424(B(1)
Filed Pursuant to Rule 424(b)(1)
Registration No. 333-130327
333-129967
PROSPECTUS
15,750,000 Shares
Copa Holdings, S.A.
CLASS A COMMON STOCK
The selling shareholders identified in this prospectus are
offering all of the 15,750,000 shares of Class A
common stock to be sold in this offering. This is Copa Holdings,
S.A.s initial public offering, and no public market
currently exists for its shares.
The selling shareholders have granted the underwriters the right
to purchase up to an additional 2,362,500 shares of
Class A common stock to cover any over-allotments.
The Class A shares have been approved for listing on the
New York Stock Exchange under the symbol CPA.
Copa Holdings, S.A. will not receive any proceeds from the sale
by the selling shareholders of Class A common stock in this
offering.
Investing in the companys Class A shares involves
risks. See Risk Factors beginning on
page 13.
Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any other
regulatory body has approved or disapproved these securities or
passed upon the accuracy or adequacy of this prospectus. Any
representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.
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Per Share | |
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Total | |
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Price to public
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$ |
20.00 |
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$ |
315,000,000 |
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Underwriting discounts and commissions
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$ |
1.00 |
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$ |
15,750,000 |
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Proceeds to selling shareholders
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$ |
19.00 |
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$ |
299,250,000 |
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The underwriters expect to deliver the shares of Class A
common stock to purchasers on December 20, 2005.
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Morgan Stanley |
Goldman, Sachs & Co. |
Citigroup
December 14, 2005
TABLE OF CONTENTS
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F-1 |
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You should rely only on the information contained in this
prospectus. Neither we nor the selling shareholders have, and
the underwriters have not, authorized any other person to
provide you with different information. If anyone provides you
with different or inconsistent information, you should not rely
on it. Neither we nor the selling shareholders are, and the
underwriters are not, making an offer to sell these securities
in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted.
This document may only be used where it is legal to sell these
securities. You should assume that the information appearing in
this prospectus is accurate only as of the date on the front
cover of this prospectus, regardless of when this prospectus is
delivered or when any sale of the Class A shares occurs.
Our business, financial condition, results of operations and
prospects may have changed since that date.
In this prospectus, we use the term Copa Holdings to
refer to Copa Holdings, S.A. and Copa or Copa
Airlines to refer to Compañía Panameña de
Aviación, S.A., a subsidiary of Copa Holdings, S.A. The
terms we, us and our refer
to Copa Holdings, S.A. together with its subsidiaries, except
where the context requires otherwise. References to
Class A shares refer to Class A shares of
Copa Holdings, S.A.
This prospectus contains terms relating to operating performance
that are commonly used within the airline industry and are
defined as follows:
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Aircraft utilization represents the average number
of block hours operated per day per aircraft for the total
aircraft fleet. |
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Available seat miles or ASMs represents
the aircraft seating capacity multiplied by the number of miles
the seats are flown. |
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Average stage length represents the average number
of miles flown per flight. |
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Block hours refers to the elapsed time between an
aircraft leaving an airport gate and arriving at an airport gate. |
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Break-even load factor represents the load factor
that would have resulted in total revenues being equal to total
expenses. |
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Load factor represents the percentage of aircraft
seating capacity that is actually utilized (calculated by
dividing revenue passenger miles by available seat miles). |
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Operating expense per available seat mile represents
operating expenses divided by available seat miles. |
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Operating revenue per available seat mile represents
operating revenues divided by available seat miles. |
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Passenger revenue per available seat mile represents
passenger revenue divided by available seat miles. |
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Revenue passenger miles represents the number of
miles flown by revenue passengers. |
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Revenue passengers represents the total number of
paying passengers (including all passengers redeeming OnePass
frequent flyer miles and other travel awards) flown on all
flight segments (with each connecting segment being considered a
separate flight segment). |
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Yield represents the average amount one passenger
pays to fly one mile. |
MARKET DATA
This prospectus contains certain statistical data regarding our
airline routes and our competitive position and market share in,
and the market size of, the Latin American airline industry.
This information has been derived from a variety of sources,
including the International Air Transport Association, the
U.S. Federal Aviation Administration, the International
Monetary Fund and other third-party sources, governmental
agencies or industry or general publications. Information for
which no source is cited has been prepared by us on the basis of
our knowledge of Latin American airline markets and other
information available to us. The methodology and terminology
used by different sources are not always consistent, and data
from different sources are not readily comparable. In addition,
sources other than us use methodologies that are not identical
to ours and may produce results that differ from our own
estimates. Although we have not independently verified the
information concerning the competitive position, market share,
market size, market growth or other similar data provided by
third-party sources or by industry or general publications, we
believe these sources and publications are generally accurate
and reliable.
PRESENTATION OF FINANCIAL AND STATISTICAL DATA
Included elsewhere in this prospectus are our audited
consolidated balance sheets at December 31, 2003 and 2004
and the audited consolidated statements of income, changes in
shareholders equity and cash flows for the years ended
December 31, 2002, 2003 and 2004. Also included herein are
our unaudited consolidated interim financial statements as of
and for the nine-month periods ended September 30, 2004 and
2005. The consolidated financial information as of
December 31, 2000, 2001 and 2002 and for the years ended
December 31, 2000 and 2001 has been derived from our
audited consolidated financial statements that were prepared
under International Financial Reporting Standards and adjusted
to be presented on a basis consistent with accounting principles
generally accepted in the United States, or U.S. GAAP, and
which have not been included in this prospectus. Our audited and
unaudited consolidated financial statements have been prepared
in accordance with U.S. GAAP and are stated in
U.S. dollars. We began consolidating the results of our
recently acquired AeroRepública operating subsidiary as of
its acquisition date on April 22, 2005. Unless otherwise
indicated, all references in the prospectus to $ or
dollars refer to U.S. dollars, and all
references to Pesos or Ps. refer to
Colombian pesos, the local currency of Colombia.
Unless otherwise indicated, all information contained in this
prospectus assumes no exercise of the underwriters option
to purchase up to 2.36 million additional shares of
Class A common stock to cover over-allotments. Unless
otherwise indicated, all references to amounts or percentages of
total outstanding capital stock following the offering include
937,500 restricted Class A shares that will be awarded to
certain management employees in connection with the offering.
Certain figures included in this prospectus have been subject to
rounding adjustments. Accordingly, figures shown as totals in
certain tables may not be an arithmetic aggregation of the
figures that precede them.
ii
ENFORCEABILITY OF CIVIL LIABILITIES
We are a corporation (sociedad anónima) organized
under the laws of the Republic of Panama. Most of our directors
and officers and certain of the experts named in this prospectus
reside outside of the United States, and all or a
substantial portion of the assets of such persons and ours are
located outside the United States. As a result, it may not
be possible for investors to effect service of process within
the United States upon such persons, including with respect
to matters arising under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended
(the Securities Act), or to effect the due process
necessary to enforce judgments of courts of the United States
against us or any of our directors and officers. We have been
advised by our Panamanian legal counsel, Galindo,
Arias & Lopez, that there is doubt as to the
enforceability, in original actions in Panamanian courts, of
liabilities predicated solely on the United States federal
securities laws. Any judgment rendered by a U.S. court may
be enforced in Panama through a suit on the judgment
(exequatur), would be recognized and accepted by the
courts of Panama and would be enforceable by the courts of
Panama without a new trial or examination of the merits of the
original action, provided due process had been granted to all
parties and that the obligation the judgment is seeking to
enforce is not illegal or against public policy in Panama.
SPECIAL NOTE ABOUT FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
This prospectus includes forward-looking statements, principally
under the captions Summary, Risk
Factors, Managements Discussion and Analysis
of Financial Condition and Results of Operations,
The Industry and Business. We have based
these forward-looking statements largely on our current beliefs,
expectations and projections about future events and financial
trends affecting our business. Many important factors, in
addition to those discussed elsewhere in this prospectus, could
cause our actual results to differ substantially from those
anticipated in our forward-looking statements, including, among
other things:
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general economic, political and business conditions in Panama
and Latin America and particularly in the geographic markets we
serve; |
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our managements expectations and estimates concerning our
future financial performance and financing plans and programs; |
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our level of debt and other fixed obligations; |
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demand for passenger and cargo air service in the markets in
which we operate; |
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competitive pressures on pricing; |
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our capital expenditure plans; |
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changes in the regulatory environment in which we operate; |
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changes in labor costs, maintenance costs, fuel costs and
insurance premiums; |
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changes in market prices, customer demand and preferences and
competitive conditions; |
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cyclical and seasonal fluctuations in our operating results; |
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defects or mechanical problems with our aircraft; |
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our ability to successfully implement our growth strategy; |
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our ability to obtain financing on commercially reasonable
terms; and |
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the risk factors discussed under Risk Factors
beginning on page 13. |
The words believe, may,
will, aim, estimate,
continue, anticipate,
intend, expect and similar words are
intended to identify forward-looking statements. Forward-looking
statements include information concerning our possible or
assumed future results of operations, business strategies,
financing plans, competitive position, industry environment,
potential growth opportunities, the effects of future regulation
and the effects of competition. Forward-looking statements speak
only as of the date they were made, and we undertake no
obligation to update publicly or to revise any forward-looking
statements after we distribute this prospectus because of new
information, future events or other factors. In light of the
risks and uncertainties described above, the forward-looking
events and circumstances discussed in this prospectus might not
occur and are not guarantees of future performance. Considering
these limitations, you should not place undue reliance on
forward-looking statements contained in this prospectus.
iii
SUMMARY
This summary highlights selected information about us and the
Class A shares being offered by the selling shareholders.
It may not contain all of the information that may be important
to you. Before investing in the Class A shares, you should
read this entire prospectus carefully for a more complete
understanding of our business and this offering, including our
audited and unaudited financial statements and the related notes
and the sections entitled Risk Factors and
Managements Discussion and Analysis of Financial
Condition and Results of Operations.
Overview
We are a leading Latin American provider of international
airline passenger and cargo service. Operating from our
strategically located position in the Republic of Panama, we
currently offer approximately 80 daily scheduled flights among
30 destinations in 20 countries in North, Central and South
America and the Caribbean. Additionally, we provide passengers
with access to flights to more than 110 other destinations
through codeshare arrangements with Continental Airlines
pursuant to which each airline places its name and flight
designation code on the others flights. We provide airline
passenger and cargo service through our Panama City hub which
enables us to consolidate passenger traffic from multiple points
to serve each destination effectively. We also operate a
Colombian carrier, AeroRepública S.A., that we acquired
during the second quarter of 2005.
We operate a modern fleet of 22 Boeing 737-Next Generation
aircraft with an average age of approximately 3.3 years as
of September 30, 2005 (not taking into account the fleet of
AeroRepública, our recently-purchased operating
subsidiary). We also accepted delivery of our first 94-seat
Embraer 190 aircraft on November 16, 2005. To meet our
growing capacity requirements, we have firm commitments to
accept delivery of 18 additional aircraft through 2009 and have
negotiated purchase rights and options that, if exercised, would
allow us to accept delivery of up to 28 additional aircraft
through 2011. Our firm orders are for seven additional Boeing
737-Next Generation aircraft and eleven additional
Embraer 190s, and our purchase rights and options are for
up to ten Boeing 737-Next Generation aircraft and up to 18
Embraer 190s.
Since January 2001, Copa Holdings has grown significantly and
has established a track record of consistent profitability,
recording four consecutive years of increasing earnings. Our
total operating revenues have increased from $290.4 million
in 2001 to $399.8 million in 2004, while our net income has
increased from $14.8 million to $68.6 million over the
same period. Our operating margins also improved from 8.6% in
2001 to 20.6% in 2004. Over the same period, Copa Airlines
increased its capacity from 2,920 million available seat
miles to 3,639 million available seat miles while improving
its load factor from 64.0% during 2001 to 70.0% during 2004 and
its yield from 13.79 cents during 2001 to 14.31 cents during
2004.
We started our strategic alliance with Continental Airlines in
1998 in conjunction with its purchase of 49% of our capital
stock. Together, we conduct joint marketing and code-sharing
arrangements, and we participate in the award-winning OnePass
frequent flyer loyalty program globally and on a co-branded
basis in Latin America. We believe that our co-branding and
joint marketing activities with Continental have enhanced our
brand and reputation in Latin America, and that our relationship
has afforded us many cost-related benefits, such as improving
our purchasing power in negotiations with service providers,
aircraft vendors and insurers. Immediately prior to the
consummation of this offering, our alliance and related services
agreements with Continental will be extended until 2015.
We recently purchased AeroRepública S.A. for an aggregate
purchase price of approximately $23.4 million, including
acquisition costs. AeroRepública is a Colombian air carrier
that operates a fleet of ten leased MD-80s and two owned DC-9s.
According to the Colombian Civil Aviation Administration,
Unidad Especial Administrativa de Aeronáutica Civil,
in 2004 AeroRepública was the second-largest domestic
carrier in Colombia in terms of number of passengers carried,
providing service to 11 cities in Colombia through a
point-to-point route network. We believe that this acquisition
represents an attractive opportunity to increase our access to
one of the largest airline passenger markets in Latin America
and to improve AeroRepúblicas operational and
financial performance.
1
Our Strengths
We believe our primary business strengths that have allowed us
to compete successfully in the airline industry include the
following:
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Our Hub of the Americas airport is strategically
located. We believe that our base of operations at the
geographically central location of Tocumen International Airport
in Panama City, Panama provides convenient connections to our
principal markets in North, Central and South America and the
Caribbean, enabling us to consolidate traffic to serve several
destinations that do not generate enough demand to justify
point-to-point service. Flights from Panama operate with few
service disruptions due to weather, contributing to high
completion factors and on-time performance. Tocumen
International Airports sea-level altitude allows our
aircraft to operate without performance restrictions that they
would be subject to at higher-altitude airports. We believe that
the geographic reach provided by our central location allows us
to generate revenue across a large and diverse base of
destinations. We also believe that our hub in Panama allows us
to benefit from Panama Citys status as a center for
financial services, shipping and commerce and from Panamas
stable, dollar-based economy, free-trade zone and growing
tourism industry. |
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We focus on keeping our operating costs low. In recent
years, our low operating costs and efficiency have contributed
significantly to our profitability. Our cost per available seat
mile was 8.72 cents in 2004 and 9.08 cents in the first nine
months of 2005. The cost per available seat mile of our Copa
operating segment when excluding costs for fuel and fleet
impairment charges was 7.50 cents in 2001, 7.59 cents in 2002,
7.17 cents in 2003, 7.01 cents in 2004 and 6.61 cents
during the nine months ended September 30, 2005. See
Managements Discussion and Analysis of Financial
Condition and Results of Operations Results of
Operations for a reconciliation of our cost per available
seat mile when excluding costs for fuel and fleet impairment
charges to our cost per available seat mile. We believe that our
cost per available seat mile reflects our modern fleet,
efficient operations and the competitive cost of labor in Panama. |
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We operate a modern fleet. Copa Airlines recently
completed a fleet renovation program through which it replaced
all of its older Boeing 737-200s with Boeing 737-Next Generation
aircraft equipped with winglets and other modern cost-saving and
safety features. We also recently accepted delivery of our first
Embraer 190 aircraft. Over the next four years, we intend to
further enhance our modern fleet through the addition of at
least seven additional Boeing 737-Next Generation aircraft and
eleven new Embraer 190s. We expect our Boeing 737-700s and
737-800s and our new Embraer 190s to offer substantial
operational cost savings over the replaced aircraft in terms of
fuel efficiency and maintenance costs. In addition, Copa
Airlines believes that its modern fleet contributes to its
excellent on-time performance and high completion factor which
contribute to passenger satisfaction. |
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We believe we have a strong brand and a reputation for
quality service. We believe that the Copa brand is
associated with value to passengers, providing world-class
service and competitive pricing. For the nine months ended
September 30, 2005, Copa Airlines statistic for
on-time performance was 93.3%, completion factor was 99.7% and
baggage handling was 0.8 mishandled bags per
1000 passengers. Our goal is to apply our expertise in
these areas to improve AeroRepúblicas service
statistics to comparable levels. Our focus on customer service
has helped to build passenger loyalty. We believe that our brand
has also been enhanced through our relationship with
Continental, including our joint marketing of the OnePass
loyalty program in Latin America, the similarity of our aircraft
livery and aircraft interiors and our participation in
Continentals Presidents Club lounge program. |
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Our management fosters a culture of teamwork and continuous
improvement. Our management team has been successful at
creating a culture based on teamwork and focused on continuous
improvement. Each of our employees has individual objectives
based on corporate goals that serve as a basis for measuring
performance. When corporate operational and financial targets
are met, employees are eligible to receive bonuses according to
our profit sharing program. See
BusinessEmployees. We also recognize
outstanding performance of individual employees through
company-wide recognition, one-time awards, special events and,
in the case of our senior management after this offering, grants
of restricted stock and stock options. According to internal
surveys, over 90% of our employees report being satisfied with
their job. Our goal-oriented culture and incentive programs have
contributed to a motivated work force that is focused on
satisfying customers, achieving efficiencies and growing
profitability. |
2
Our Strategy
Our goal is to continue to grow profitably and enhance our
position as a leader in Latin American aviation by providing a
combination of superior customer service, convenient schedules
and competitive fares, while maintaining competitive costs. The
key elements of our business strategy include the following:
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Expand our network by increasing frequencies and adding new
destinations. We believe that demand for air travel in Latin
America is likely to expand in the next decade, and we intend to
use our increasing fleet capacity to meet this growing demand.
We intend to focus on expanding our operations by increasing
flight frequencies on our most profitable routes and initiating
service to new destinations. Our Panama City hub allows us to
consolidate traffic and provide service to certain underserved
markets, particularly in Central America and the Caribbean, and
we intend to focus on providing new service to regional
destinations that we believe best enhance the overall
connectivity and profitability of our network. With the addition
of Embraer 190 aircraft and growth in overall capacity, we will
have more flexibility in scheduling our flights for our
customers convenience. |
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Continue to focus on keeping our costs low. We seek to
reduce our cost per available seat mile without sacrificing
services valued by our customers as we execute our growth plans.
Our goal is to maintain a young fleet of modern aircraft and to
make effective use of our resources through efficient aircraft
utilization and employee productivity. We intend to reduce our
distribution costs by increasing direct sales, including
internet and call center sales, as well as improving efficiency
through technology and automated processes. |
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Introduce service with new Embraer 190 aircraft. We
believe that the addition of the Embraer 190 aircraft in
late 2005 will allow us to provide service to new destinations
in underserved markets whose demand would be more efficiently
served with the 94-seat Embraer 190 aircraft. In addition, we
believe that the Embraer 190s will also enable us to more
efficiently match our capacity to demand, allowing us to improve
service frequencies to currently served markets and to redeploy
the higher capacity Boeing 737-Next Generation aircraft to serve
routes with greater demand. |
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Emphasize superior service and value to our customers. We
intend to continue to focus on satisfying our customers and
earning their loyalty by providing a combination of superior
service and competitive fares. We believe that continuing our
operational success in keeping flights on time, reducing
mishandled luggage and offering convenient schedules to
attractive destinations will be essential to achieving this
goal. We intend to continue to incentivize our employees to
improve or maintain operating and service metrics relating to
our customers satisfaction by continuing our profit
sharing plan and employee recognition programs and to reward
customer loyalty with the popular OnePass frequent flyer
program, upgrades and access to Presidents Club lounges. |
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Selectively evaluate future acquisitions. From time to
time in the future, we expect to evaluate acquisition
opportunities in the Latin American aviation sector as they
arise. We intend to evaluate any such opportunities selectively,
focusing in particular on the extent to which they might
complement our existing operations and provide potential for
growth and increased shareholder value. |
Selling Shareholders
Fifty-one percent of Copa Holdings is currently owned by
Corporación de Inversiones Aéreas, S.A., or
CIASA, a holding company controlled by a group of
Panamanian investors. The remaining 49% is owned by Continental.
