and Mr Pedro Heilbron, CEO, Copa Airlines.


Port of Spain  – Following a Memorandum of Understanding signed by the governments of Panama and Trinidad and Tobago during the Association of Caribbean States (ACS) IV Summit of Heads of State (Panama 2007), Copa Airlines launched on 10 March 2008 its direct service between the two countries.

The inaugural flight was commemorated with an official ceremony held at the VIP Lounge, Piarco International Airport, Trinidad. On board the first of many Copa flights from Panama were the Honourable Ricardo Jose Duran Jaeger, Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs, Panama, Copa Airlines CEO Pedro Heilbron and several other officials.

The key government Ministers of Trinidad & Tobago who were intrinsic to the negotiation of the agreement were in attendance, as well as ACS Secretary General Ambassador Luis Fernando Andrade Falla, other dignitaries and members of the media.