PANAMA CITY, Oct. 4, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Copa Holdings, S.A. (NYSE: CPA), today released preliminary passenger traffic statistics for September 2012:

For the month of September 2012, Copa Holdings' system-wide passenger traffic (RPM) increased 27.1% year over year, while capacity increased 25.6%.  As a result, system load factor for September 2012 was 73.8%, a 0.9 percentage point increase when compared to September 2011.

International passenger traffic grew 29.1%, while capacity increased 27.7%.  This resulted in a load factor of 73.7%, a 0.8 percentage point increase when compared to September 2011.  For the month, International capacity represented 95.9% of total capacity.

Domestic traffic, represented wholly by Colombian domestic service, decreased 6.2%, while capacity decreased 9.3%.  As a result, domestic load factor for the month increased 2.3 percentage points to 77.6%.  For the month, domestic capacity represented 4.1% of total capacity.

Copa Holdings is a leading Latin American provider of passenger and cargo services.  The Company, through its operating subsidiaries, provides service to 64 destinations in 29 countries in North, Central and South America and the Caribbean with one of the youngest and most modern fleets in the industry, consisting of 82 aircraft: 56 Boeing 737NG aircraft and 26 EMBRAER-190s. For more information visit www.copaair.com.

CPA-G

SOURCE Copa Holdings, S.A.