In connection with this offering, we have amended our Articles
of Incorporation (Pacto Social) to provide for two
classes of stock with different voting rights. Our new equity
structure provides for Class A shares that initially have
no voting rights except in certain circumstances and
Class B shares that will be entitled to one vote per share
on all matters. After the completion of the offering,
Continental is expected to hold approximately 42.3% of our
Class A shares, representing approximately 30.0% of our
total capital stock. CIASA will hold all of our Class B
shares and 1,181,250 Class A shares, together
representing approximately 31.9% of our total capital stock and
all of the voting rights associated with our capital stock. As
long as CIASA beneficially owns a majority of the voting power
of our capital stock, it will be able to elect a majority of our
directors and to determine the outcome of the voting on
substantially all actions that require shareholder approval. See
Description of Capital Stock.
3
Recent Development
Prices for jet fuel have risen significantly throughout 2005 and
remained at historically high levels during the third quarter of
2005. Our fuel cost increased from an average of $1.74 per
gallon for the month ended June 30, 2005 to $2.15 per
gallon for the month ended September 30, 2005. This recent
upward trend was exacerbated by widespread disruption to oil
production, refineries and pipeline capacity along portions of
the U.S. Gulf Coast caused by the damage of Hurricanes
Katrina and Rita during the third quarter of 2005. Although we
have managed to offset some of the increases in fuel prices with
higher load factors, fuel surcharges and fare increases, we
cannot assure you that we will be able to continue to do so in
the future. Fuel is our single largest operating expense and, as
a result, our results of operations are likely to continue to be
materially affected by the cost of fuel as compared with prior
periods.
Our Organizational Structure
The following is an organizational chart showing Copa Holdings
and its principal subsidiaries:
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Includes ownership by us held through wholly-owned holding
companies organized in the British Virgin Islands. |
Copa is our principal airline operating subsidiary that operates
out of our hub in Panama and provides passenger service in
North, South and Central America and the Caribbean. Oval
Financial Leasing, Ltd. controls the special purpose vehicles
that have a beneficial interest in the majority of our aircraft.
OPAC, S.A. is a property holding company that owns our former
corporate headquarters facility. AeroRepública S.A. is our
recently acquired operating subsidiary that primarily operates
domestic flights within Colombia.
Copa Holdings was formed on May 6, 1998 as a corporation
(sociedad anónima) duly incorporated under the laws
of Panama with an indefinite duration. Copa Holdings was
organized to be a holding company for Copa and related companies
in connection with the acquisition by Continental of its 49%
interest in us.
Our principal executive offices are located at Boulevard Costa
del Este, Avenida Principal y Avenida de la Rotonda,
Urbanización Costa del Este, Complejo Business Park,
Torre Norte, Parque Lefevre, Panama City, Panama, and our
telephone number is +507 303-3348. The website of Copa is
www.copaair.com. AeroRepública maintains a website at
www.aerorepublica.com.co. Information contained on, or
accessible through, these websites is not incorporated by
reference herein and shall not be considered part of this
prospectus. Our agent for service in the United States is
Puglisi & Associates, 850 Library Avenue,
Suite 204, Newark, Delaware 19715, and its telephone number
is (302) 738-6680.
4
The Offering
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Issuer |
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Copa Holdings, S.A. |
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Selling shareholders |
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Corporación de Inversiones Aéreas, S.A. and
Continental Airlines, Inc. |
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Shares offered by the selling shareholders |
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15,750,000 Class A shares, without par value, of which
7,875,000 Class A shares are being offered by Continental
and 7,875,000 Class A shares are being offered by CIASA. |
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Over-allotment option |
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The selling shareholders have granted the underwriters the right
for a period of 30 days to purchase up to an additional
2,362,500 Class A shares solely to cover over-allotments,
if any. |
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Offering price |
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$20 per Class A share. |
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Shares outstanding after the offering |
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Immediately following the offering (assuming the
underwriters over-allotment option is not exercised), the
number of shares of our capital stock will be as shown below: |
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Class A: |
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Public, including management |
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16,687,500 shares |
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Continental |
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13,103,125 shares |
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CIASA |
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1,181,250 shares |
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Total Class A shares |
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30,971,875 shares |
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Class B: |
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CIASA |
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12,778,125 shares |
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|
Total outstanding
shares |
|
43,750,000 shares |
|
|
|
Voting rights |
|
The holders of the Class A shares have no voting rights
except with respect to certain corporate transformations,
mergers, consolidations or spin-offs, changes of our corporate
purpose, voluntary delistings of the Class A shares from
the NYSE, approval of nominations of the independent directors
or amendments to the foregoing provisions that adversely affect
the rights and privileges of any Class A shares. Under
certain circumstances which we believe are not likely in the
foreseeable future, each Class A share will entitle its
record holder to one vote on all matters on which our
shareholders are entitled to vote. |
|
|
|
Each Class B share will be entitled to one vote on all
matters for which shareholders are entitled to vote. |
|
|
|
See Description of Capital Stock. |
|
Controlling shareholder |
|
Following this offering, CIASA will continue to beneficially own
100% of our Class B shares which will represent all of the
voting power of our capital stock. As long as CIASA beneficially
owns a majority of the voting power of our capital stock, it
will be able to elect a majority of our directors and to
determine the outcome of the voting on substantially all actions
that require shareholder approval. See Description of
Capital Stock. |
|
Ownership restrictions |
|
Our independent directors have the power under certain
circumstances to control or restrict the level of non-Panamanian
ownership of our Class B shares and the exercise of voting
rights |
5
|
|
|
|
|
attaching to Class A shares held by non-Panamanian
nationals in order to allow us to comply with Panamanian airline
ownership and control requirements. See Description of
Capital Stock. |
|
Tag-along rights |
|
Our board of directors may refuse to register any transfer of
shares in which CIASA proposes to sell Class B shares at a
price per share that is greater than the average public trading
price per share of the Class A shares for the preceding
30 days to an unrelated third party that would, after
giving effect to such sale, have the right to elect a majority
of the board of directors and direct our management and
policies, unless the proposed purchaser agrees to make, as
promptly as possible, a public offer for the purchase of all
outstanding Class A shares and Class B shares at a
price per share equal to the price per share paid for the CIASA
shares being sold. However, a proposed purchaser could acquire
control of Copa Holdings in a transaction that would not give
holders of Class A shares the right to participate,
including a sale by a party that had previously acquired control
from CIASA, the sale of interests by another party in
conjunction with a sale by CIASA, the sale by CIASA of control
to more than one party, or the sale of controlling interests in
CIASA itself. See Description of Capital Stock
Tag-Along Rights. |
|
Use of proceeds |
|
We will not receive any proceeds from the sale of our
Class A shares by the selling shareholders. |
|
Dividends |
|
Holders of the Class A and Class B shares will be
entitled to receive dividends to the extent they are declared by
our board of directors in its absolute discretion. Our Articles
of Incorporation provide that all dividends declared by our
board of directors will be paid equally with respect to all of
the Class A and Class B shares. After this offering,
our board of directors intends to adopt a dividend policy that
contemplates the annual payment of equal dividends to our
Class A and Class B shareholders in an aggregate
amount approximately equal to 10% of our consolidated net income
for each year. This dividend policy can be amended or
discontinued by our board of directors at any time for any
reason. See Dividends and Dividend Policy and
Description of Capital Stock. |
|
Lock-up agreement |
|
We, the selling shareholders, our directors and executive
officers have agreed, subject to certain exceptions, not to
issue or transfer, until 180 days after the date of this
prospectus, any shares of our capital stock, any options or
warrants to purchase shares of our capital stock or any
securities convertible into or exchangeable for shares of our
capital stock. |
|
Market for Class A shares |
|
Prior to this offering, there has been no public market for the
Class A shares. There can be no assurance that an active
public market in the United States for the Class A shares
will develop or that it will continue if one does develop. |
|
Listing |
|
The Class A shares have been approved for listing on the
New York Stock Exchange (NYSE). |
|
NYSE symbol for the Class A shares |
|
CPA. |
6
|
|
|
Risk factors |
|
See Risk Factors beginning on page 13 and the
other information included in this prospectus for a discussion
of certain important risks you should carefully consider before
deciding to invest in the Class A shares. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Expected offering timetable:
|
|
|
|
|
|
Commencement of marketing of the offering
|
|
|
November 29, 2005 |
|
|
Announcement of offer price and allocation of Class A shares
|
|
|
December 14, 2005 |
|
|
Commencement of trading of Class A shares on the NYSE
|
|
|
December 15, 2005 |
|
|
Settlement and delivery of Class A shares
|
|
|
December 20, 2005 |
|
7
Summary Financial and Operating Data
The following table presents summary consolidated financial and
operating data as of the dates and for the periods indicated.
Our consolidated financial statements are prepared in accordance
with U.S. GAAP and are stated in U.S. dollars. You
should read this information in conjunction with our
consolidated financial statements included in this prospectus
and Managements Discussion and Analysis of Results
of Operations and Financial Condition appearing elsewhere
in this prospectus.
The summary consolidated financial information as of
December 31, 2003 and 2004 and for the years ended
December 31, 2002, 2003 and 2004 has been derived from our
audited consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in
this prospectus. The consolidated financial information as of
December 31, 2000, 2001 and 2002 and for the years ended
December 31, 2000 and 2001 has been derived from our
audited consolidated financial statements that were prepared
under International Accounting Standards and adjusted to be
presented on a basis consistent with U.S. GAAP and which
have not been included in this prospectus.
The summary consolidated financial data as of and for the
nine-months ended September 30, 2004 and 2005 has been
derived from our unaudited interim consolidated financial
statements for these periods appearing elsewhere in this
prospectus. We recently acquired 99.6% of the stock of
AeroRepública, a Colombian air carrier, and began
consolidating AeroRepúblicas results on
April 22, 2005. For the nine months ended
September 30, 2005 and for future periods, we will be
reporting AeroRepúblicas operations as a separate
segment in our financial statements and the related notes. As a
result of the acquisition, our financial information at and for
the nine-months ended September 30, 2005 is not comparable
to the information at and for the nine-months ended
September 30, 2004. The results of operations for the nine
months ended September 30, 2005 are not necessarily
indicative of the operating results to be expected for the
entire year ending December 31, 2005 or for any other
period.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Nine Months Ended | |
|
|
Year Ended December 31, | |
|
September 30, | |
|
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
2000 | |
|
2001 | |
|
2002 | |
|
2003 | |
|
2004 | |
|
2004 | |
|
2005(21) | |
|
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
(in thousands of dollars, except share and per share data and operating data) | |
INCOME STATEMENT DATA |
Operating revenue:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Passenger revenue
|
|
$ |
226,012 |
|
|
$ |
257,918 |
|
|
$ |
269,629 |
|
|
$ |
311,683 |
|
|
$ |
364,611 |
|
|
$ |
268,652 |
|
|
$ |
398,550 |
|
|
Cargo, mail and other
|
|
|
29,402 |
|
|
|
32,454 |
|
|
|
31,008 |
|
|
|
30,106 |
|
|
|
35,226 |
|
|
|
24,514 |
|
|
|
30,379 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total operating revenues
|
|
|
255,414 |
|
|
|
290,372 |
|
|
|
300,637 |
|
|
|
341,789 |
|
|
|
399,837 |
|
|
|
293,166 |
|
|
|
428,929 |
|
Operating expenses:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Aircraft fuel
|
|
|
48,126 |
|
|
|
46,514 |
|
|
|
40,024 |
|
|
|
48,512 |
|
|
|
62,549 |
|
|
|
43,753 |
|
|
|
97,733 |
|
|
Salaries and benefits
|
|
|
30,385 |
|
|
|
38,709 |
|
|
|
39,264 |
|
|
|
45,254 |
|
|
|
51,701 |
|
|
|
35,985 |
|
|
|
48,134 |
|
|
Passenger servicing
|
|
|
33,128 |
|
|
|
32,834 |
|
|
|
33,892 |
|
|
|
36,879 |
|
|
|
39,222 |
|
|
|
29,116 |
|
|
|
36,172 |
|
|
Commissions
|
|
|
31,537 |
|
|
|
31,652 |
|
|
|
28,720 |
|
|
|
27,681 |
|
|
|
29,073 |
|
|
|
21,458 |
|
|
|
31,456 |
|
|
Reservations and sales
|
|
|
15,238 |
|
|
|
18,629 |
|
|
|
16,707 |
|
|
|
18,011 |
|
|
|
22,118 |
|
|
|
15,727 |
|
|
|
21,415 |
|
|
Maintenance, materials and repairs
|
|
|
26,815 |
|
|
|
25,369 |
|
|
|
20,733 |
|
|
|
20,354 |
|
|
|
19,742 |
|
|
|
13,899 |
|
|
|
21,933 |
|
|
Depreciation
|
|
|
9,136 |
|
|
|
13,325 |
|
|
|
13,377 |
|
|
|
14,040 |
|
|
|
19,279 |
|
|
|
13,368 |
|
|
|
14,844 |
|
|
Flight operations
|
|
|
12,453 |
|
|
|
13,887 |
|
|
|
14,567 |
|
|
|
15,976 |
|
|
|
17,904 |
|
|
|
13,135 |
|
|
|
17,904 |
|
|
Aircraft rentals
|
|
|
20,398 |
|
|
|
20,106 |
|
|
|
21,182 |
|
|
|
16,686 |
|
|
|
14,445 |
|
|
|
10,435 |
|
|
|
19,351 |
|
|
Landing fees and other rentals
|
|
|
8,571 |
|
|
|
8,451 |
|
|
|
8,495 |
|
|
|
10,551 |
|
|
|
12,155 |
|
|
|
8,941 |
|
|
|
12,282 |
|
|
Other
|
|
|
18,010 |
|
|
|
15,892 |
|
|
|
19,166 |
|
|
|
25,977 |
|
|
|
29,306 |
|
|
|
19,847 |
|
|
|
25,364 |
|
|
Fleet impairment
charge(1)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
13,669 |
|
|
|
3,572 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total operating expenses
|
|
|
253,797 |
|
|
|
265,368 |
|
|
|
269,796 |
|
|
|
283,493 |
|
|
|
317,494 |
|
|
|
225,664 |
|
|
|
346,588 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Operating income
|
|
|
1,617 |
|
|
|
25,004 |
|
|
|
30,841 |
|
|
|
58,296 |
|
|
|
82,343 |
|
|
|
67,502 |
|
|
|
82,341 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
8
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Nine Months Ended | |
|
|
Year Ended December 31, | |
|
September 30, | |
|
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
2000 | |
|
2001 | |
|
2002 | |
|
2003 | |
|
2004 | |
|
2004 | |
|
2005(21) | |
|
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
(in thousands of dollars, except share and per share data and operating data) | |
Non-operating income (expense):
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Interest expense
|
|
|
(9,751 |
) |
|
|
(10,988 |
) |
|
|
(7,629 |
) |
|
|
(11,613 |
) |
|
|
(16,488 |
) |
|
|
(12,076 |
) |
|
|
(15,755 |
) |
|
Interest capitalized
|
|
|
157 |
|
|
|
1,592 |
|
|
|
1,114 |
|
|
|
2,009 |
|
|
|
963 |
|
|
|
948 |
|
|
|
657 |
|
|
Interest income
|
|
|
225 |
|
|
|
701 |
|
|
|
831 |
|
|
|
887 |
|
|
|
1,423 |
|
|
|
878 |
|
|
|
2,300 |
|
|
Other,
net(2)
|
|
|
(233 |
) |
|
|
331 |
|
|
|
(1,490 |
) |
|
|
2,554 |
|
|
|
6,063 |
|
|
|
4,104 |
|
|
|
4,061 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total non-operating expenses, net
|
|
|
(9,602 |
) |
|
|
(8,364 |
) |
|
|
(7,174 |
) |
|
|
(6,163 |
) |
|
|
(8,039 |
) |
|
|
(6,146 |
) |
|
|
(8,737 |
) |
Income (loss) before income taxes
|
|
|
(7,985 |
) |
|
|
16,640 |
|
|
|
23,667 |
|
|
|
52,133 |
|
|
|
74,304 |
|
|
|
61,356 |
|
|
|
73,604 |
|
Provision for income taxes
|
|
|
(1,530 |
) |
|
|
(1,822 |
) |
|
|
(2,999 |
) |
|
|
(3,644 |
) |
|
|
(5,732 |
) |
|
|
(4,663 |
) |
|
|
(8,258 |
) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net income (loss)
|
|
|
(9,515 |
) |
|
|
14,818 |
|
|
|
20,668 |
|
|
|
48,489 |
|
|
|
68,572 |
|
|
|
56,693 |
|
|
|
65,346 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
BALANCE SHEET DATA
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total cash, cash equivalents and short-term
investments(3)
|
|
$ |
16,893 |
|
|
$ |
28,385 |
|
|
$ |
39,088 |
|
|
$ |
65,962 |
|
|
$ |
114,891 |
|
|
$ |
105,531 |
|
|
$ |
129,201 |
|
Accounts receivable, net
|
|
|
36,791 |
|
|
|
30,205 |
|
|
|
24,006 |
|
|
|
31,019 |
|
|
|
27,706 |
|
|
|
30,529 |
|
|
|
54,965 |
|
Total current assets
|
|
|
61,682 |
|
|
|
69,040 |
|
|
|
73,552 |
|
|
|
108,053 |
|
|
|
156,035 |
|
|
|
151,820 |
|
|
|
208,428 |
|
Purchase deposits for flight equipment
|
|
|
21,035 |
|
|
|
46,540 |
|
|
|
55,867 |
|
|
|
45,869 |
|
|
|
7,190 |
|
|
|
24,701 |
|
|
|
42,189 |
|
Total property and equipment
|
|
|
205,071 |
|
|
|
227,717 |
|
|
|
345,411 |
|
|
|
480,488 |
|
|
|
541,211 |
|
|
|
521,754 |
|
|
|
572,868 |
|
Total assets
|
|
|
270,506 |
|
|
|
300,121 |
|
|
|
421,935 |
|
|
|
591,915 |
|
|
|
702,050 |
|
|
|
678,136 |
|
|
|
846,126 |
|
Long-term debt
|
|
|
142,437 |
|
|
|
111,125 |
|
|
|
211,698 |
|
|
|
311,991 |
|
|
|
380,827 |
|
|
|
345,754 |
|
|
|
369,237 |
|
Total shareholders equity
|
|
|
19,638 |
|
|
|
46,426 |
|
|
|
67,094 |
|
|
|
115,583 |
|
|
|
174,155 |
|
|
|
172,276 |
|
|
|
229,223 |
|
CASH FLOW DATA
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net cash provided by operating activities
|
|
$ |
25,386 |
|
|
$ |
32,997 |
|
|
$ |
50,931 |
|
|
$ |
73,561 |
|
|
$ |
98,633 |
|
|
$ |
70,301 |
|
|
$ |
78,308 |
|
Net cash used in investing activities
|
|
|
(111,926 |
) |
|
|
(39,473 |
) |
|
|
(145,591 |
) |
|
|
(151,884 |
) |
|
|
(90,268 |
) |
|
|
(50,201 |
) |
|
|
(69,425 |
) |
Net cash provided by financing activities
|
|
|
93,100 |
|
|
|
14,466 |
|
|
|
100,400 |
|
|
|
105,298 |
|
|
|
29,755 |
|
|
|
23,389 |
|
|
|
(2,105 |
) |
OTHER FINANCIAL DATA
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
