Air Panama

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.

History

Inauguration

A former Air Panama Fokker 70 aircraft parked at Albrook - "Marcos A. Gelabert" International Airport (2011).

The airline was founded in 1980 as PARSA, though certain services were operated as Turismo Aéreo. At the time of its start-up, 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, on the wake of the United States invasion of Panama, two Britten-Norman Islander aircraft owned by PARSA were damaged beyond repair in fighting actions. 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 in 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

The Cessna 208 Caravan, used primarily on regional routes across Panama.

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

In 2009, Air Panama made a historic milestone when it transported more than a million passengers. That same year, the airline entered the jet age when it acquired two Fokker 70s. In 2011, Air Panama bought two Fokker 50s previously owned by Scandinavian Airlines System and transported around 172,154 people.

On 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 those 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.

Mainly deployed for short-medium haul routes, the Fokker 100 has played a key role in the international expansion of Air Panama.

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 its interest to open a new 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. Furthermore, Air Panama filled the gap left by the Aeroperlas bankruptcy almost six months later by taking all of the routes left by the defunct company.^[7]

On November 2012, Air Panama launched an updated version of its website (www.airpanama.com), with a new operational system that allows travelers to purchase tickets in real time, and see the flight schedules and status. It was the first time the airline made an extensive overhaul to its website since its official re-branding in 2006.

In 2013, Air Panama subsequently 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, on June 2014.^[8]

In 2015, the airline continued its strategic expansion plan by introducing three more Fokker 100 aircraft, and by upgrading on July 2015 their services from Panama to San José, Costa Rica into a daily non-stop flight; although the current services to Costa Rica from David, Chiriqui are still maintained. On 1 December of the same year, Air Panama started services to Armenia, its second destination in Colombia.

Destinations

Main article: Air Panama destinations

Air Panama offers scheduled regional flights to 31 destinations inside Panama, one in Costa Rica, and two in Colombia. Further destinations are served on a chartered on-demand basis during the summer travelling season.

Fleet

As of December 2015, the Air Panama fleet consists of the following aircraft:^[9]^[10]

**Air Panama Fleet**
Aircraft	In Service	Orders	Passengers
Boeing 737-300	1	1	—	149	149
Britten-Norman Islander	4	-	—	9	9
Cessna 182	1	-	—	4	4
Cessna 208 Caravan	2	-	—	12	12
Fokker 50	4	-	— —	50 46	50 46
Fokker 100	5	-	12 —	80 100	92 100
Piper PA-34 Seneca	1	-	—	5	5
Total	18	1

Aircraft types previously operated by Air Panama: BAe Jetstream 32, Bombardier Dash 8-300, de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter, Fokker F27 Friendship (passenger and cargo), Fokker 70, Saab 340B.

Accidents and incidents

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

**Air Panama Reported Incidents**
Flight	Date	Aircraft	Location	Description	Casualties
Flight	Date	Aircraft	Location	Description	Fatal	Serious	Minor	Uninjured	Ground
N/A^[11]	December 31, 1997	Britten-Norman Islander	near Rio Sidra Airport, Darien	On New Year 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. All nine passengers and the pilot lost their lives. It was the first crash since the foundation of the company in 1980.	10	0	0	0	0
N/A^[12]	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, when the aircraft was over the Caribbean Sea. The aircraft and its pilot were never found.	1	0	0	0	0
680^[13]	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 completing a scheduled flight from Panama City. The aircraft was substantially damaged, but all 16 passengers and two crew members walked out from the wreckage without any injuries. The plane was written off.	0	0	0	16	0
980^[14]	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, crashed back on the runway at Albrook "Marcos A. Gelabert" International Airport due to lack of power from the engines. All nine passengers and four crew member survived without injuries and walked out from the wreckage. The aircraft was written off.	0	0	0	9	0

References

↑ https://www.airpanama.com/portal/
↑ "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."
↑ "Conectarán Isla Colón con Latinoamérica". La Prensa. Retrieved 29 July 2015.
↑ "Aeroperlas Shuts Down - As Of Today". Retrieved 29 July 2015.
↑
↑
↑ "Air Panamá continuará sola en el mercado". La Prensa. Retrieved 29 July 2015.
↑ "NOTICIAS". Retrieved 29 July 2015.
↑ "Air Panama fleet list at the Aero Transport Database". Retrieved 29 July 2015.
↑ "AirPanama – Discover The Best Travel Destinations For Vacation, Business And Tourism In Panama - Costa Rica- Colombia". Retrieved 29 July 2015.
↑ "1997 PARSA crash at the Aviation Safety Network". aviation-safety.net. Retrieved July 4, 2012.
↑ "2002 PARSA crash at the Aviation Safety Network". aviation-safety.net. Retrieved July 4, 2012.
↑ "Air Panama 2006 accident at the Aviation Safety Network". aviation-safety.net. Retrieved July 4, 2012.
↑ "Air Panama 2007 accident at the Aviation Safety Network". Retrieved July 4, 2012.

External links

Official website
- Fly AirPanama Social Network – Links to official Facebook, Google+ and Twitter
ESCAPES PANAMA (magazine)

Airlines of Panama

Current	Air Panama Copa Airlines DHL Aero Expreso

Defunct	Aeroperlas Air Panamá Internacional Alas Chiricanas Air Services Cargo Panavia

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