Interview with Roberto Pulido, General Manager of Copa Airlines in Venezuela «Recovery of the Venezuelan market». Aviacionline

Aviacionline met with Roberto Pulido, General Manager of Copa Airlines in Venezuela, to discuss the company’s new announcements and future plans in the country. Copa Airlines is currently the largest international airline operator in Venezuela.

Is the Venezuelan market already in full recovery from pre-pandemic levels?

The Venezuelan market was affected by travel restrictions, and the company gradually restored its network of destinations. By 2022, the airline is at 80% of capacity compared to 2019.

Copa Airlines currently offers three daily flights to Caracas, five times a week to Valencia and four times a week to Maracaibo: the latter two routes were flown daily before the COVID-19 crisis. The company expects, by the second or third quarter of 2023, to be above 90% of its capacity with respect to pre-pandemic levels.

What are the expectations for the new route to Barcelona (BLA)?

Expectations are high: most passengers from Eastern Venezuela needed to travel to Caracas (CCS) for international connections. With this new service, customers will have greater advantages when making their trips, avoiding stopovers in airports in the center and west of the country and avoiding customs clearance at Maiquetia Airport.

The airline expects to consolidate this new route soon, with which travelers will be able to connect through the 70 destinations offered by the airline in the «hub of the Americas». This new operation will begin on June 30, 2022.

See also: Copa Airlines launches new destination to Venezuela

With Copa Airlines Cargo’s entry into Caracas, do you have another destination in mind for the subsidiary?

The air cargo market is currently booming, thanks in part to the increase in the transportation of medical supplies. To meet the high demand in this sector, Copa Airlines converted several Boeing 737-800 passenger aircraft to freighters.

Depending on demand, the company will use the dedicated cargo aircraft on some routes to Venezuela, such as Caracas (CCS), and the company’s new destination of Barcelona (BLA) is also expected to receive cargo operations.

Copa Airlines also uses Boeing 737 passenger aircraft to transport cargo and mail by air.

Do you plan to add other passenger destinations in Venezuela such as Barquisimeto or Porlamar in the future?

The company continues to study the option of adding new cities in the continent to increase its network of destinations and expand the connectivity of Tocumen Airport (PTY). Depending on the evolution of demand, the airline would opt to add a new route.

In December 2021, Copa Airlines celebrated 25 years operating in Venezuela, initially with a daily flight between Panama – Tocumen (PTY) and Caracas (CCS). This route grew over the years to three daily flights, and then destinations to Maracaibo (MAR) and Valencia (VLN) were added. The company does not rule out adding other destinations in the future.

Do you plan to incorporate the Boeing 737 MAX 9 on your Venezuela routes?

Copa Airlines’ new generation of aircraft incorporates the new Dreams Business Class product with flat-bed seats and modern touch-screen entertainment screens, plus the airline is introducing 24 Economy Extra seats with more space and comfort, and in the main cabin all seats have USB ports.

These aircraft are currently being used for missions exceeding six hours of flight time, depending on passenger demand. Some Boeing 737 MAX 9s may eventually be used on some high-density routes in Venezuela, such as Caracas (CCS).

What are the most popular connections for Venezuelans via Panama – Tocumen?

Depending on the season, the demand for destinations changes: most Venezuelan travelers use Panama – Tocumen (PTY) to connect to destinations in North and South America. With the arrival of school vacations, some users have opted to travel to various destinations in Central America. Also, a considerable portion of passengers from Venezuela have Panama as their final destination.

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