EBITDA(4)
|
|
|
10,520 |
|
|
|
38,660 |
|
|
|
42,728 |
|
|
|
74,890 |
|
|
|
107,685 |
|
|
|
84,974 |
|
|
|
101,246 |
|
Aircraft rentals
|
|
|
20,398 |
|
|
|
20,106 |
|
|
|
21,182 |
|
|
|
16,686 |
|
|
|
14,445 |
|
|
|
10,435 |
|
|
|
19,351 |
|
Operating
margin(5)
|
|
|
0.6 |
% |
|
|
8.6 |
% |
|
|
10.3 |
% |
|
|
17.1 |
% |
|
|
20.6 |
% |
|
|
23.0 |
% |
|
|
19.2 |
% |
Weighted average shares used in computing net income per
share(6)
|
|
|
42,812,500 |
|
|
|
42,812,500 |
|
|
|
42,812,500 |
|
|
|
42,812,500 |
|
|
|
42,812,500 |
|
|
|
42,812,500 |
|
|
|
42,812,500 |
|
Net income (loss) per
share(6)
|
|
$ |
(0.22 |
) |
|
$ |
0.35 |
|
|
$ |
0.48 |
|
|
$ |
1.13 |
|
|
$ |
1.60 |
|
|
$ |
1.32 |
|
|
$ |
1.53 |
|
9
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Nine Months Ended | |
|
|
Year Ended December 31, | |
|
September 30, | |
|
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
2000 | |
|
2001 | |
|
2002 | |
|
2003 | |
|
2004 | |
|
2004 | |
|
2005(21) | |
|
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
(in thousands of dollars, except share and per share data and operating data) | |
OPERATING DATA
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Revenue passengers
carried(7)
|
|
|
1,647 |
|
|
|
1,794 |
|
|
|
1,819 |
|
|
|
2,028 |
|
|
|
2,333 |
|
|
|
1,726 |
|
|
|
3,030 |
(22) |
Revenue passenger
miles(8)
|
|
|
1,645 |
|
|
|
1,870 |
|
|
|
1,875 |
|
|
|
2,193 |
|
|
|
2,548 |
|
|
|
1,887 |
|
|
|
2,743 |
(22) |
Available seat
miles(9)
|
|
|
2,589 |
|
|
|
2,920 |
|
|
|
2,847 |
|
|
|
3,226 |
|
|
|
3,639 |
|
|
|
2,687 |
|
|
|
3,819 |
|
Load
factor(10)
|
|
|
63.6 |
% |
|
|
64.0 |
% |
|
|
65.9 |
% |
|
|
68.0 |
% |
|
|
70.0 |
% |
|
|
70.2 |
% |
|
|
71.8 |
%(22) |
Break-even load
factor(11)
|
|
|
67.6 |
% |
|
|
58.7 |
% |
|
|
54.5 |
% |
|
|
52.8 |
% |
|
|
52.6 |
% |
|
|
50.7 |
% |
|
|
56.6 |
%(22) |
Total block
hours(12)
|
|
|
57,443 |
|
|
|
59,760 |
|
|
|
58,112 |
|
|
|
64,909 |
|
|
|
70,228 |
|
|
|
52,161 |
|
|
|
73,645 |
|
Average daily aircraft utilization
(13)
|
|
|
8.8 |
|
|
|
9.1 |
|
|
|
8.8 |
|
|
|
9.0 |
|
|
|
9.3 |
|
|
|
9.4 |
|
|
|
9.6 |
|
Average passenger fare
|
|
|
137.2 |
|
|
|
143.8 |
|
|
|
148.2 |
|
|
|
153.7 |
|
|
|
156.3 |
|
|
|
155.6 |
|
|
|
131.6 |
(22) |
Yield(14)
|
|
|
13.74 |
|
|
|
13.79 |
|
|
|
14.38 |
|
|
|
14.22 |
|
|
|
14.31 |
|
|
|
14.24 |
|
|
|
14.53 |
(22) |
Passenger revenue per
ASM(15)
|
|
|
8.73 |
|
|
|
8.83 |
|
|
|
9.47 |
|
|
|
9.66 |
|
|
|
10.02 |
|
|
|
10.00 |
|
|
|
10.44 |
|
Operating revenue per
ASM(16)
|
|
|
9.86 |
|
|
|
9.94 |
|
|
|
10.56 |
|
|
|
10.60 |
|
|
|
10.99 |
|
|
|
10.91 |
|
|
|
11.23 |
|
Operating expenses per ASM (CASM)
(17)
|
|
|
9.80 |
|
|
|
9.09 |
|
|
|
9.48 |
|
|
|
8.79 |
|
|
|
8.72 |
|
|
|
8.40 |
|
|
|
9.08 |
|
Departures
|
|
|
24,715 |
|
|
|
23,742 |
|
|
|
23,361 |
|
|
|
25,702 |
|
|
|
27,434 |
|
|
|
20,469 |
|
|
|
33,636 |
|
Average daily departures
|
|
|
67.5 |
|
|
|
65.0 |
|
|
|
64.0 |
|
|
|
70.4 |
|
|
|
75.0 |
|
|
|
74.7 |
|
|
|
151.8 |
|
Average number of aircraft
|
|
|
17.9 |
|
|
|
18.0 |
|
|
|
18.1 |
|
|
|
19.8 |
|
|
|
20.6 |
|
|
|
20.8 |
|
|
|
31.1 |
|
Airports served at period end
|
|
|
29 |
|
|
|
28 |
|
|
|
27 |
|
|
|
28 |
|
|
|
29 |
|
|
|
29 |
|
|
|
35 |
|
Employees at period end
|
|
|
2,174 |
|
|
|
2,281 |
|
|
|
2,453 |
|
|
|
2,640 |
|
|
|
2,754 |
|
|
|
2,705 |
|
|
|
4,194 |
|
SEGMENT FINANCIAL DATA
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Copa:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Operating revenue
|
|
$ |
255,414 |
|
|
$ |
290,372 |
|
|
$ |
300,637 |
|
|
$ |
341,789 |
|
|
$ |
399,837 |
|
|
$ |
293,166 |
|
|
$ |
367,253 |
|
|
Operating expenses
|
|
|
253,797 |
|
|
|
265,368 |
|
|
|
269,796 |
|
|
|
283,493 |
|
|
|
317,494 |
|
|
|
225,664 |
|
|
|
290,832 |
|
|
Depreciation
|
|
|
9,136 |
|
|
|
13,325 |
|
|
|
13,377 |
|
|
|
14,040 |
|
|
|
19,279 |
|
|
|
13,368 |
|
|
|
14,342 |
|
|
Aircraft rentals
|
|
|
20,398 |
|
|
|
20,106 |
|
|
|
21,182 |
|
|
|
16,686 |
|
|
|
14,445 |
|
|
|
10,435 |
|
|
|
16,391 |
|
|
Interest expense
|
|
|
9,751 |
|
|
|
10,988 |
|
|
|
7,629 |
|
|
|
11,613 |
|
|
|
16,488 |
|
|
|
12,076 |
|
|
|
14,188 |
|
|
Interest capitalized
|
|
|
157 |
|
|
|
1,592 |
|
|
|
1,114 |
|
|
|
2,009 |
|
|
|
963 |
|
|
|
948 |
|
|
|
657 |
|
|
Interest income
|
|
|
225 |
|
|
|
701 |
|
|
|
831 |
|
|
|
887 |
|
|
|
1,423 |
|
|
|
878 |
|
|
|
2,194 |
|
|
Net income (loss) before tax
|
|
|
(7,985 |
) |
|
|
16,640 |
|
|
|
23,667 |
|
|
|
52,133 |
|
|
|
74,304 |
|
|
|
61,356 |
|
|
|
70,629 |
|
|
Total assets
|
|
|
270,506 |
|
|
|
300,121 |
|
|
|
421,935 |
|
|
|
591,915 |
|
|
|
702,050 |
|
|
|
678,136 |
|
|
|
785,383 |
|
AeroRepública (since
April 22, 2005): |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Operating revenue |
|
|
61,676 |
|
Operating expenses |
|
|
55,756 |
|
Depreciation |
|
|
502 |
|
Aircraft rentals |
|
|
2,960 |
|
Interest expense |
|
|
1,567 |
|
Interest capitalized |
|
|
|
|
Interest income |
|
|
106 |
|
Net income (loss) before tax |
|
|
2,975 |
|
Total assets |
|
|
84,103 |
|
10
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Nine Months Ended | |
|
|
Year Ended December 31, | |
|
September 30, | |
|
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
2000 | |
|
2001 | |
|
2002 | |
|
2003 | |
|
2004 | |
|
2004 | |
|
2005(21) | |
|
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
(in thousands of dollars, except share and per share data and operating data) | |
SEGMENT OPERATING DATA
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Copa:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Available seat
miles(9)
|
|
|
2,589 |
|
|
|
2,920 |
|
|
|
2,847 |
|
|
|
3,226 |
|
|
|
3,639 |
|
|
|
2,687 |
|
|
|
3,244 |
|
|
|
Load
factor(10)
|
|
|
63.6 |
% |
|
|
64.0 |
% |
|
|
65.9 |
% |
|
|
68.0 |
% |
|
|
70.0 |
% |
|
|
70.2 |
% |
|
|
73.1 |
% |
|
|
Break-even load factor
|
|
|
67.6 |
% |
|
|
58.7 |
% |
|
|
54.5 |
% |
|
|
52.8 |
% |
|
|
52.6 |
% |
|
|
50.7 |
% |
|
|
55.1 |
% |
|
|
Yield(14)
|
|
|
13.74 |
|
|
|
13.79 |
|
|
|
14.38 |
|
|
|
14.22 |
|
|
|
14.31 |
|
|
|
14.24 |
|
|
|
14.32 |
|
|
|
Operating revenue per
ASM(16)
|
|
|
9.86 |
|
|
|
9.94 |
|
|
|
10.56 |
|
|
|
10.60 |
|
|
|
10.99 |
|
|
|
10.91 |
|
|
|
11.32 |
|
|
|
CASM(17)
|
|
|
9.80 |
|
|
|
9.09 |
|
|
|
9.48 |
|
|
|
8.79 |
|
|
|
8.72 |
|
|
|
8.40 |
|
|
|
8.97 |
|
|
|
Average stage
length(19)
|
|
|
915 |
|
|
|
1,023 |
|
|
|
1,010 |
|
|
|
1,028 |
|
|
|
1,047 |
|
|
|
1,042 |
|
|
|
1,121 |
|
|
|
On time
performance(18)
|
|
|
68.4 |
|
|
|
87.7 |
|
|
|
90.5 |
|
|
|
91.4 |
|
|
|
91.8 |
|
|
|
92.9 |
|
|
|
93.3 |
|
AeroRepública (since April 22, 2005): |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Available
seat
miles(9) |
|
|
575 |
|
Load
factor(10) |
|
|
64.8 |
% |
Break
even load factor |
|
|
63.1 |
% |
Yield(14) |
|
|
15.88 |
(22) |
Operating
revenue per
ASM(16) |
|
|
10.73 |
|
CASM(17) |
|
|
9.70 |
|
Average
stage
length(19) |
|
|
365 |
|
On
time
performance(20) |
|
|
70.4 |
% |
|
|
|
|
(1) |
Represents impairment losses on our Boeing 737-200 aircraft and
related assets. See the notes to our consolidated financial
statements. |
|
|
(2) |
Consists primarily of changes in the fair value of fuel
derivative contracts, foreign exchange gains/losses and gains on
sale of Boeing 737-200 aircraft. See Managements
Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of
Operations and the notes to our consolidated financial
statements. |
|
|
(3) |
Includes restricted cash and cash equivalents of
$4.6 million as of December 31, 2002,
$4.5 million as of December 31, 2003,
$3.9 million as of December 31, 2004,
$4.4 million as of September 30, 2004 and
$4.9 million as of September 30, 2005. |
|
|
(4) |
EBITDA represents net income (loss) plus the sum of interest
expense, income taxes, depreciation and amortization minus the
sum of interest capitalized and interest income. EBITDA is
presented as supplemental information because we believe it is a
useful indicator of our operating performance and is useful in
comparing our operating performance with other airlines.
However, EBITDA should not be considered in isolation, as a
substitute for net income prepared in accordance with
U.S. GAAP or as a measure of a companys
profitability. In addition, our calculation of EBITDA may not be
comparable to other companies similarly titled measures.
The following table presents a reconciliation of our net income
to EBITDA for the specified periods: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Nine Months | |
|
|
|
|
Ended | |
|
|
Year Ended December 31, | |
|
September 30, | |
|
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
2000 | |
|
2001 | |
|
2002 | |
|
2003 | |
|
2004 | |
|
2004 | |
|
2005 | |
|
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
(in thousands of dollars) | |
Net income (loss)
|
|
$ |
(9,515 |
) |
|
$ |
14,818 |
|
|
$ |
20,668 |
|
|
$ |
48,489 |
|
|
$ |
68,572 |
|
|
$ |
56,693 |
|
|
$ |
65,346 |
|
Interest expense
|
|
|
9,751 |
|
|
|
10,988 |
|
|
|
7,629 |
|
|
|
11,613 |
|
|
|
16,488 |
|
|
|
12,076 |
|
|
|
15,755 |
|
Income taxes
|
|
|
1,530 |
|
|
|
1,822 |
|
|
|
2,999 |
|
|
|
3,644 |
|
|
|
5,732 |
|
|
|
4,663 |
|
|
|
8,258 |
|
Depreciation
|
|
|
9,136 |
|
|
|
13,325 |
|
|
|
13,377 |
|
|
|
14,040 |
|
|
|
19,279 |
|
|
|
13,368 |
|
|
|
14,844 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Subtotal
|
|
|
10,902 |
|
|
|
40,953 |
|
|
|
44,673 |
|
|
|
77,786 |
|
|
|
110,071 |
|
|
|
86,800 |
|
|
|
104,203 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Interest capitalized
|
|
|
(157 |
) |
|
|
(1,592 |
) |
|
|
(1,114 |
) |
|
|
(2,009 |
) |
|
|
(963 |
) |
|
|
(948 |
) |
|
|
(657 |
) |
Interest income
|
|
|
(225 |
) |
|
|
(701 |
) |
|
|
(831 |
) |
|
|
(887 |
) |
|
|
(1,423 |
) |
|
|
(878 |
) |
|
|
(2,300 |
) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
EBITDA
|
|
|
10,520 |
|
|
|
38,660 |
|
|
|
42,728 |
|
|
|
74,890 |
|
|
|
107,685 |
|
|
|
84,974 |
|
|
|
101,246 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Aircraft rentals represents a significant operating expense of
our business. Because we leased several of our aircraft during
the periods presented, we believe that when assessing our EBITDA
you should also consider the impact of our aircraft rent expense, |
11
|
|
|
which was $20.4 million in 2000, $20.1 million in
2001, $21.2 million in 2002, $16.7 million in 2003,
$14.4 million in 2004, $10.4 million during the first
nine months of 2004 and $19.3 million during the first nine
months of 2005. |
|
|
|
|
(5) |
Operating margin represents operating income divided by
operating revenues. |
|
|
(6) |
All share and per share amounts have been retroactively restated
to reflect the current capital structure described under
Description of Capital Stock and in the notes to our
consolidated financial statements. |
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(7) |
Total number of paying passengers (including all passengers
redeeming OnePass frequent flyer miles and other travel awards)
flown on all flight segments, expressed in thousands. |
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(8) |
Number of miles flown by scheduled revenue passengers, expressed
in millions. |
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(9) |
Aircraft seating capacity multiplied by the number of miles the
seats are flown, expressed in millions. |
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(10) |
Percentage of aircraft seating capacity that is actually
utilized. Load factors are calculated by dividing revenue
passenger miles by available seat miles. |
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(11) |
Load factor that would have resulted in total revenues being
equal to total expenses. |
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(12) |
The number of hours from the time an airplane moves off the
departure gate for a revenue flight until it is parked at the
gate of the arrival airport. |
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(13) |
Average number of block hours operated per day per aircraft for
the total aircraft fleet. |
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(14) |
Average amount (in cents) one passenger pays to fly one mile. |
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(15) |
Passenger revenues (in cents) divided by the number of available
seat miles. |
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(16) |
Total operating revenues for passenger aircraft related costs
(in cents) divided by the number of available seat miles. |
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(17) |
Total operating expenses for passenger aircraft related costs
(in cents) divided by the number of available seat miles. |
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(18) |
Percentage of flights that arrive at the destination gate within
fifteen minutes of scheduled arrival. |
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(19) |
The average number of miles flown per flight. |
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(20) |
Percentage of flights that depart within fifteen minutes of the
scheduled departure time. |
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(21) |
For AeroRepública operating data, this period covers from
April 22, 2005 until September 30, 2005 which
corresponds to the period that AeroRepública was
consolidated in our financial statements. |
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(22) |
AeroRepública has not historically distinguished between
revenue passengers and non-revenue passengers. While we are
implementing systems at AeroRepública to record that
information, revenue passenger information and other statistics
derived from revenue passenger data for the nine months ended
September 30, 2005 has been derived from estimates that we
believe to be materially accurate. Non-revenue passengers
represented approximately 2.3% of AeroRepúblicas
total passengers for the period from April 22, 2005 to
September 30, 2005. |
12
RISK FACTORS
An investment in our Class A shares involves a high
degree of risk. You should carefully consider the risks
described below before making an investment decision. Our
business, financial condition and results of operations could be
materially and adversely affected by any of these risks. The
trading price of our Class A shares could decline due to
any of these risks, and you may lose all or part of your
investment. The risks described below are those known to us and
that we currently believe may materially affect us.
Risks Relating to Our Company
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Our failure to successfully implement our growth strategy
may adversely affect our results of operations and harm the
market value of our Class A shares. |
We have grown rapidly over the past five years. We intend to
continue to grow our fleet, expand our service to new markets
and increase the frequency of flights to the markets we
currently serve. Achieving these goals is essential in order for
our business to benefit from cost efficiencies resulting from
economies of scale. We expect to have substantial cash needs as
we expand, including cash required to fund aircraft purchases or
aircraft deposits as we add to our fleet. We cannot assure you
that we will have sufficient cash to fund such projects, and if
we are unable to successfully expand our route system, our
future revenue and earnings growth would be limited.
When we commence a new route, our load factors tend to be lower
than those on our established routes and our advertising and
other promotional costs tend to be higher, which may result in
initial losses that could have a negative impact on our results
of operations as well as require a substantial amount of cash to
fund. We also periodically run special promotional fare
campaigns, particularly in connection with the opening of new
routes. Promotional fares may have the effect of increasing load
factors while reducing our yield on such routes during the
period that they are in effect. The number of markets we serve
and our flight frequencies depend on our ability to identify the
appropriate geographic markets upon which to focus and to gain
suitable airport access and route approval in these markets.
There can be no assurance that the new markets we enter will
provide passenger traffic that is sufficient to make our
operations in those new markets profitable. Any condition that
would prevent or delay our access to key airports or routes,
including limitations on the ability to process more passengers,
the imposition of flight capacity restrictions, the inability to
secure additional route rights under bilateral agreements or the
inability to maintain our existing slots and obtain additional
slots, could constrain the expansion of our operations.
The expansion of our business will also require additional
skilled personnel, equipment and facilities. The inability to
hire and retain skilled pilots and other personnel or secure the
required equipment and facilities efficiently and
cost-effectively may adversely affect our ability to execute our
growth strategy. Expansion of our markets and flight frequencies
may also strain our existing management resources and
operational, financial and management information systems to the
point where they may no longer be adequate to support our
operations, requiring us to make significant expenditures in
these areas. In light of these factors, we cannot assure you
that we will be able to successfully establish new markets or
expand our existing markets, and our failure to do so could harm
our business and results of operations, as well as the value of
our Class A shares.
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If we fail to successfully integrate the new Embraer 190
aircraft we have agreed to purchase into our operations, our
business could be harmed. |
In October 2004, we announced an order to purchase ten new
Embraer 190 aircraft, with options for an additional 20 new
aircraft. In April 2005 we increased the number of firm
commitments to purchase Embraer 190s to twelve by exercising two
of those options. On November 16, 2005, we accepted
delivery on the first of our twelve firm commitments to purchase
the Embraer 190. Acquisition of an all-new type of aircraft,
such as the Embraer 190, involves a variety of risks, including:
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difficulties or delays in obtaining the necessary certifications
from the aviation regulatory authorities of the countries to
which we fly; |
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manufacturers delays in meeting the agreed upon aircraft
delivery schedule; |
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difficulties in obtaining financing on acceptable terms to
complete our purchase of all of the aircraft we have committed
to purchase; and |
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the inability of the new aircraft and its components to comply
with agreed upon specifications and performance standards. |
In addition, we also face risks in integrating a second type of
aircraft into our existing infrastructure and operations,
including, among other things, the additional costs, resources
and time needed to hire and train new pilots, technicians and
other skilled support personnel. If we fail to successfully take
delivery of, place into service and integrate into our
operations the new Embraer 190 aircraft, our business, financial
condition and results of operations could be harmed.
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We are dependent on our alliance with Continental and
cannot assure you that it will continue. |
We maintain a broad commercial and marketing alliance with
Continental that has allowed us to enhance our network and, in
some cases, offer our customers services that we could not
otherwise offer. Similarly, if Continental were to experience
severe financial difficulties or go bankrupt, our alliance and
service agreements might be terminated or we may not realize the
anticipated benefits from our relationship with Continental.
Continental has incurred significant losses since
September 11, 2001, primarily as a result of record high
fuel prices and decreased yields. Continental has indicated that
it expects to incur a significant loss in 2005 year and
that the magnitude of its recent losses is not sustainable. We
cannot assure you that Continentals results will improve
or that it will avoid bankruptcy and as a result we may be
materially and adversely affected by a continuing deterioration
of Continentals financial condition.
Since we began the alliance in 1998, we have benefited from
Continentals support in negotiations for aircraft
purchases, insurance and fuel purchases, sharing of best
practices and engineering support in our maintenance
operations, and significant other intangible support. This
support has assisted us in our growth strategy, while also
improving our operational performance and the quality of our
service. Our alliance relationship with Continental is the
subject of a grant of antitrust immunity from the
U.S. Department of Transportation, or DOT. If our
relationship with Continental were to deteriorate, or our
alliance relationship were no longer to benefit from a grant of
antitrust immunity, or our alliance or services agreements were
terminated, our business, financial condition and results of
operations would likely be materially and adversely affected.
The loss of our code-sharing relationship with Continental would
likely result in a significant decrease in our revenues. We also
rely on Continentals OnePass frequent flyer program that
we participate in globally and on a co-branded basis in Latin
America, and our business may be adversely affected if the
OnePass program does not remain a competitive marketing program.
In addition, our competitors may benefit from alliances with
other airlines that are more extensive than our alliance with
Continental. We cannot predict the extent to which we will be
disadvantaged by competing alliances. See Related Party
Transactions.
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Continentals economic interest in our continued
success can be expected to decline over time. |
After giving effect to this offering, Continental will reduce
its ownership level in us from 49% to approximately 30% of our
capital stock. Continental may monetize its investment in us
and, pursuant to its registration rights agreement with CIASA,
is entitled to require us to register with the Securities and
Exchange Commission so that Continental may sell to the public
up to 4,790,625 additional shares of our outstanding
capital stock held by it. Continental will have certain rights
pursuant to a shareholders agreement among Continental,
CIASA and us, including the right to select two of our
11 directors for so long as Continental retains at least
19% of our capital stock. In addition, so long as our alliance
agreement with Continental continues, even if Continentals
ownership declines to below 19% of our capital stock,
Continental will still be entitled to select one of our
11 directors. Nevertheless, Continentals interests
will likely diverge from those of our other shareholders as
Continental reduces its investment in us over time. Other than
certain exclusivity provisions and a termination event for
certain competitive activities contained in our alliance
agreement, we do not have any non-competition agreement with
Continental, and as Continental continues to reduce its economic
stake in us, it may take actions that are adverse to the
interests of the majority of our shareholders. See Related
Party Transactions.
14
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We operate using a hub-and-spoke model and are vulnerable
to competitors offering direct flights between destinations we
serve. |
The structure of substantially all of our current flight
operations (other than those of AeroRepública) generally
follows what is known in the airline industry as a
hub-and-spoke model. This model aggregates
passengers by operating flights from a number of
spoke origins to a central hub through which they
are transported to their final destinations. In recent years,
many traditional hub-and-spoke operators have faced significant
and increasing competitive pressure from low-cost,
point-to-point carriers on routes with sufficient demand to
sustain point-to-point service. A point-to-point structure
enables airlines to focus on the most profitable, high-demand
routes and to offer greater convenience and, in many instances,
lower fares. With the passage of time, and in particular as
demand for air travel in Latin America increases, it is
increasingly likely that one or more of our competitors will
initiate non-stop service between important destinations that we
currently serve through our Panamanian hub. By bypassing our hub
in Panama, any non-stop service would be more convenient and
possibly less expensive, than our connecting service and could
significantly decrease demand for our service to those
destinations. We believe that future competition from
point-to-point carriers will be directed towards the largest
markets that we serve. As a result, the effect of such
competition on us could be significant and could have a material
adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results
of operations.
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The Panamanian Aviation Act and certain of the bilateral
agreements under which we operate contain Panamanian ownership
requirements that are not clearly defined, and our failure to
comply with these requirements could cause us to lose our
authority to operate in Panama or to the international
destinations we serve. |
Under Law No. 21 of January 29, 2003, which regulates
the aviation industry in the Republic of Panama and which we
refer to as the Aviation Act, substantial ownership
and effective control of our airline must remain in
the hands of Panamanian nationals. Under certain of the
bilateral agreements between Panama and other countries pursuant
to which we have the right to fly to those other countries and
over their territory, we must continue to have substantial
Panamanian ownership and effective control by Panamanian
nationals to retain these rights. Neither substantial
ownership nor effective control are defined in
the Aviation Act or in the bilateral agreements, and it is
unclear how a Panamanian court or, in the case of the bilateral
agreements, foreign regulatory authorities might interpret these
requirements. In addition, the manner in which these
requirements are interpreted may change over time. We cannot
predict whether these requirements would be satisfied through
ownership and control by Panamanian record holders, or if these
requirements would be satisfied only by direct and indirect
ownership and control by Panamanian beneficial owners.
At the present time, CIASA, a Panamanian entity, is the record
owner of 51% of our share capital, and Continental, a
U.S. entity, is the owner of 49% of our share capital.
Immediately after giving effect to this offering (assuming the
underwriters over-allotment options are exercised), CIASA
will be the record owner of all of our Class B voting
shares, representing approximately 29.2% of our total share
capital and all of the voting power of our capital stock.
On November 25, 2005, the Executive Branch of the
Government of Panama promulgated a decree stating that the
substantial ownership and effective
control requirements of the Aviation Act are met if a
Panamanian citizen or a Panamanian company is the record holder
of shares representing 51% or more of the voting power of the
company. Although the decree has the force of law for so long as
it remains in effect, it does not supersede the Aviation Act,
and it can be modified or superseded at any time by a future
Executive Branch decree. Additionally, the decree has no binding
effect on regulatory authorities of other countries whose
bilateral agreements impose Panamanian ownership and control
limitations on us. We cannot assure you that the decree will not
be challenged, modified or superseded in the future, or that
record ownership of a majority of our Class B shares by
Panamanian entities will be sufficient to satisfy the
substantial ownership requirement of the Aviation
Act and the decree. If the Panamanian Civil Aviation Authority
(the Autoridad de Aeronáutica Civil), which we refer
to as the AAC, or a Panamanian court were to determine that
substantial Panamanian ownership should be
determined on the basis of our direct and indirect ownership, we
could lose our license to operate our airline in Panama.
Likewise, if a foreign regulatory authority were to determine
that our direct or indirect Panamanian ownership fails to
satisfy the minimum Panamanian ownership requirements for a
Panamanian carrier under the applicable bilateral agreement, we
may lose the
15
benefit of that agreement and be prohibited from flying to the
relevant country or over its territory. Any such determination
would have a material adverse effect on our business, financial
condition and results of operations, as well as on the value of
the Class A shares.
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Our business is subject to extensive regulation which may
restrict our growth or our operations or increase our
costs. |
Our business, financial condition and results of operations
could be adversely affected if we or certain aviation
authorities in the countries to which we fly fail to maintain
the required foreign and domestic governmental authorizations
necessary for our operations. In order to maintain the necessary
authorizations issued by the AAC and other corresponding foreign
authorities, we must continue to comply with applicable
statutes, rules and regulations pertaining to the airline
industry, including any rules and regulations that may be
adopted in the future. We cannot predict or control any actions
that the AAC or foreign aviation regulators may take in the
future, which could include restricting our operations or
imposing new and costly regulations. Also, our fares are
technically subject to review by the AAC and the regulators of
certain other countries to which we fly, any of which may in the
future impose restrictions on our fares.
We are also subject to international bilateral air transport
agreements that provide for the exchange of air traffic rights
between Panama and various other countries, and we must obtain
permission from the applicable foreign governments to provide
service to foreign destinations. There can be no assurance that
existing bilateral agreements between the countries in which our
airline operating companies are based and foreign governments
will continue, or that we will be able to obtain more route
rights under those agreements to accommodate our future
expansion plans. A modification, suspension or revocation of one
or more bilateral agreements could have a material adverse
effect on our business, financial condition and results of
operations. The suspension of our permits to operate to certain
airports or destinations or the imposition of other sanctions
could also have a material adverse effect. Due to the nature of
bilateral agreements, we can fly to many destinations only from
Panama. We cannot assure you that a change in a foreign
governments administration of current laws and regulations
or the adoption of new laws and regulations will not have a
material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and
results of operations.
We plan to continue to increase the scale of our operations and
revenues by expanding our presence on new and existing routes.
Our ability to successfully implement this strategy will depend
upon many factors, several of which are outside our control or
subject to change. These factors include the permanence of a
suitable political, economic and regulatory environment in the
Latin American countries in which we operate or intend to
operate and our ability to identify strategic local partners.
The most active government regulator among the countries to
which we fly is the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration,
or FAA. The FAA from time to time issues directives and other
regulations relating to the maintenance and operation of
aircraft that require significant expenditures. FAA requirements
cover, among other things, collision avoidance systems, airborne
windshear avoidance systems, noise abatement and other
environmental issues, and increased inspections and maintenance
procedures to be conducted on older aircraft. We expect to
continue incurring expenses to comply with the FAAs
regulations, and any increase in the cost of compliance could
have an adverse effect on our financial condition and results of
operations. Additional new regulations continue to be regularly
implemented by the U.S. Transportation Security
Administration, or TSA, as well.
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The growth of our operations to the United States and the
benefits of our code-sharing arrangements with Continental are
dependent on Panamas continued favorable safety
assessment. |
The FAA periodically audits the aviation regulatory authorities
of other countries. As a result of its investigation, each
country is given an International Aviation Safety Assessment, or
IASA, rating. In May 2001, Panamas IASA rating was
downgraded from Category 1 to Category 2 due to alleged
deficiencies in Panamanian air safety standards and AACs
capability to provide regulatory oversight. As a result of this
downgrade, we were prevented from offering flights to any new
destinations in the United States and from certifying new
aircraft for flights to the United States, and Continental was
no longer able to codeshare on our flights. In April 2004, after
extensive investment by the Panamanian government in the AAC and
consultations among Copa, the AAC and U.S. safety
officials, Panamas IASA rating was restored to
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Category 1. We cannot assure you that the government of Panama,
and the AAC in particular, will continue to meet international
safety standards, and we have no direct control over their
compliance with IASA guidelines. If Panamas IASA rating
were to be downgraded in the future, it could prohibit us from
increasing service to the United States and Continental would
have to suspend the placing of its code on our flights, causing
us to lose direct revenue from codesharing as well as reducing
flight options to our customers.
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We are highly dependent on our hub at Panama Citys
Tocumen International Airport. |
Our business is heavily dependent on our operations at our hub
at Panama Citys Tocumen International Airport.
Substantially all of our Copa flights either depart from or
arrive at our hub. The hub-and-spoke structure of our operations
is particularly dependent on the on-time arrival of tightly
coordinated groupings of flights to ensure that passengers can
make timely connections to continuing flights. Like other
airlines, we are subject to delays caused by factors beyond our
control, including air traffic congestion at airports, adverse
weather conditions and increased security measures. Delays
inconvenience passengers, reduce aircraft utilization and
increase costs, all of which in turn negatively affect our
profitability. A significant interruption or disruption in
service at Tocumen International Airport could have a serious
impact on our business, financial condition and operating
results. Also, Tocumen International Airport provides
international service to the Republic of Panamas
population of approximately 3.0 million, whereas the hub
markets of our current competitors tend to be much larger,
providing those competitors with a larger base of customers at
their hub.
Tocumen International Airport is operated by a corporation that
is controlled by the government of the Republic of Panama. We
depend on our good working relationship with the
quasi-governmental corporation that operates the airport to
ensure that we have adequate access to aircraft parking
positions, landing rights and gate assignments for our aircraft
to accommodate our current operations and future plans for
expansion. The corporation that operates Tocumen International
Airport does not enter into any formal, written leases or other
agreements with airlines that govern rights to use the
airports jetways or aircraft parking spaces. Therefore, in
connection with the ongoing or future expansion of the airport,
the airport authority could assign new capacity to competing
airlines or could reassign resources that are currently used by
us to other aircraft operators. Either such event could result
in significant new competition for our routes or could otherwise
have a material adverse effect on our current operations or
ability for future growth.
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We are exposed to increases in landing charges and other
airport access fees and cannot be assured access to adequate
facilities and landing rights necessary to achieve our expansion
plans. |
We must pay fees to airport operators for the use of their
facilities. Any substantial increase in airport charges could
have a material adverse impact on our results of operations.
Passenger taxes and airport charges have also increased in
recent years, sometimes substantially. Certain important
airports that we use, such as Bogotás El Dorado
airport, may be privatized in the near future which is likely to
result in significant cost increases to the airlines that use
these airports. We cannot assure you that the airports used by
us will not impose, or further increase, passenger taxes and
airport charges in the future, and any such increases could have
an adverse effect on our financial condition and results of
operations.
Certain airports that we serve (or that we plan to serve in the
future) are subject to capacity constraints and impose slot
restrictions during certain periods of the day. We cannot assure
you that we will be able to obtain a sufficient number of slots,
gates and other facilities at airports to expand our services as
we are proposing to do. It is also possible that airports not
currently subject to capacity constraints may become so in the
future. In addition, an airline must use its slots on a regular
and timely basis or risk having those slots re-allocated to
others. Where slots or other airport resources are not available
or their availability is restricted in some way, we may have to
amend our schedules, change routes or reduce aircraft
utilization. Any of these alternatives could have an adverse
financial impact on us.
Some of the airports to which we fly impose various
restrictions, including limits on aircraft noise levels, limits
on the number of average daily departures and curfews on runway
use. In addition, we cannot assure you that airports at which
there are no such restrictions may not implement restrictions in
the future or that, where such restrictions exist, they may not
become more onerous. Such restrictions may limit our ability to
continue to provide or to increase services at such airports.
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We and our auditors identified a material
weakness in our internal controls over financial reporting
in connection with the preparation of our financial statements
under U.S. GAAP, and if we fail to remediate this material
weakness and achieve and maintain an effective system of
internal controls, we may not be able to accurately report our
financial results on a timely basis. As a result, current and
potential stockholders could lose confidence in our financial
reporting, which would harm our business and the trading price
of our Class A shares. |
We are currently a non-public company incorporated in Panama and
have traditionally prepared our financial statements under
International Financial Reporting Standards (also known as
International Accounting Standards). In connection with the
initial preparation of our financial statements under
U.S. GAAP, we and our auditors identified a material
weakness (as defined under standards established by the Public
Company Accounting Oversight Board) in our internal controls
over financial reporting. A material weakness is a significant
deficiency, or combination of significant deficiencies, that
results in more than a remote likelihood that a material
misstatement of our annual or interim financial statements will
not be prevented or detected. Specifically, we found that we did
not have appropriate expertise in U.S. GAAP accounting and
reporting among our financial and accounting staff to prepare
our periodic financial statements without needing to make
material corrective adjustments and footnote revisions when
those statements are audited or reviewed. In light of this
material weakness, in preparing the financial statements
included in this prospectus, we performed additional analyses
and other post-closing procedures in the course of preparing our
financial statements and related footnotes in accordance with
U.S. GAAP.
Pursuant to Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002,
beginning with our Annual Report on Form 20-F for the
fiscal year ending December 31, 2006, we will be required
to furnish a report by our management on our internal control
over financial reporting. This report will contain, among other
matters, an assessment of the effectiveness of our internal
controls over financial reporting as of the end of the fiscal
year, including a statement as to whether or not our internal
controls over financial reporting are effective. We have
contracted an additional accounting manager with experience in
preparing financial statements under U.S. GAAP, we have
engaged an internationally recognized accounting firm to assist
us in developing our procedures to comply with the requirements
of Section 404 and our management and audit committee are
developing other plans to prepare for our compliance with the
requirements of Section 404 and to correct the weakness
identified above. We will incur incremental costs as a result of
these efforts, including increased auditing and legal fees, the
magnitude of which we are not able to estimate at this time. We
may not be able to effectively and timely implement controls and
procedures that adequately respond to Section 404 or other
increased regulatory compliance and reporting requirements that
will be applicable to us as a public company. We cannot assure
you that we will not discover further weaknesses or deficiencies
as we continue to develop these procedures. In addition, we
cannot assure you that the steps we plan to take or the
procedures we plan to implement will be sufficient to ensure
that we will be able to prevent or detect any misstatements to
our financial statements in the future.
Any failure to implement and maintain the improvements in the
controls over our financial reporting, or difficulties
encountered in the implementation of these improvements in our
controls, could result in a material misstatement to the annual
or interim financial statements that would not be prevented or
detected or cause us to fail to meet our reporting obligations
under applicable securities laws. Any failure to improve our
internal controls to address the identified weakness could
result in our incurring substantial liability for not having met
our legal obligations and could also cause investors to lose
confidence in our reported financial information, which could
have a negative impact on the trading price of our Class A
shares. Similar adverse effects could result if our auditors
express an adverse opinion or disclaim or qualify an opinion on
managements assessment or on the effectiveness of our
internal control over financial reporting.
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We have significant fixed financing costs and expect to
incur additional fixed costs as we expand our fleet. |
The airline business is characterized by high leverage, and
accordingly we have a high level of indebtedness. We also have
significant expenditures in connection with our operating leases
and facility rental costs, and substantially all of our property
and equipment is pledged to secure indebtedness. For the year
ended December 31, 2004, our interest expense and aircraft
and facility rental expense under operating leases aggregated
$35.6 million. At September 30, 2005, approximately
70% of our total indebtedness bore interest at
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fixed rates, and a small portion of our lease obligations was
determined with reference to LIBOR. Accordingly, our financing
and rent expense will not decrease significantly if market
interest rates decline.
As of September 30, 2005, we had firm commitments to
purchase seven Boeing 737s and twelve Embraer 190s, with an
aggregate list price of approximately $816 million. We have
arranged for financing for a significant portion of the
commitment relating to such aircraft and will require
substantial capital from external sources to meet our remaining
financial commitment. The acquisition and financing of these
aircraft will likely result in a substantial increase in our
leverage and fixed financing costs. A high degree of leverage
and fixed payment obligations could:
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limit our ability in the future to obtain additional financing
for working capital or other important needs; |
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impair our liquidity by diverting substantial cash from our
operating needs to service fixed financing obligations; or |
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limit our ability to plan for or react to changes in our
business, in the airline industry or in general economic
conditions. |
Any one of these could have a material adverse effect on our
business, financial condition and results of operations.
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The cost of refinancing our debt and obtaining additional
financing for new aircraft could increase significantly if the
Export-Import Bank of the United States does not continue to
guarantee our debt. |
We currently finance our aircraft through bank loans and, to a
lesser extent, operating leases and local bond offerings. In the
past, we have obtained most of the financing for our Boeing
aircraft purchases from commercial financial institutions
utilizing guarantees provided by the Export-Import Bank of the
United States. The Export-Import Bank provides guarantees
to companies that purchase goods from U.S. companies for
export, enabling them to obtain financing at substantially lower
interest rates as compared to those that they could obtain
without a guarantee. The Export-Import Bank will not be able to
provide similar guarantees in connection with financing for our
aircraft purchases from Embraer since those aircraft are not
exports from the United States. At September 30, 2005, we
had $344.9 million of outstanding indebtedness that is owed
to financial institutions under financing arrangements
guaranteed by the Export-Import Bank. We cannot predict whether
the Export-Import Banks credit support will continue to be
available to us to fund future purchases of Boeing aircraft. The
Export-Import Bank may in the future limit its exposure to
Panama-based companies, to our airline or to airlines generally,
or may encourage us to diversify our credit sources by limiting
future guarantees. Similarly, we cannot assure you that we will
be able to continue to raise financing from past sources, or
from other sources, on terms comparable to our existing
financing. We may not be able to continue to obtain lease or
debt financing on terms attractive to us, or at all, and if we
are unable to obtain financing, we may be forced to modify our
aircraft acquisition plans or to incur higher than anticipated
financing costs which could have an adverse impact on the
execution of our growth strategy and business.
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Our existing debt financing agreements and our aircraft
operating leases contain restrictive covenants that impose
significant operating and financial restrictions on us. |
Our aircraft financing loans and operating leases and the
instruments governing our other indebtedness contain a number of
significant covenants and restrictions that limit our ability
and our subsidiaries ability to:
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create material liens on our assets; |
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take certain actions that may impair creditors rights to
our aircraft; |
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sell assets or engage in certain mergers or
consolidations; and |
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engage in other specified significant transactions. |
In addition, several of our aircraft financing agreements
require us to maintain compliance with specified financial
ratios and other financial and operating tests. For example, our
access to certain borrowings under our aircraft financing
arrangements is conditioned upon our maintenance of minimum debt
service coverage
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and capitalization ratios. See Managements
Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of
OperationLiquidity and Capital Resources. Complying
with these covenants may cause us to take actions that make it
more difficult to execute successfully our business strategy and
we may face competition from companies not subject to such
restrictions. Moreover, our failure to comply with these
covenants could result in an event of default or refusal by our
creditors to extend certain of our loans.
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If we were to determine that our aircraft, rotable parts
or inventory were impaired, it would have a significant adverse
effect on our operating results. |
We perform impairment reviews when there are particular risks of
impairment or other indicators described in Statement of
Financial Accounting Standards No. 144, Accounting for
the Impairment or Disposal of Long-Lived Assets, in order to
determine whether we need to reduce the carrying value of our
aircraft and related assets with a related charge to our
earnings. In addition to the fact that the value of our fleet
declines as it ages, the excess capacity that currently exists
in the airline industry, airline bankruptcies and other factors
beyond our control may further contribute to the decline of the
fair market value of our aircraft and related rotable parts and
inventory. If such an impairment does occur, we would be
required under U.S. GAAP to write down these assets to
their estimated fair market value through a charge to earnings.
A significant charge to earnings would adversely affect our
financial condition and operating results. In addition, the
interest rates on and the availability of certain of our
aircraft financing loans are tied to the value of the aircraft
securing the loans. If those values were to decrease
substantially, our interest rates may rise or the lenders under
those loans may cease extending credit to us, either of which
could have an adverse impact on our financial condition and
results of operations.
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We rely on information technology systems, and we may
become more dependent on such systems in the future. |
We rely upon information technology systems to operate our
business and increase our efficiency. We are highly reliant on
certain critical systems, such as the Sceptre system for
maintenance, the SHARES computer reservation and
check-in system and our new revenue management system. Other
systems are designed to decrease distribution costs through
Internet reservations and to maximize cargo distributions. These
systems may not deliver their anticipated benefits. Also, in
transitioning to new systems we may lose data or experience
interruptions in service, which could harm our business.
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Our quarterly results can fluctuate substantially. |
The airline industry is by nature cyclical and seasonal, and our
operating results may vary from quarter to quarter. We tend to
experience the highest levels of traffic and revenue in July and
August, with a smaller peak in traffic in December and January.
In general, demand for air travel is higher in the third and
fourth quarters, particularly in international markets, because
of the increase in vacation travel during these periods relative
to the remainder of the year. We generally experience our lowest
levels of passenger traffic in April and May. Given our high
proportion of fixed costs, seasonality can affect our
profitability from quarter to quarter. Demand for air travel is
also affected by factors such as economic conditions, war or the
threat of war, fare levels and weather conditions.
Due to the factors described above and others described in this
prospectus, quarter-to-quarter comparisons of our operating
results may not be good indicators of our future performance. In
addition, it is possible that in any quarter our operating
results could be below the expectations of investors and any
published reports or analyses regarding our company. In that
event, the price of our Class A shares could decline,
perhaps substantially.
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Our reputation and financial results could be harmed in
the event of an accident or incident involving our
aircraft. |
An accident or incident involving one of our aircraft could
involve significant claims by injured passengers and others, as
well as significant costs related to the repair or replacement
of a damaged aircraft and its temporary or permanent loss from
service. A short time prior to our acquisition of
AeroRepública, one of its aircraft slid off of a runway in
an accident without serious injuries to passengers; however, the
aircraft was severely damaged and declared a total loss by its
insurers. We are required by our creditors and the lessors of
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our aircraft under our operating lease agreements to carry
liability insurance, but the amount of such liability insurance
coverage may not be adequate and we may be forced to bear
substantial losses in the event of any future accident. Our
insurance premiums may also increase due to an accident or
incident affecting one of our aircraft. Substantial claims
resulting from an accident in excess of our related insurance
coverage or increased premiums would harm our business and
financial results. Moreover, any aircraft accident or incident,
even if fully insured, could cause the public to perceive us as
less safe or reliable than other airlines which could harm our
business and results of operations. Our business would also be
significantly harmed if the public avoids flying our aircraft
due to an adverse perception of the Boeing 737-Next Generation
aircraft or the Embraer 190 due to safety concerns or other
problems, whether real or perceived, or in the event of an
accident involving either of those types of aircraft.
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Fluctuations in foreign exchange rates could negatively
affect our net income. |
In 2004, approximately 80% of our expenses and 50% of our
revenues were denominated in U.S. dollars. The remainder of
our expenses and revenues were denominated in the currencies of
the various countries to which we fly, with the largest
non-dollar amount denominated in Pesos. As a result of the
acquisition of AeroRepública in April 2005, we will have an
increased exposure to the Peso in future periods. If any of
these currencies decline in value against the U.S. dollar,
our revenues, expressed in U.S. dollars, and our operating
margin would be adversely affected. We may not be able to adjust
our fares denominated in other currencies to offset any
increases in U.S. dollar-denominated expenses, increases in
interest expense or exchange losses on fixed obligations or
indebtedness denominated in foreign currency. We currently do
not hedge the risk of fluctuation in foreign exchange rates. We
are exposed to exchange rate losses and gains due to the
fluctuation in the value of local currencies vis-à-vis the
U.S. dollar during the period of time (typically between 1
to 2 weeks) between the time we are paid in local
currencies and the time we are able to repatriate the revenues
in U.S. dollars.
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Our maintenance costs will increase as Copa Airlines
fleet ages and as we perform maintenance on
AeroRepúblicas older fleet. |
Because the average age of Copa Airlines aircraft is
approximately 3.3 years as of September 30, 2005, the
fleet requires less maintenance now than it will in the future.
We have incurred a relatively low level of maintenance expenses
in recent years because most of the parts on Copa Airlines
aircraft are still covered under multi-year warranties. Our
maintenance costs will increase significantly, both on an
absolute basis and as a percentage of our operating expenses as
our fleet ages and these warranties expire.
AeroRepúblicas fleet is considerably older than Copa
Airlines fleet, having an average age of 22.4 years
as of September 30, 2005. The aircraft operated by
AeroRepública will likely be less reliable than Copa
Airlines newer aircraft and can be expected to require
significantly greater expenditures on maintenance which may lead
to an overall increase in our consolidated operating expenses.
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If we enter into a prolonged dispute with any of our
employees, many of whom are represented by unions, or if we are
required to increase substantially the salaries or benefits of
our employees, it may have an adverse impact on our operations
and cash flows. |
Approximately 48.3% of our employees belong to a labor union.
There are currently five unions covering our employees based in
Panama: the pilots union; the flight attendants
union; the mechanics union; the traffic attendants
union; and a generalized union, which represents baggage
handlers, aircraft cleaners, counter agents, and other
non-executive administrative staff. After extensive
negotiations, we entered into a new collective bargaining
agreement with the general union on October 26, 2005. We
will begin negotiations for new collective bargaining agreements
with the mechanics union and the flight attendants
union near the end of 2005. Our next negotiation with the
pilots union is scheduled to begin in mid-2008. Typically,
our collective bargaining agreements in Panama are between three
and four year terms. We also have union contracts with employees
in Brazil and Mexico. AeroRepública is a party to
collective bargaining agreements that cover 96 of
AeroRepúblicas 112 pilots and co-pilots and all of
AeroRepúblicas 178 flight attendants. A strike, work
interruption or stoppage or any prolonged dispute with our
employees who are represented by any of these unions, or any
sizable number of our employees, could have an adverse impact on
our operations.
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These risks are typically exacerbated during periods of
renegotiation with the unions. For example, in 2000 we
experienced a brief localized pilots union work slow-down
during contract negotiations that was eventually resolved to our
satisfaction. Any renegotiated collective bargaining agreement
could feature significant wage increases and a consequent
increase in our operating expenses. Employees outside of Panama
that are not currently members of unions may also form new
unions that may seek further wage increases or benefits.
Our business is labor intensive. We expect salaries, wages and
benefits to increase on a gross basis, and these costs could
increase as a percentage of our overall costs. If we are unable
to hire, train and retain qualified pilots and other employees
at a reasonable cost, our business could be harmed and we may be
unable to complete our expansion plans.
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Our investment in AeroRepública may not generate the
benefits we sought when we purchased the company. |
In the second quarter of 2005, we purchased AeroRepública,
a Colombian airline currently providing point-to-point service
among eleven cities in Colombia. Until our acquisition of
AeroRepública, we had been almost entirely focused on
providing international air travel through our hub in Panama.
Our investment in AeroRepública is subject to many risks
and uncertainties that will ultimately determine whether the
acquisition will increase or reduce our overall profitability.
See Business AeroRepública.
We have identified several errors in the accounting and
internal control procedures of AeroRepública. Prior to
the acquisition, our diligence investigations identified several
errors in the accounting and internal control procedures of
AeroRepública indicating that their previous financial
statements may not be reliable. As we become more directly
involved in the management of AeroRepública, we may
discover additional liabilities or problems of which we are
currently unaware.
Our maintenance costs will increase as we perform maintenance
on AeroRepúblicas older fleet. AeroRepública
currently operates a fleet of twelve aircraft having an average
age in excess of 20 years, compared to an average age of
3.3 years as of September 30, 2005 for the rest of our
fleet. As a result, substantial unanticipated investments may be
required to bring AeroRepúblicas fleet and operations
up to our standards of reliability and safety.
We may not be able to achieve cost savings and other
improvements in efficiency. We may not be able to achieve
the cost savings and other improvements in efficiency that we
seek at AeroRepública, and our failure to do so could harm
our consolidated financial condition and results of operations.
We believe that in recent years AeroRepública had operating
margins that were close to zero and, as a result, we expect that
the consolidation of AeroRepúblicas results of
operations may significantly decrease our future net operating
margins.
AeroRepúblicas operations are sensitive to
competitive conditions in the Colombian domestic air travel
market as well as macroeconomic and political conditions in
Colombia. All of AeroRepúblicas scheduled
operations are conducted within Colombia, so its results of
operations are highly sensitive to competitive conditions in the
Colombian domestic air travel market. AeroRepúblicas
rapid growth in recent years came during a period in which the
domestic market leader, Aerovías del Continente Americano
S.A. (Avianca), experienced severe financial difficulties that
resulted in its bankruptcy and several other significant
competitors exited the market. Recently, however, Avianca
emerged from bankruptcy with new management and a substantially
improved financial condition, and several new competitors have
entered the Colombian domestic market. It is therefore likely
that AeroRepública will face significantly stronger
competition in the near future than it has in recent years, and
its prior results may not be indicative of its future
performance. AeroRepúblicas future results will be
highly sensitive to macroeconomic and political conditions
prevailing in Colombia which have been highly volatile and
unstable and may continue to be so for the foreseeable future.
As a result of these and other factors,
AeroRepúblicas future results are subject to
significant uncertainties, many of which are beyond our control.
Therefore, we may encounter significant unanticipated problems
at AeroRepública which could have a material adverse effect
on our consolidated financial condition and results of
operations.
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The integration of AeroRepública into our business
may require a significant amount of our managements time
and distract our management from our core operations. |
Although we believe that our recent acquisition of
AeroRepública represents an attractive opportunity,
substantial resources will be needed to implement our plan to
improve its profitability. Implementation of our plan is subject
to many uncertainties and may eventually require us to dedicate
a potentially significant portion of our limited management
resources to this effort. Inconsistencies in standards, internal
controls, procedures, policies, business cultures and
compensation structures between us and AeroRepública, and
the need to implement, coordinate and harmonize various
business-specific operating procedures and systems, as well as
the financial, accounting, information and other systems of us
and AeroRepública, may result in substantial costs and may
divert a substantial amount of our managements resources
from our core international operations. Diversion of Copas
resources could materially and negatively affect our financial
condition and results of operations.
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Our revenues depend on our relationship with travel agents
and tour operators. |
In 2004, approximately 62% of our revenues were derived from
tickets sold by travel agents or tour operators. We cannot
assure you that we will be able to maintain favorable
relationships with these ticket sellers. Our revenues could be
adversely impacted if travel agents or tour operators elect to
favor other airlines or to disfavor us. Our relationship with
travel agents and tour operators may be affected by:
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the size of commissions offered by other airlines; |
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changes in our arrangements with other distributors of airline
tickets; and |
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the introduction and growth of new methods of selling tickets. |
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We rely on third parties to provide our customers and us
with facilities and services that are integral to
our business. |
We have entered into agreements with third-party contractors to
provide certain facilities and services required for our
operations, such as heavy aircraft and engine maintenance; call
center services; and catering, ground handling, cargo and
baggage handling, or below the wing aircraft
services. For example, at airports other than Tocumen
International Airport, all of the below the wing
aircraft services for Copa flights are performed by contractors.
AeroRepública contracts ground handling equipment in nine
of the eleven cities it serves and has contracted labor for
below the wing tasks in six of the eleven cities.
Overhaul maintenance and C-checks for Copa are
handled by contractors in the United States and Costa Rica, and
some line maintenance for Copa is handled at certain airports by
contract workers rather than our employees. Substantially all of
our agreements with third-party contractors are subject to
termination on short notice. The loss or expiration of these
agreements or our inability to renew these agreements or to
negotiate new agreements with other providers at comparable
rates could harm our business and results of operations.
Further, our reliance on third parties to provide essential
services on our behalf gives us less control over the costs,
efficiency, timeliness and quality of those services. A
contractors negligence could compromise our aircraft or
endanger passengers and crew. This could also have a material
adverse effect on our business. We expect to be dependent on
such agreements for the foreseeable future and if we enter any
new market, we will need to have similar agreements in place.
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We depend on a limited number of suppliers for our
aircraft and engines. |
One of the elements of our business strategy is to save costs by
operating a simplified aircraft fleet. Copa currently operates
the Boeing 737-700/800 Next Generation aircraft powered by
CFM 56-7B engines from CFM International. As of
November 16, 2005, Copa began operating the
Embraer 190, powered by General Electric
CF 34-10 engines. We currently intend that Copa will
continue to rely exclusively on these aircraft for the
foreseeable future. If any of Boeing, Embraer, CFM International
or GE Engines were unable to perform their contractual
obligations, or if we are unable to acquire or lease new
aircraft or engines from aircraft or engine manufacturers or
lessors on acceptable terms, Copa would have to find another
supplier for a similar type of aircraft or engine.
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If Copa has to lease or purchase aircraft from another supplier,
we could lose the benefits we derive from our current fleet
composition. We cannot assure you that any replacement aircraft
would have the same operating advantages as the Boeing
737-700/800 Next Generation or Embraer 190 aircraft that would
be replaced or that Copa could lease or purchase engines that
would be as reliable and efficient as the CFM 56-7B and GE
CF34-10. We may also incur substantial transition costs,
including costs associated with retraining our employees,
replacing our manuals and adapting our facilities. Our
operations could also be harmed by the failure or inability of
Boeing, Embraer, CFM International or GE Engines to provide
sufficient parts or related support services on a timely basis.
Our business would be significantly harmed if a design defect or
mechanical problem with either the Boeing 737-Next Generation
aircraft or the Embraer 190 were discovered that would ground
any of Copas aircraft while the defect or problem was
corrected, assuming it could be corrected at all. The use of our
aircraft could be suspended or restricted by regulatory
authorities in the event of any actual or perceived mechanical
or design problems. Our business would also be significantly
harmed if the public began to avoid flying with us due to an
adverse perception of the Boeing 737-Next Generation aircraft or
the Embraer 190 stemming from safety concerns or other problems,
whether real or perceived, or in the event of an accident
involving either of those types of aircraft. Carriers that
operate a more diversified fleet are better positioned than we
are to manage such events.
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We are dependent on key personnel. |
Our success depends to a significant extent upon the efforts and
abilities of our senior management team and key financial,
commercial, operating and maintenance personnel. In particular,
we depend on the services of our senior management team,
including Pedro Heilbron, our Chief Executive Officer, Victor
Vial, our Chief Financial Officer, Lawrence Ganse, our Chief
Operating Officer, Jorge Isaac García, our Vice-President,
Commercial, and Daniel Gunn, our Vice-President, Planning. We
have no employment agreements or non-competition agreements in
place with members of our senior management team other than
Mr. Heilbron, our Chief Executive Officer. Competition for
highly qualified personnel is intense, and the loss of any
executive officer, senior manager or other key employee without
adequate replacement or the inability to attract new qualified
personnel could have a material adverse effect upon our
business, operating results and financial condition.
Risks Relating to the Airline Industry
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The airline industry is highly competitive. |
We face intense competition throughout our route network.
Overall airline industry profit margins are low and industry
earnings are volatile. Airlines compete in the areas of pricing,
scheduling (frequency and flight times), on-time performance,
frequent flyer programs and other services. We compete with a
number of other airlines that currently serve the routes on
which we operate, including Grupo TACA, American Airlines Inc.,
LAN Airlines S.A. and Avianca. Some of our competitors, such as
American Airlines, have larger customer bases and greater brand
recognition in the markets we serve outside Panama, and some of
our competitors have significantly greater financial and
marketing resources than we have. Airlines based in other
countries may also receive subsidies, tax incentives or other
state aid from their respective governments, which are not
provided by the Panamanian government. The commencement of, or
increase in, service on the routes we serve by existing or new
carriers could negatively impact our operating results.
Likewise, competitors service on routes that we are
targeting for expansion may make those expansion plans less
attractive.
We must constantly react to changes in prices and services
offered by our competitors to remain competitive. The airline
industry is highly susceptible to price discounting,
particularly because airlines incur very low marginal costs for
providing service to passengers occupying otherwise unsold
seats. Carriers use discount fares to stimulate traffic during
periods of lower demand to generate cash flow and to increase
market share. Any lower fares offered by one airline are often
matched by competing airlines, which often results in lower
industry yields with little or no increase in traffic levels.
Price competition among airlines in the future could lead to
lower fares or passenger traffic on some or all of our routes,
which could negatively impact our profitability. Grupo TACA
lowered many of its fares a year ago in an effort to generate
higher demand, and we
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have been forced to respond by adjusting our fares to remain
competitive on the affected routes. We cannot assure you that
Grupo TACA or any of our other competitors will not undercut our
fares in the future or increase capacity on routes in an effort
to increase their respective market shares as they have done in
the past. Although we intend to compete vigorously and to assert
our rights against any predatory conduct, such activity by other
airlines could reduce the level of fares or passenger traffic on
our routes to the point where profitable levels of operations
could not be maintained. Due to our smaller size and financial
resources compared to several of our competitors, we may be less
able to withstand aggressive marketing tactics or fare wars
engaged in by our competitors should such events occur.
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We may face increasing competition from low-cost carriers
offering discounted fares. |
Traditional hub-and-spoke carriers in the United States and
Europe have in recent years faced substantial and increasing
competitive pressure from low-cost carriers offering discounted
fares. The low-cost carriers operations are typically
characterized by point-to-point route networks focusing on the
highest demand city pairs, high aircraft utilization, single
class service and fewer in-flight amenities. As evidenced by the
operations of Gol Intelligent Airlines Inc., or Gol, in Brazil
and several new low-cost carriers planning to start service in
Mexico, among others, the low-cost carrier business model
appears to be gaining acceptance in the Latin American aviation
industry. As a result, we may face new and substantial
competition from low-cost carriers in the future which could
result in significant and lasting downward pressure on the fares
we charge for flights on our routes.
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Significant changes or extended periods of high fuel costs
or fuel supply disruptions could materially affect our operating
results. |
Fuel costs constitute a significant portion of our total
operating expenses, representing approximately 14.8% of our
operating expenses in 2002, 17.1% in 2003, 19.7% in 2004 and
28.2% in the nine months ended September 30, 2005. As a
result, substantial increases in fuel costs materially affect
our operating results. Jet fuel costs have been subject to wide
fluctuations as a result of increases in demand, sudden
disruptions in and other concerns about global supply, as well
as market speculation. Both the cost and availability of fuel
are subject to many economic and political factors and events
occurring throughout the world that we can neither control nor
accurately predict, including international political and
economic circumstances such as the political instability in
major oil-exporting countries in Latin America, Africa and Asia.
As a result, fuel prices continue to exhibit substantial
volatility. Although we entered into hedging agreements with
respect to approximately 15% of Copas projected fuel needs
for 2005, these agreements provide limited protection against
future increases in the price of fuel, and we cannot assure you
that our current or any such future arrangements will be
adequate to protect us from further increases in the price of
fuel, or that fuel prices will decline from their current levels
at any time in the near future. Indeed, numerous market experts
and analysts have predicted that fuel prices can be expected to
increase further, perhaps significantly, from their already high
levels. If a future fuel supply shortage were to arise as a
result of production curtailments by the Organization of the
Petroleum Exporting Countries, or OPEC, a disruption of oil
imports, supply disruptions resulting from severe weather or
natural disasters, a further delay in the restart of the Gulf
Coast refineries, the continued unrest in Iraq, other conflicts
in the Middle East or otherwise, higher fuel prices or further
reductions of scheduled airline services could result.
Significant increases in fuel costs would materially and
negatively affect our operating results. We cannot assure you
that we would be able to offset any increases in the price of
fuel by increasing our fares.
The recent high prices were exacerbated by widespread disruption
to oil production, refinery operations and pipeline capacity
along certain portions of the U.S. Gulf Coast caused by the
damage of Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita during the third
quarter of 2005. Our fuel costs increased from $1.74 per
gallon during the month ended June 30, 2005 to
$2.15 per gallon during the month ended September 30,
2005. It is likely that prices will remain high at least until
refining capacity has been restored in the affected areas. We
cannot predict when, or if, prices for fuel will decline to
levels we have paid historically. Unless we experience a return
to lower fuel prices, our results of operations will continue to
be materially negatively affected as compared with prior periods.
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Because the airline industry is characterized by high
fixed costs and relatively elastic revenues, airlines cannot
quickly reduce their costs to respond to shortfalls in expected
revenue. |
The airline industry is characterized by low gross profit
margins, high fixed costs and revenues that generally exhibit
substantially greater elasticity than costs. The operating costs
of each flight do not vary significantly with the number of
passengers flown and, therefore, a relatively small change in
the number of passengers, fare pricing or traffic mix could have
a significant effect on operating and financial results. These
fixed costs cannot be adjusted quickly to respond to changes in
revenues and a shortfall from expected revenue levels could have
a material adverse effect on our net income.
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Airline bankruptcies could adversely affect the
industry. |
Since September 11, 2001 several air carriers have sought
to reorganize under Chapter 11 of the United States
Bankruptcy Code, including some of our competitors such as
Avianca and Delta. Successful completion of such reorganizations
could present us with competitors with significantly lower
operating costs derived from labor, supply and financing
contracts renegotiated under the protection of the Bankruptcy
Code. For example, Avianca recently emerged from bankruptcy with
a significantly improved financial condition. In addition, air
carriers involved in reorganizations have historically
undertaken substantial fare discounting in order to maintain
cash flows and to enhance continued customer loyalty. Such fare
discounting could further lower yields for all carriers,
including us. Further, the market value of aircraft would likely
be negatively impacted if a number of air carriers seek to
reduce capacity by eliminating aircraft from their fleets.
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The 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States have
adversely affected, and any additional terrorist attacks or
hostilities would further adversely affect, the airline industry
by decreasing demand and increasing costs. |
The terrorist attacks in the United States on September 11,
2001 had a severe adverse impact on the airline industry.
Airline traffic in the United States fell dramatically after the
attacks and decreased less severely throughout Latin America.
Our revenues depend on the number of passengers traveling on our
flights. Therefore, any future terrorist attacks or threat of
attacks, whether or not involving commercial aircraft, any
increase in hostilities relating to reprisals against terrorist
organizations or otherwise and any related economic impact could
result in decreased passenger traffic and materially and
negatively affect our business, financial condition and results
of operations.
The airline industry experienced increased costs following the
2001 terrorist attacks. Airlines have been required to adopt
additional security measures and may be required to comply with
more rigorous security guidelines in the future. Premiums for
insurance against aircraft damage and liability to third parties
increased substantially, and insurers could reduce their
coverage or increase their premiums even further in the event of
additional terrorist attacks, hijackings, airline crashes or
other events adversely affecting the airline industry abroad or
in Latin America. In the future, certain aviation insurance
could become unaffordable, unavailable or available only for
reduced amounts of coverage that are insufficient to comply with
the levels of insurance coverage required by aircraft lenders
and lessors or applicable government regulations. While
governments in other countries have agreed to indemnify airlines
for liabilities that they might incur from terrorist attacks or
provide low-cost insurance for terrorism risks, the Panamanian
government has not indicated an intention to provide similar
benefits to us. Increases in the cost of insurance may result in
both higher airline ticket prices and a decreased demand for air
travel generally, which could materially and negatively affect
our business, financial condition and results of operations.
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The negative impact on the airline industry of the current
global state of affairs, including the aftermath of the Iraq war
and the threat of another outbreak of a communicable disease,
may continue or possibly worsen. |
The combination of continued instability in the aftermath of the
Iraq war and the publics concerns about the possibility of
an outbreak of a disease that can be spread by fellow commercial
air passengers (such as avian flu or Severe Acute Respiratory
Syndrome) has continued to have a negative impact on the
publics willingness to travel by air. It is impossible to
determine if and when such adverse effects will abate and
whether they will further decrease demand for air travel, which
could materially and negatively affect our business, financial
condition and results of operations.
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Risks Relating to Panama and our Region
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Our performance is heavily dependent on economic
conditions in the countries in which we do business. |
Passenger demand is heavily cyclical and highly dependant on
global and local economic growth, economic expectations and
foreign exchange rate variations. In the past, we have been
negatively impacted by poor economic performance in certain
emerging market countries in which we operate. Any of the
following developments in the countries in which we operate
could adversely affect our business, financial condition and
results of operations:
|
|
|
|
|
changes in economic or other governmental policies; |
|
|
|
changes in regulatory, legal or administrative practices; or |
|
|
|
other political or economic developments over which we have no
control. |
Additionally, a significant portion of our revenues is derived
from discretionary and leisure travel which are especially
sensitive to economic downturns. A worsening of economic
conditions could result in a reduction in passenger traffic, and
leisure travel in particular, which in turn would materially and
negatively affect our financial condition and results of
operations. Any perceived weakening of economic conditions in
this region could likewise negatively affect our ability to
obtain financing to meet our future capital needs in
international capital markets.
|
|
|
We are highly dependent on conditions in Panama. |
A substantial portion of our assets are located in the Republic
of Panama, a significant proportion of our customers are
Panamanian, and substantially all of Copas flights operate
through our hub at Tocumen International Airport. As a result,
we depend on economic and political conditions prevailing from
time to time in Panama. Panamas economic conditions in
turn highly depend on the continued profitability and economic
impact of the Panama Canal. Control of the Panama Canal and many
other assets were transferred from the United States to Panama
in 1999 after nearly a century of U.S. control. Although
the Panamanian government is democratically elected and the
Panamanian political climate is currently stable, we cannot
assure you that current conditions will continue. If the
Panamanian economy experiences a recession or a reduction in its
economic growth rate, or if Panama experiences significant
political disruptions, our business, financial condition and
results of operations could be materially and negatively
affected.
|
|
|
We have paid relatively low taxes in the past, and any
increase in the corporate income taxes we pay in Panama or the
other countries where we do business would adversely affect our
profitability. |
We cannot assure you that we will not be subject to additional
taxes in the future or that current taxes will not be increased.
Our provision for income taxes was $2,999,000, $3,644,000 and
$5,732,000 in the years ended December 31, 2002, 2003 and
2004 which represented an effective income tax rate of 12.7%,
7.0% and 7.7% for the respective periods. We are subject to
local tax regulations in each of the jurisdictions where we
operate, the great majority of which are related to the taxation
of income. In six of the countries to which we fly, we do not
pay any income taxes because we do not generate income under the
laws of those countries either because they do not have income
tax or because of treaties or other arrangements those countries
have with Panama. In the remaining countries, we pay income tax
at a rate ranging from 25% to 35% of income. Different countries
calculate income in different ways, but they are typically
derived from sales in the applicable country multiplied by our
net margin or by a presumed net margin set by the relevant tax
legislation. The determination of our taxable income in several
countries is based on a combination of revenues sourced to each
particular country and the allocation of expenses of our
operations to that particular country. The methodology for
multinational transportation company sourcing of revenue and
expense is not always specifically prescribed in the relevant
tax regulations, and therefore is subject to interpretation by
both us and the respective taxing authorities. Additionally, in
some countries, the applicability of certain regulations
governing non-income taxes and the determination of our filing
status are also subject to interpretation. We cannot estimate
the amount, if any, of potential tax liabilities that might
result if the allocations, interpretations and filing positions
used by us in our tax returns were challenged by the taxing
authorities of one or more countries. The low rate at which we
pay income
27
tax has been critical to our profitability in recent years and
if it were to increase, our financial performance and results of
operations would be materially and adversely affected.
In the past, our expenses attributable to operations in Panama
have consistently exceeded our revenues attributable to
operations in Panama. As a result, we have typically experienced
losses for Panamanian income tax purposes and were not subject
to any income tax obligations. Recently, the Panamanian
legislature enacted a new income tax law that provides for an
alternative minimum tax that equals 1.4% of a
companys revenues attributable to operations in Panama. We
estimate that our annual income tax liability will be an
additional $1.3 million based on traffic and revenues expected
for 2005. There is also uncertainty under the new law about how
we should allocate revenues to operations in Panama. If the
Panamanian tax authorities do not agree with our interpretation
of the new law or our methods of allocating revenues, we may be
subject to additional tax liability. Airlines in Panama are
currently not subject to any taxes relating specifically to the
airline industry other than the 4% tax collected from passengers
on tickets sold in Panama for the benefit of the Panamanian
Tourism Bureau.
|
|
|
The new social security law in Panama will adversely
affect our net income. |
On June 1, 2005, the Panamanian legislature passed a new
law changing the way the public pension system is funded. In
response to public protests in opposition to the new law, the
government has suspended its effectiveness until
December 31, 2005. If the new law were to become effective
as enacted, we expect that we would be responsible for
additional expenses in respect of all of our Panamanian
employees related to the funding of their future social security
benefits. We estimate that these expenses would have been
approximately $300,000 from June 1, 2005 through the
remainder of 2005 had this new law not been suspended until
December 31, 2005. However, due to the substantial
uncertainty surrounding the law, we cannot estimate its future
effect on our results of operations.
|
|
|
Political unrest and instability in Colombia may adversely
affect our business and the market price of our Class A
shares. |
We completed our acquisition of AeroRepública in the second
quarter of 2005. Almost all of AeroRepúblicas
scheduled operations are conducted within Colombia. As a result,
AeroRepública may be significantly affected by political
conditions in Colombia. Terrorism and violence have plagued
Colombia in the past. Continuing guerrilla activity could cause
political unrest and instability in Colombia, which could
adversely affect AeroRepúblicas financial condition
and results of operations. In addition, the threat of terrorist
attacks could impose additional costs on us, including enhanced
security to protect our aircraft, facilities and personnel
against possible attacks as well as increased insurance premiums.
Risks Relating to Our Class A Shares
|
|
|
The value of our Class A shares may be adversely
affected by ownership restrictions on our capital stock and the
power of our board of directors to take remedial actions to
preserve our operating license and international route rights by
requiring sales of certain outstanding shares or issuing new
stock. |
Pursuant to the Panamanian Aviation Act, as amended and
interpreted to date, and certain of the bilateral treaties
affording us the right to fly to other countries, we are
required to be substantially owned and
effectively controlled by Panamanian nationals. Our
failure to comply with such requirements could result in the
loss of our Panamanian operating license and/or our right to fly
to certain important countries. Our Articles of Incorporation
(Pacto Social) give special powers to our independent
directors to take certain significant actions to attempt to
ensure that the amount of shares held in us by non-Panamanian
nationals does not reach a level which could jeopardize our
compliance with Panamanian and bilateral ownership and control
requirements. If our independent directors determine it is
reasonably likely that we will be in violation of these
ownership and control requirements and our Class B shares
represent less than 10% of our total outstanding capital stock
(excluding newly issued shares sold with the approval of our
independent directors committee), our independent directors will
have the power to issue additional Class B shares or
Class C shares with special voting rights solely to
Panamanian nationals. See Description of Capital
Stock.
28
If any of these remedial actions are taken, the trading price of
the Class A shares may be materially and adversely
affected. An issuance of Class C shares could have the
effect of discouraging certain changes of control of Copa
Holdings or may reduce any voting power that the Class A
shares enjoy prior to the Class C share issuance. There can
be no assurance that we would be able to complete an issuance of
Class B shares to Panamanian nationals. We cannot assure
you that restrictions on ownership by non-Panamanian nationals
will not impede the development of an active public trading
market for the Class A shares, adversely affect the market
price of the Class A shares or materially limit our ability
to raise capital in markets outside of Panama in the future.
|
|
|
Our controlling shareholder has the ability to direct our
business and affairs, and its interests could conflict with
yours. |
As of the closing of this offering, all of our Class B
shares, representing approximately 29.2% of the economic
interest in Copa Holdings and all of the voting power of our
capital stock, will be owned by CIASA. CIASA is in turn
controlled by a group of Panamanian investors. In order to
comply with the Panamanian Aviation Act, as amended and
interpreted to date, in connection with this offering we have
amended our organizational documents to modify our share capital
so that CIASA will continue to exercise voting control of Copa
Holdings. CIASA will not be able to transfer its voting control
unless control of our company will remain with Panamanian
nationals. CIASA will maintain voting control of the company so
long as CIASA continues to own a majority of our Class B
shares and the Class B shares continue to represent more
than 10% of our total share capital (excluding newly issued
shares sold with the approval of our independent directors
committee). Even after CIASA ceases to own the majority of the
voting power of our capital stock, CIASA may continue to control
our board of directors indirectly through its control of our
Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee. As the
controlling shareholder, CIASA may direct us to take actions
that could be contrary to your interests and under certain
circumstances CIASA will be able to prevent other shareholders,
including you, from blocking these actions. Also, CIASA may
prevent change of control transactions that might otherwise
provide you with an opportunity to dispose of or realize a
premium on your investment in our Class A shares.
|
|
|
The Class A shares will only be permitted to vote in
very limited circumstances and may never have full voting
rights. |
The holders of Class A shares have no right to vote at our
shareholders meetings except with respect to corporate
transformations of Copa Holdings, mergers, consolidations or
spin-offs of Copa Holdings, changes of corporate purpose,
voluntary delistings of the Class A shares from the NYSE,
the approval of nominations of our independent directors and
amendments to the foregoing provisions that adversely affect the
rights and privileges of any Class A shares. The holders of
Class B shares have the power, subject to our
shareholders agreement with Continental, to elect the
board of directors and to determine the outcome of all other
matters to be decided by a vote of shareholders. Class A
shares will not have full voting rights unless the Class B
shares represent less than 10% of our total capital stock
(excluding newly issued shares sold with the approval of our
independent directors committee). See Description of
Capital Stock. We cannot assure you that the Class A
shares will ever carry full voting rights.
|
|
|
Substantial future sales of our Class A shares by
Continental or CIASA after this offering could cause the price
of the Class A shares to decrease. |
CIASA will own all of our Class B shares immediately
following this offering, and those Class B shares will be
converted into Class A shares if they are sold to
non-Panamanian investors. Continental will own 13,103,125, or
approximately 42.3%, of our Class A shares following this
offering. CIASA and Continental each will hold registration
rights with respect to a significant portion of their shares
pursuant to a registration rights agreement to be entered into
in connection with this offering. Continental is likely to seek
to exercise its rights to register and sell a significant number
of additional Class A shares as soon as possible after the
expiry of the lock-up period referred to below. The market price
of our Class A shares could drop significantly if
Continental or other holders of our shares sell a significant
number of shares, or if the market perceives that they intend to
sell them. We, the selling shareholders, our directors and
executive officers have agreed, subject to certain exceptions,
not to issue or transfer, until 180 days after the date of
this prospectus, any shares of our
29
capital stock, any options or warrants to purchase shares of our
capital stock, or any securities convertible into, or
exchangeable for, shares of our capital stock. We, the selling
shareholders and our directors and executive officers have also
agreed not to make any demand for, or exercise any right with
respect to, the registration of any Class A shares or any
security convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for
Class A shares, until 180 days after the date of this
prospectus. Nevertheless, after these lock-up agreements expire,
they will not be restricted from selling the shares in the
public market.
|
|
|
Holders of our common stock are not entitled to preemptive
rights, and as a result you may experience substantial dilution
upon future issuances of stock by us. |
Under Panamanian law and our organizational documents, holders
of our Class A shares are not entitled to any preemptive
rights with respect to future issuances of capital stock by us.
Therefore, unlike companies organized under the laws of many
other Latin American jurisdictions, we will be free to issue new
shares of stock to other parties without first offering them to
our existing shareholders. In the future we may sell
Class A or other shares to persons other than our existing
shareholders at a lower price than the shares being sold in this
offering, and as a result you may experience substantial
dilution of your interest in us.
|
|
|
You may not be able to sell our Class A shares at the
price or at the time you desire because an active or liquid
market for the Class A shares may not develop. |
Prior to this offering, there has not been a public market for
our Class A shares. The Class A shares have been
approved for listing on the NYSE. We cannot predict, however,
whether an active liquid public trading market for our
Class A shares will develop or be sustained. Active, liquid
trading markets generally result in lower price volatility and
more efficient execution of buy-and-sell orders for investors.
The liquidity of a securities market is often affected by the
volume of shares publicly held by unrelated parties.
|
|
|
Our board of directors may, in its discretion, amend or
repeal the dividend policy it is expected to adopt upon the
closing of this offering. You may not receive the level of
dividends provided for in the dividend policy or any dividends
at all. |
Our board of directors has determined to adopt a dividend policy
that provides for the payment of dividends to shareholders equal
to approximately 10% of our annual consolidated net income. Our
board of directors may, in its sole discretion and for any
reason, amend or repeal this dividend policy. Our board of
directors may decrease the level of dividends provided for in
this dividend policy or entirely discontinue the payment of
dividends. Future dividends with respect to shares of our common
stock, if any, will depend on, among other things, our results
of operations, cash requirements, financial condition,
contractual restrictions, business opportunities, provisions of
applicable law and other factors that our board of directors may
deem relevant. See Dividend Policy.
|
|
|
To the extent we pay dividends to our shareholders, we
will have less capital available to meet our future liquidity
needs. |
Our board of directors has determined to adopt a dividend policy
that provides for the payment of dividends to shareholders equal
to approximately 10% of our annual consolidated net income. The
aviation industry has cyclical characteristics, and many
international airlines are currently experiencing difficulties
meeting their liquidity needs. Also, our business strategy
contemplates substantial growth over the next several years, and
we expect such growth will require a great deal of liquidity. To
the extent that we pay dividends in accordance with the policy
that our board of directors is adopting in connection with this
offering, the money that we distribute to shareholders will not
be available to us to fund future growth and meet our other
liquidity needs.
|
|
|
Our Articles of Incorporation impose ownership and control
restrictions on our company which ensure that Panamanian
nationals will continue to control us and that these
restrictions operate to prevent any change of control or some
transfers of ownership in order to comply with the Aviation Act
and other bilateral restrictions. |
Under the Panamanian Aviation Act, as amended and interpreted to
date, Panamanian nationals must exercise effective
control over the operations of the airline and must
maintain substantial ownership. These phrases are
not defined in the Aviation Act itself and it is unclear how a
Panamanian court would interpret them. The share ownership
requirements and transfer restrictions contained in our Articles
of
30
Incorporation, as well as the dual-class structure of our voting
capital stock are designed to ensure compliance with these
ownership and control restrictions. See Description of
Capital Stock. These provisions of our Articles of
Incorporation may prevent change of control transactions that
might otherwise provide you with an opportunity to realize a
premium on your investment in our Class A shares. They also
ensure that Panamanians will continue to control all the
decisions of our company for the foreseeable future.
|
|
|
The protections afforded to minority shareholders in
Panama are different from and more limited than those in the
United States and may be more difficult to enforce. |
Under Panamanian law, the protections afforded to minority
shareholders are different from, and much more limited than,
those in the United States and some other Latin American
countries. For example, the legal framework with respect to
shareholder disputes is less developed under Panamanian law than
under U.S. law and there are different procedural
requirements for bringing shareholder lawsuits, including
shareholder derivative suits. As a result, it may be more
difficult for our minority shareholders to enforce their rights
against us or our directors or controlling shareholder than it
would be for shareholders of a U.S. company. In addition,
Panamanian law does not afford minority shareholders as many
protections for investors through corporate governance
mechanisms as in the United States and provides no mandatory
tender offer or similar protective mechanisms for minority
shareholders in the event of a change in control. While our
Articles of Incorporation provide limited rights to holders of
our Class A shares to sell their shares at the same price
as CIASA in the event that a sale of Class B shares by
CIASA results in the purchaser having the right to elect a
majority of our board, there are other change of control
transactions in which holders of our Class A shares would
not have the right to participate, including the sale of
interests by a party that had previously acquired Class B
shares from CIASA, the sale of interests by another party in
conjunction with a sale by CIASA, the sale by CIASA of control
to more than one party, or the sale of controlling interests in
CIASA itself.
|
|
|
Developments in Latin American countries and other
emerging market countries may cause the market price of our
Class A shares to decrease. |
The market value of securities issued by Panamanian companies
may be affected to varying degrees by economic and market
conditions in other countries, including other Latin American
and emerging market countries. Although economic conditions in
emerging market countries outside Latin America may differ
significantly from economic conditions in Panama and Colombia or
elsewhere in Latin America, investors reactions to
developments in these other countries may have an adverse effect
on the market value of securities of Panamanian issuers or
issuers with significant operations in Latin America. As a
result of economic problems in various emerging market countries
in recent years (such as the Asian financial crisis of 1997, the
Russian financial crisis of 1998 and the Argentine financial
crisis in 2001), investors have viewed investments in emerging
markets with heightened caution. Crises in other emerging market
countries may hamper investor enthusiasm for securities of
Panamanian issuers, including our shares, which could adversely
affect the market price of our Class A shares.
31
USE OF PROCEEDS
We will not receive any proceeds from the sale of our
Class A shares by the selling shareholders.
DIVIDENDS AND DIVIDEND POLICY
The payment of dividends on our shares is subject to the
discretion of our board of directors. Under Panamanian law, we
may pay dividends only out of retained earnings and capital
surplus. So long as we do not default in our payments under our
loan agreements, there are no covenants or other restrictions on
our ability to declare and pay dividends. Our Articles of
Incorporation provide that all dividends declared by our board
of directors will be paid equally with respect to all of the
Class A and Class B shares. See Description of
Capital StockDividends.
Our board of directors has determined to adopt a dividend policy
that provides for the payment of approximately 10% of our annual
consolidated net income to shareholders as a dividend to be
declared at our annual shareholders meeting and paid
shortly thereafter. Our board of directors may, in its sole
discretion and for any reason, amend or discontinue the dividend
policy it is expected to adopt upon the closing of this
offering. Our board of directors may change the level of
dividends provided for in this dividend policy or entirely
discontinue the payment of dividends. Future dividends with
respect to shares of our common stock, if any, will depend on,
among other things, our results of operations, cash
requirements, financial condition, contractual restrictions,
business opportunities, provisions of applicable law and other
factors that our board of directors may deem relevant.
We paid an extraordinary dividend of $10 million to our
shareholders in December 2004 and another extraordinary dividend
of $10 million in June 2005. Prior to the December 2004
dividend payment, we had not paid a dividend since the formation
of Copa Holdings in 1998.
DILUTION
Net tangible book value represents the amount of our total
assets, less our total liabilities and intangible assets, such
as goodwill, acquired routes and trade name. Net tangible book
value per share is determined by dividing our net tangible book
value by the number of our outstanding shares.
As of September 30, 2005, our net tangible book value was
approximately $176,160,000, or $4.03 per share after giving
effect to the recapitalization and the restricted stock awards
to our management that we intend to effect in connection with
this offering. We may adjust the number of restricted stock
awards to our management prior to the offering. The immediate
dilution to purchasers of the shares in the offering is
$15.97 per share, or 79.9%. Dilution, for this
purpose, represents the difference between the price per share
paid by purchasers in this offering and our net tangible book
value per share as of September 30, 2005, as adjusted to
give effect to our recapitalization and the issuance of
restricted stock to certain of our management employees.
32
CAPITALIZATION
The following table sets forth our cash and cash equivalents,
short-term debt, long-term debt and total capitalization at
September 30, 2005 on an actual basis and as adjusted to
reflect the recapitalization undertaken in connection with this
offering. As we will receive no proceeds from the sale of the
Class A shares by the selling shareholders, there will be
no change in our overall capitalization as a result of this
offering. You should read this table in conjunction with
Selected Financial and Operating Data,
Managements Discussion and Analysis of Financial
Condition and Results of Operations and our financial
statements and the related notes included elsewhere in this
prospectus. None of our indebtedness is guaranteed by a third
party.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
At September 30, 2005 | |
|
|
| |
|
|
Actual | |
|
As Adjusted | |
|
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
(in thousands) | |
Cash and cash equivalents
|
|
$ |
129,201 |
|
|
$ |
129,201 |
|
Indebtedness:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Copa
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Secured indebtedness due through 2015
|
|
|
388,354 |
|
|
|
388,354 |
|
|
Unsecured indebtedness due through 2006
|
|
|
21,920 |
|
|
|
21,920 |
|
AeroRepública
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Secured indebtedness due through 2012
|
|
|
17,249 |
|
|
|
17,249 |
|
|
Unsecured indebtedness due through 2010
|
|
|
2,285 |
|
|
|
2,285 |
|
Shareholders equity:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Old Class A shares (without par value)
|
|
|
14,904 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Old Class B shares (without par value)
|
|
|
14,319 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
New Class A shares (without par value)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
19,813 |
|
|
New Class B shares (without par value)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
9,410 |
|
|
Retained earnings
|
|
|
200,209 |
|
|
|
200,209 |
|
|
Accumulated other comprehensive loss
|
|
|
(209 |
) |
|
|
(209 |
) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total shareholders equity
|
|
|
229,223 |
|
|
|
229,223 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total capitalization
|
|
|
659,031 |
|
|
|
659,031 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
33
SELECTED FINANCIAL AND OPERATING DATA
The following table presents summary consolidated financial and
operating data as of the dates and for the periods indicated.
Our consolidated financial statements are prepared in accordance
with U.S. GAAP and are stated in U.S. dollars. You
should read this information in conjunction with our
consolidated financial statements included in this prospectus
and Managements Discussion and Analysis of Results
of Operations and Financial Condition appearing elsewhere
in this prospectus.
The summary consolidated financial information as of
December 31, 2003 and 2004 and for the years ended
December 31, 2002, 2003 and 2004 has been derived from our
audited consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in
this prospectus. The consolidated financial information as of
December 31, 2000, 2001 and 2002 and for the years ended
December 31, 2000 and 2001 has been derived from our
audited consolidated financial statements that were prepared
under International Accounting Standards and adjusted to be
presented on a basis consistent with U.S. GAAP and which
have not been included in this prospectus.
The summary consolidated financial data as of and for the
nine-months ended September 30, 2004 and 2005 has been
derived from our unaudited interim consolidated financial
statements for these periods appearing elsewhere in this
prospectus. We recently acquired 99.6% of the stock of
AeroRepública, a Colombian air carrier, and began
consolidating AeroRepúblicas results on
April 22, 2005. For the nine months ended
September 30, 2005 and for future periods, we will be
reporting AeroRepúblicas operations as a separate
segment in our financial statements and the related notes. As a
result of the acquisition, our financial information at and for
the nine-months ended September 30, 2005 is not comparable
to the information at and for the nine-months ended
September 30, 2004. The results of operations for the nine
months ended September 30, 2005 are not necessarily
indicative of the operating results to be expected for the
entire year ending December 31, 2005 or for any other
period.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Nine Months Ended | |
|
|
Year Ended December 31, | |
|
September 30, | |
|
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
2000 | |
|
2001 | |
|
2002 | |
|
2003 | |
|
2004 | |
|
2004 | |
|
2005(21) | |
|
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
(in thousands of dollars, except share and per share data and operating data) | |
INCOME STATEMENT DATA
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Operating revenues
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Passenger revenue
|
|
$ |
226,012 |
|
|
$ |
257,918 |
|
|
$ |
269,629 |
|
|
$ |
311,683 |
|
|
$ |
364,611 |
|
|
$ |
268,652 |
|
|
$ |
398,550 |
|
|
Cargo, mail and other
|
|
|
29,402 |
|
|
|
32,454 |
|
|
|
31,008 |
|
|
|
30,106 |
|
|
|
35,226 |
|
|
|
24,514 |
|
|
|
30,379 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total operating revenues
|
|
|
255,414 |
|
|
|
290,372 |
|
|
|
300,637 |
|
|
|
341,789 |
|
|
|
399,837 |
|
|
|
293,166 |
|
|
|
428,929 |
|
Operating expenses:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Aircraft fuel
|
|
|
48,126 |
|
|
|
46,514 |
|
|
|
40,024 |
|
|
|
48,512 |
|
|
|
62,549 |
|
|
|
43,753 |
|
|
|
97,733 |
|
|
Salaries and benefits
|
|
|
30,385 |
|
|
|
38,709 |
|
|
|
39,264 |
|
|
|
45,254 |
|
|
|
51,701 |
|
|
|
35,985 |
|
|
|
48,134 |
|
|
Passenger servicing
|
|
|
33,128 |
|
|
|
32,834 |
|
|
|
33,892 |
|
|
|
36,879 |
|
|
|
39,222 |
|
|
|
29,116 |
|
|
|
36,172 |
|
|
Commissions
|
|
|
31,537 |
|
|
|
31,652 |
|
|
|
28,720 |
|
|
|
27,681 |
|
|
|
29,073 |
|
|
|
21,458 |
|
|
|
31,456 |
|
|
Reservations and sales
|
|
|
15,238 |
|
|
|
18,629 |
|
|
|
16,707 |
|
|
|
18,011 |
|
|
|
22,118 |
|
|
|
15,727 |
|
|
|
21,415 |
|
|
Maintenance, materials and repairs
|
|
|
26,815 |
|
|
|
25,369 |
|
|
|
20,733 |
|
|
|
20,354 |
|
|
|
19,742 |
|
|
|
13,899 |
|
|
|
21,933 |
|
|
Depreciation
|
|
|
9,136 |
|
|
|
13,325 |
|
|
|
13,377 |
|
|
|
14,040 |
|
|
|
19,279 |
|
|
|
13,368 |
|
|
|
14,844 |
|
|
Flight operations
|
|
|
12,453 |
|
|
|
13,887 |
|
|
|
14,567 |
|
|
|
15,976 |
|
|
|
17,904 |
|
|
|
13,135 |
|
|
|
17,904 |
|
|
Aircraft rentals
|
|
|
20,398 |
|
|
|
20,106 |
|
|
|
21,182 |
|
|
|
16,686 |
|
|
|
14,445 |
|
|
|
10,435 |
|
|
|
19,351 |
|
|
Landing fees and other rentals
|
|
|
8,571 |
|
|
|
8,451 |
|
|
|
8,495 |
|
|
|
10,551 |
|
|
|
12,155 |
|
|
|
8,941 |
|
|
|
12,282 |
|
|
Other
|
|
|
18,010 |
|
|
|
15,892 |
|
|
|
19,166 |
|
|
|
25,977 |
|
|
|
29,306 |
|
|
|
19,847 |
|
|
|
25,364 |
|
|
Fleet impairment charge
(1)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
13,669 |
|
|
|
3,572 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total operating expenses
|
|
|
253,797 |
|
|
|
265,368 |
|
|
|
269,796 |
|
|
|
283,493 |
|
|
|
317,494 |
|
|
|
225,664 |
|
|
|
346,588 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Operating income
|
|
|
1,617 |
|
|
|
25,004 |
|
|
|
30,841 |
|
|
|
58,296 |
|
|
|
82,343 |
|
|
|
67,502 |
|
|
|
82,341 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
34
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Nine Months Ended | |
|
|
Year Ended December 31, | |
|
September 30, | |
|
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
2000 | |
|
2001 | |
|
2002 | |
|
2003 | |
|
2004 | |
|
2004 | |
|
2005(21) | |
|
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
(in thousands of dollars, except share and per share data and operating data) | |
Non-operating income (expense):
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Interest expense
|
|
|
(9,751 |
) |
|
|
(10,988 |
) |
|
|
(7,629 |
) |
|
|
(11,613 |
) |
|
|
(16,488 |
) |
|
|
(12,076 |
) |
|
|
(15,755 |
) |
|
Interest capitalized
|
|
|
157 |
|
|
|
1,592 |
|
|
|
1,114 |
|
|
|
2,009 |
|
|
|
963 |
|
|
|
948 |
|
|
|
657 |
|
|
Interest income
|
|
|
225 |
|
|
|
701 |
|
|
|
831 |
|
|
|
887 |
|
|
|
1,423 |
|
|
|
878 |
|
|
|
2,300 |
|
|
Other,
net(2)
|
|
|
(233 |
) |
|
|
331 |
|
|
|
(1,490 |
) |
|
|
2,554 |
|
|
|
6,063 |
|
|
|
4,104 |
|
|
|
4,061 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total non-operating expenses, net
|
|
|
(9,602 |
) |
|
|
(8,364 |
) |
|
|
(7,174 |
) |
|
|
(6,163 |
) |
|
|
(8,039 |
) |
|
|
(6,146 |
) |
|
|
(8,737 |
) |
Income (loss) before income taxes
|
|
|
(7,985 |
) |
|
|
16,640 |
|
|
|
23,667 |
|
|
|
52,133 |
|
|
|
74,304 |
|
|
|
61,356 |
|
|
|
73,604 |
|
Provision for income taxes
|
|
|
(1,530 |
) |
|
|
(1,822 |
) |
|
|
(2,999 |
) |
|
|
(3,644 |
) |
|
|
(5,732 |
) |
|
|
(4,663 |
) |
|
|
(8,258 |
) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net income (loss)
|
|
|
(9,515 |
) |
|
|
14,818 |
|
|
|
20,668 |
|
|
|
48,489 |
|
|
|
68,572 |
|
|
|
56,693 |
|
|
|
65,346 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
BALANCE SHEET DATA
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments
(3)
|
|
$ |
16,893 |
|
|
$ |
28,385 |
|
|
$ |
39,088 |
|
|
$ |
65,962 |
|
|
$ |
114,891 |
|
|
$ |
105,531 |
|
|
$ |
129,201 |
|
Accounts receivable, net
|
|
|
36,791 |
|
|
|
30,205 |
|
|
|
24,006 |
|
|
|
31,019 |
|
|
|
27,706 |
|
|
|
30,529 |
|
|
|
54,965 |
|
Total current assets
|
|
|
61,682 |
|
|
|
69,040 |
|
|
|
73,552 |
|
|
|
108,053 |
|
|
|
156,035 |
|
|
|
151,820 |
|
|
|
208,428 |
|
Purchase deposits for flight equipment
|
|
|
21,035 |
|
|
|
46,540 |
|
|
|
55,867 |
|
|
|
45,869 |
|
|
|
7,190 |
|
|
|
24,701 |
|
|
|
42,189 |
|
Total property and equipment
|
|
|
205,071 |
|
|
|
227,717 |
|
|
|
345,411 |
|
|
|
480,488 |
|
|
|
541,211 |
|
|
|
521,754 |
|
|
|
572,868 |
|
Total assets
|
|
|
270,506 |
|
|
|
300,121 |
|
|
|
421,935 |
|
|
|
591,915 |
|
|
|
702,050 |
|
|
|
678,136 |
|
|
|
846,126 |
|
Long-term debt
|
|
|
142,437 |
|
|
|
111,125 |
|
|
|
211,698 |
|
|
|
311,991 |
|
|
|
380,827 |
|
|
|
345,754 |
|
|
|
369,237 |
|
Total shareholders equity
|
|
|
19,638 |
|
|
|
46,426 |
|
|
|
67,094 |
|
|
|
115,583 |
|
|
|
174,155 |
|
|
|
172,276 |
|
|
|
229,223 |
|
CASH FLOW DATA
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net cash provided by operating activities
|
|
$ |
25,386 |
|
|
$ |
32,997 |
|
|
$ |
50,931 |
|
|
$ |
73,561 |
|
|
$ |
98,633 |
|
|
$ |
70,301 |
|
|
$ |
78,308 |
|
Net cash used in investing activities
|
|
|
(111,926 |
) |
|
|
(39,473 |
) |
|
|
(145,591 |
) |
|
|
(151,884 |
) |
|
|
(90,268 |
) |
|
|
(50,201 |
) |
|
|
(69,425 |
) |
Net cash provided by financing activities
|
|
|
93,100 |
|
|
|
14,466 |
|
|
|
100,400 |
|
|
|
105,298 |
|
|
|
29,755 |
|
|
|
23,389 |
|
|
|
(2,105 |
) |
OTHER FINANCIAL DATA
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
EBITDA(4)
|
|
|
10,520 |
|
|
|
38,660 |
|
|
|
42,728 |
|
|
|
74,890 |
|
|
|
107,685 |
|
|
|
84,974 |
|
|
|
101,246 |
|
Aircraft rentals
|
|
|
20,398 |
|
|
|
20,106 |
|
|
|
21,182 |
|
|
|
16,686 |
|
|
|
14,445 |
|
|
|
10,435 |
|
|
|
19,351 |
|
Operating
margin(5)
|
|
|
0.6 |
% |
|
|
8.6 |
% |
|
|
10.3 |
% |
|
|
17.1 |
% |
|
|
20.6 |
% |
|
|
23.0 |
% |
|
|
19.2 |
% |
Weighted average shares used in computing net income per
share(6)
|
|
|
42,812,500 |
|
|
|
42,812,500 |
|
|
|
42,812,500 |
|
|
|
42,812,500 |
|
|
|
42,812,500 |
|
|
|
42,812,500 |
|
|
|
42,812,500 |
|
Net income (loss) per share
(6)
|
|
$ |
(0.22 |
) |
|
$ |
0.35 |
|
|
$ |
0.48 |
|
|
$ |
1.13 |
|
|
$ |
1.60 |
|
|
$ |
1.32 |
|
|
$ |
1.53 |
|
OPERATING DATA
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Revenue passengers carried
(7)
|
|
|
1,647 |
|
|
|
1,794 |
|
|
|
1,819 |
|
|
|
2,028 |
|
|
|
2,333 |
|
|
|
1,726 |
|
|
|
3,030 |
(22) |
Revenue passenger
miles(8)
|
|
|
1,645 |
|
|
|
1,870 |
|
|
|
1,875 |
|
|
|
2,193 |
|
|
|
2,548 |
|
|
|
1,887 |
|
|
|
2,743 |
(22) |
Available seat
miles(9)
|
|
|
2,589 |
|
|
|
2,920 |
|
|
|
2,847 |
|
|
|
3,226 |
|
|
|
3,639 |
|
|
|
2,687 |
|
|
|
3,819 |
|
Load
factor(10)
|
|
|
63.6 |
% |
|
|
64.0 |
% |
|
|
65.9 |
% |
|
|
68.0 |
% |
|
|
70.0 |
% |
|
|
70.2 |
% |
|
|
71.8 |
%(22) |
Break-even load
factor(11)
|
|
|
67.6 |
% |
|
|
58.7 |
% |
|
|
54.5 |
% |
|
|
52.8 |
% |
|
|
52.6 |
% |
|
|
50.7 |
% |
|
|
56.6 |
% (22) |
Total block
hours(12)
|
|
|
57,443 |
|
|
|
59,760 |
|
|
|
58,112 |
|
|
|
64,909 |
|
|
|
70,228 |
|
|
|
52,161 |
|
|
|
73,645 |
|
Average daily aircraft
utilization(13)
|
|
|
8.8 |
|
|
|
9.1 |
|
|
|
8.8 |
|
|
|
9.0 |
|
|
|
9.3 |
|
|
|
9.4 |
|
|
|
9.6 |
|
35
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Nine Months Ended | |
|
|
Year Ended December 31, | |
|
September 30, | |
|
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
2000 | |
|
2001 | |
|
2002 | |
|
2003 | |
|
2004 | |
|
2004 | |
|
2005(21) | |
|
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
(in thousands of dollars, except share and per share data and operating data) | |
Average passenger fare
|
|
|
137.2 |
|
|
|
143.8 |
|
|
|
148.2 |
|
|
|
153.7 |
|
|
|
156.3 |
|
|
|
155.6 |
|
|
|
131.6 |
(22) |
Yield(14)
|
|
|
13.74 |
|
|
|
13.79 |
|
|
|
14.38 |
|
|
|
14.22 |
|
|
|
14.31 |
|
|
|
14.24 |
|
|
|
14.53 |
(22) |
Passenger revenue per ASM
(15)
|
|
|
8.73 |
|
|
|
8.83 |
|
|
|
9.47 |
|
|
|
9.66 |
|
|
|
10.02 |
|
|
|
10.00 |
|
|
|
10.44 |
|
Operating revenue per ASM
(16)
|
|
|
9.86 |
|
|
|
9.94 |
|
|
|
10.56 |
|
|
|
10.60 |
|
|
|
10.99 |
|
|
|
10.91 |
|
|
|
11.23 |
|
Operating expenses per ASM
(CASM)(17)
|
|
|
9.80 |
|
|
|
9.09 |
|
|
|
9.48 |
|
|
|
8.79 |
|
|
|
8.72 |
|
|
|
8.40 |
|
|
|
9.08 |
|
Departures
|
|
|
24,715 |
|
|
|
23,742 |
|
|
|
23,361 |
|
|
|
25,702 |
|
|
|
27,434 |
|
|
|
20,469 |
|
|
|
33,636 |
|
Average daily departures
|
|
|
67.5 |
|
|
|
65.0 |
|
|
|
64.0 |
|
|
|
70.4 |
|
|
|
75.0 |
|
|
|
74.7 |
|
|
|
151.8 |
|
Average number of aircraft.
|
|
|
17.9 |
|
|
|
18.0 |
|
|
|
18.1 |
|
|
|
19.8 |
|
|
|
20.6 |
|
|
|
20.8 |
|
|
|
31.1 |
|
Airports served at period end
|
|
|
29 |
|
|
|
28 |
|
|
|
27 |
|
|
|
28 |
|
|
|
29 |
|
|
|
29 |
|
|
|
35 |
|
Employees at period end
|
|
|
2,174 |
|
|
|
2,281 |
|
|
|
2,453 |
|
|
|
2,640 |
|
|
|
2,754 |
|
|
|
2,705 |
|
|
|
4,194 |
|
SEGMENT FINANCIAL DATA
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Copa:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Operating revenue
|
|
$ |
255,414 |
|
|
$ |
290,372 |
|
|
$ |
300,637 |
|
|
$ |
341,789 |
|
|
$ |
399,837 |
|
|
$ |
293,166 |
|
|
$ |
367,253 |
|
|
Operating expenses
|
|
|
253,797 |
|
|
|
265,368 |
|
|
|
269,796 |
|
|
|
283,493 |
|
|
|
317,494 |
|
|
|
225,664 |
|
|
|
290,832 |
|
|
Depreciation
|
|
|
9,136 |
|
|
|
13,325 |
|
|
|
13,377 |
|
|
|
14,040 |
|
|
|
19,279 |
|
|
|
13,368 |
|
|
|
14,342 |
|
|
Aircraft rentals
|
|
|
20,398 |
|
|
|
20,106 |
|
|
|
21,182 |
|
|
|
16,686 |
|
|
|
14,445 |
|
|
|
10,435 |
|
|
|
16,391 |
|
|
Interest expense
|
|
|
9,751 |
|
|
|
10,988 |
|
|
|
7,629 |
|
|
|
11,613 |
|
|
|
16,488 |
|
|
|
12,076 |
|
|
|
14,188 |
|
|
Interest capitalized
|
|
|
157 |
|
|
|
1,592 |
|
|
|
1,114 |
|
|
|
2,009 |
|
|
|
963 |
|
|
|
948 |
|
|
|
657 |
|
|
Interest income
|
|
|
225 |
|
|
|
701 |
|
|
|
831 |
|
|
|
887 |
|
|
|
1,423 |
|
|
|
878 |
|
|
|
2,194 |
|
|
Net income (loss) before tax
|
|
|
(7,985 |
) |
|
|
16,640 |
|
|
|
23,667 |
|
|
|
52,133 |
|
|
|
74,304 |
|
|
|
61,356 |
|
|
|
70,629 |
|
|
Total assets
|
|
|
270,506 |
|
|
|
300,121 |
|
|
|
421,935 |
|
|
|
591,915 |
|
|
|
702,050 |
|
|
|
678,136 |
|
|
|
785,383 |
|
AeroRepública (since April 22, 2005):
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Operating revenue |
|
|
61,676 |
|
Operating expenses |
|
|
55,756 |
|
Depreciation |
|
|
502 |
|
Aircraft rentals |
|
|
2,960 |
|
Interest expense |
|
|
1,567 |
|
Interest capitalized |
|
|
|
|
Interest income |
|
|
106 |
|
Net income (loss) before tax |
|
|
2,975 |
|
Total assets |
|
|
84,103 |
|
SEGMENT OPERATING DATA
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Copa:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Available seat
miles(9)
|
|
|
2,589 |
|
|
|
2,920 |
|
|
|
2,847 |
|
|
|
3,226 |
|
|
|
3,639 |
|
|
|
2,687 |
|
|
|
3,244 |
|
|
Load
factor(10)
|
|
|
63.6 |
% |
|
|
64.0 |
% |
|
|
65.9 |
% |
|
|
68.0 |
% |
|
|
70.0 |
% |
|
|
70.2 |
% |
|
|
73.1 |
% |
|
Break-even load factor
|
|
|
67.6 |
% |
|
|
58.7 |
% |
|
|
54.5 |
% |
|
|
52.8 |
% |
|
|
52.6 |
% |
|
|
50.7 |
% |
|
|
55.1 |
% |
|
Yield(14)
|
|
|
13.74 |
|
|
|
13.79 |
|
|
|
14.38 |
|
|
|
14.22 |
|
|
|
14.31 |
|
|
|
14.24 |
|
|
|
14.32 |
|
|
Operating revenue per ASM
(16)
|
|
|
9.86 |
|
|
|
9.94 |
|
|
|
10.56 |
|
|
|
10.60 |
|
|
|
10.99 |
|
|
|
10.91 |
|
|
|
11.32 |
|
|
CASM(17)
|
|
|
9.80 |
|
|
|
9.09 |
|
|
|
9.48 |
|
|
|
8.79 |
|
|
|
8.72 |
|
|
|
8.40 |
|
|
|
8.97 |
|
|
Average stage
length(19)
|
|
|
915 |
|
|
|
1,023 |
|
|
|
1,010 |
|
|
|
1,028 |
|
|
|
1,047 |
|
|
|
1,042 |
|
|
|
1,121 |
|
|
On time
performance(18)
|
|
|
68.4 |
|
|
|
87.7 |
|
|
|
90.5 |
|
|
|
91.4 |
|
|
|
91.8 |
|
|
|
92.9 |
|
|
|
93.3 |
|
36
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Nine Months Ended | |
|
|
Year Ended December 31, | |
|
September 30, | |
|
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
2000 | |
|
2001 | |
|
2002 | |
|
2003 | |
|
2004 | |
|
2004 | |
|
2005(21) | |
|
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
(in thousands of dollars, except share and per share data and operating data) | |
AeroRepública (since April 22, 2005):
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Available seat
miles(9) |
|
|
575 |
|
Load
factor(10) |
|
|
64.8 |
% |
Break even load factor |
|
|
67.8 |
% |
Yield(14) |
|
|
15.88 |
(22) |
Operating revenue per
ASM(16) |
|
|
10.73 |
|
CASM(17) |
|
|
9.70 |
|
Average stage
length(19) |
|
|
365 |
|
On time
performance(20) |
|
|
70.4 |
% |
|
|
|
|
(1) |
Represents impairment losses on our Boeing 737-200 aircraft and
related assets. See the notes to our consolidated financial
statements. |
|
|
(2) |
Consists primarily of changes in the fair value of fuel
derivative contracts, foreign exchange gains/losses and gains on
sale of Boeing 737-200 aircraft. See
Managements Discussion and Analysis of Financial
Condition and Results of Operations and the notes to our
consolidated financial statements. |
|
|
(3) |
Includes restricted cash and cash equivalents of
$4.6 million as of December 31, 2002,
$4.5 million as of December 31, 2003,
$3.9 million as of December 31, 2004,
$4.4 million as of September 30, 2004 and
$4.9 million as of September 30, 2005. |
|
|
(4) |
EBITDA represents net income (loss) plus the sum of interest
expense, income taxes, depreciation and amortization minus the
sum of interest capitalized and interest income. EBITDA is
presented as supplemental information because we believe it is a
useful indicator of our operating performance and is useful in
comparing our operating performance with other companies in the
airline industry. However, EBITDA should not be considered in
isolation, as a substitute for net income prepared in accordance
with U.S. GAAP or as a measure of a companys
profitability. In addition, our calculation of EBITDA may not be
comparable to other companies similarly titled measures.
The following table presents a reconciliation of our net income
to EBITDA for the specified periods: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Nine Months | |
|
|
|
|
Ended | |
|
|
Year Ended December 31, | |
|
September 30, | |
|
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
2000 | |
|
2001 | |
|
2002 | |
|
2003 | |
|
2004 | |
|
2004 | |
|
2005 | |
|
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
(in thousands of dollars) | |
Net income (loss)
|
|
$ |
(9,515 |
) |
|
$ |
14,818 |
|
|
$ |
20,668 |
|
|
$ |
48,489 |
|
|
$ |
68,572 |
|
|
$ |
56,693 |
|
|
$ |
65,346 |
|
Interest expense
|
|
|
9,751 |
|
|
|
10,988 |
|
|
|
7,629 |
|
|
|
11,613 |
|
|
|
16,488 |
|
|
|
12,076 |
|
|
|
15,755 |
|
Income taxes
|
|
|
1,530 |
|
|
|
1,822 |
|
|
|
2,999 |
|
|
|
3,644 |
|
|
|
5,732 |
|
|
|
4,663 |
|
|
|
8,258 |
|
Depreciation
|
|
|
9,136 |
|
|
|
13,325 |
|
|
|
13,377 |
|
|
|
14,040 |
|
|
|
19,279 |
|
|
|
13,368 |
|
|
|
14,844 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Subtotal
|
|
|
10,902 |
|
|
|
40,953 |
|
|
|
44,673 |
|
|
|
77,786 |
|
|
|
110,071 |
|
|
|
86,800 |
|
|
|
104,203 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Interest capitalized
|
|
|
(157 |
) |
|
|
(1,592 |
) |
|
|
(1,114 |
) |
|
|
(2,009 |
) |
|
|
(963 |
) |
|
|
(948 |
) |
|
|
(657 |
) |
Interest income
|
|
|
(225 |
) |
|
|
(701 |
) |
|
|
(831 |
) |
|
|
(887 |
) |
|
|
(1,423 |
) |
|
|
(878 |
) |
|
|
(2,300 |
) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
EBITDA
|
|
|
10,520 |
|
|
|
38,660 |
|
|
|
42,728 |
|
|
|
74,890 |
|
|
|
107,685 |
|
|
|
84,974 |
|
|
|
101,246 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Aircraft rentals represents a significant operating expense of
our business. Because we leased several of our aircraft during
the periods presented, we believe that when assessing our EBITDA
you should also consider the impact of our aircraft rent
expense, which was $20.4 million in 2000,
$20.1 million in 2001, $21.2 million in 2002,
$16.7 million in 2003, $14.4 million in 2004,
$10.4 million during the first nine months of 2004 and
$19.3 million during the first nine months of 2005. |
|
|
(5) |
Operating margin represents operating income divided by
operating revenues. |
|
(6) |
All share and per share amounts have been retroactively restated
to reflect the current capital structure described under
Description of Capital Stock and in the notes to our
consolidated financial statements. |
|
(7) |
Total number of paying passengers (including all passengers
redeeming OnePass frequent flyer miles and other travel awards)
flown on all flight segments, expressed in thousands. |
|
(8) |
Number of miles flown by scheduled revenue passengers, expressed
in millions. |
|
(9) |
Aircraft seating capacity multiplied by the number of miles the
seats are flown, expressed in millions. |
|
|
(10) |
Percentage of aircraft seating capacity that is actually
utilized. Load factors are calculated by dividing revenue
passenger miles by available seat miles. |
|
(11) |
Load factor that would have resulted in total revenues being
equal to total expenses. |
37
|
|
(12) |
The number of hours from the time an airplane moves off the
departure gate for a revenue flight until it is parked at the
gate of the arrival airport. |
|
(13) |
Average number of block hours operated per day per aircraft for
the total aircraft fleet. |
|
(14) |
Average amount (in cents) one passenger pays to fly one mile. |
|
(15) |
Passenger revenues (in cents) divided by the number of available
seat miles. |
|
(16) |
Total operating revenues for passenger aircraft related costs
(in cents) divided by the number of available seat miles. |
|
(17) |
Total operating expenses for passenger aircraft related costs
(in cents) divided by the number of available seat miles. |
|
(18) |
Percentage of flights that arrive at the destination gate within
fifteen minutes of scheduled arrival. |
|
(19) |
The average number of miles flown per flight. |
|
(20) |
Percentage of flights that depart within fifteen minutes of the
scheduled departure time. |
|
(21) |
For AeroRepública operating data, this period covers from
April 22, 2005 until September 30, 2005 which
corresponds to the period that AeroRepública was
consolidated in our financial statements. |
|
(22) |
AeroRepública has not historically distinguished between
revenue passengers and non-revenue passengers. While we are
implementing systems at AeroRepública to record that
information, revenue passenger information and other statistics
derived from revenue passenger data for the nine months ended
September 30, 2005 has been derived from estimates that we
believe to be materially accurate. Non-revenue passengers
represented approximately 2.3% of AeroRepúblicas
total passengers for the period from April 22, 2005 to
September 30, 2005. |
38
MANAGEMENTS DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF
FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
Overview
We are a leading Latin American provider of international
airline passenger service operating from our strategically
located hub in the Republic of Panama. We currently offer
approximately 80 daily scheduled flights among 30 destinations
in 20 countries in North, Central and South America and the
Caribbean. Additionally, through codeshare agreements with
Continental we offer flights to more than 110 other
international destinations. We provide service to international
destinations through our Panama City hub which enables us to
consolidate passenger traffic from multiple points to achieve a
more profitable system and serve each destination effectively.
We have a modern fleet of 22 Boeing 737-Next Generation aircraft
with an average age of 3.3 years as of September 30,
2005 and one new Embraer 190 (not taking into account our
recent acquisition of AeroRepública). To meet our growing
capacity requirements we have firm commitments to accept
delivery over the next four years of seven additional Boeing
737-Next Generation aircraft and eleven 94-seat Embraer 190s. We
also have purchase rights and options to purchase up to ten
Boeing 737-Next Generation aircraft and up to 18 Embraer 190s.
We have a broad commercial alliance with Continental which
includes joint marketing, code-sharing arrangements,
participation in Continentals award-winning OnePass
frequent flyer loyalty program globally and on a co-branded
basis in Latin America and our use of Continentals
Presidents Club VIP lounge program. Our alliance with
Continental also provides us with benefits such as improving our
purchasing power in negotiations with service providers,
aircraft vendors and insurers.
On April 22, 2005 we acquired an initial 85.6% equity
ownership interest in AeroRepública which was followed by
subsequent acquisitions increasing our total ownership interest
in AeroRepública to 99.6% as of September 30, 2005.
The total purchase price we paid through September 30, 2005
for our investment in AeroRepública, including acquisition
costs, was $23.4 million. According to the Colombian Civil
Aviation Administration, Unidad Especial Administrativa de
Aeronautica Civil, in 2004 AeroRepública was the
second-largest domestic carrier in Colombia in terms of number
of passengers carried, providing service to 11 cities in
Colombia with a point-to-point route network. We began to
consolidate AeroRepúblicas results of operations in
our consolidated financial statements beginning April 22,
2005. For the nine months ended September 30, 2005 and for
future periods, we will be reporting AeroRepúblicas
operations as a separate segment in our financial statements and
the related notes. See Note 9 to our unaudited financial
statements for segment data for AeroRepública for the nine
months ended September 30, 2005 included elsewhere in this
prospectus.
|
|
|
Regional Economic Environment |
Our historical financial results have been, and we expect them
to continue to be, materially affected by the general level of
economic activity and growth of per capita disposable income in
North, South and Central America and the Caribbean (drivers of
our passenger revenue) and the volume of trade between countries
in the region (the principal driver of our cargo revenue).
According to data from The Preliminary Overview of the
Economies of Latin America and the Caribbean, an annual
United Nations publication prepared by the Economic Development
Division, the economy of Latin America (including the Caribbean)
grew by approximately 5.5% in 2004 and 1.9% in 2003, while the
regions per capita gross domestic product is estimated to
have risen by approximately 4% in 2004. According to data from
the International Monetary Fund, in the sub-regions we serve,
gross domestic product (adjusted for purchasing power parity)
rose in 2004 by 6.4% in South America, 4.3% in North America,
3.5% in Central America and 2.1% in the Caribbean, with each
region continuing to build on gains made during 2003 of 2.3% in
South America, 2.8% in North America, 3.6% in Central America
and 1.5% in the Caribbean. As is often the case, the regional
economic performance was closely tied to developments in the
international economy. World economic activity increased in
2004, resulting in estimated global GDP growth of just below
4.0% (versus 2.7% in 2003). According to World Bank estimates,
in recent years, the Panamanian economy has
39
closely tracked the Latin American economy as a whole, and
in 2004 the Panamanian economy grew by 6.0% (versus 4.7% in
2003). Inflation rose by less than one percent in 2004, despite
high fuel prices. Along with other factors, this economic growth
contributed to an 11% increase in 2004 in our revenues generated
in Panama. Additionally, the Colombian economy has experienced
relatively stable growth; according to World Bank estimates, the
Colombian gross domestic product grew by 4.0% in 2003 and 2004,
with inflation (as indicated by the consumer price index) rising
by 6.5% in 2003 and 5.5% in 2004.
We derive our revenues primarily from passenger transportation
which during the nine months ended September 30, 2005
represented approximately 93% of our revenues, with the
remaining 7% derived from cargo and other revenues.
We recognize passenger revenue when transportation is provided
and when unused tickets expire. Passenger revenues reflect the
capacity of our aircraft on the routes we fly, load factor and
yield. Our capacity is measured in terms of available seat miles
(ASMs) which represents the number of seats available on our
aircraft multiplied by the number of miles the seats are flown.
Our usage is measured in terms of revenue passenger miles (RPMs)
which is the number of revenue passengers multiplied by the
miles these passengers fly. Load factor, or the percentage of
our capacity that is actually used by paying customers, is
calculated by dividing RPMs by ASMs. Yield is the average amount
that one passenger pays to fly one mile. We use a combination of
approaches, taking into account yields, flight load factors and
effects on load factors of connecting traffic, depending on the
characteristics of the markets served, to arrive at a strategy
for achieving the best possible revenue per available seat mile,
balancing the average fare charged against the corresponding
effect on our load factors.
We recognize cargo revenue when transportation is provided. Our
other revenue consists primarily of excess baggage charges,
ticket change fees and charter flights.
Overall demand for our passenger and cargo services is highly
dependent on the regional economic environment in which we
operate, including the GDP of the countries we serve and the
disposable income of the residents of those countries. We
believe that approximately 50% of our passengers travel at least
in part for business reasons, and the growth of intraregional
trade greatly affects that portion of our business. The
remaining 50% of our passengers are tourists or travelers
visiting friends and family.
The following table sets forth our capacity, load factor and
yields for the periods indicated.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Nine Months Ended | |
|
|
Year Ended December 31, | |
|
September 30, | |
|
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
2002 | |
|
2003 | |
|
2004 | |
|
2004 | |
|
2005 | |
|
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
Copa Segment
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Capacity (in available seat miles, in millions)
|
|
|
2,846.9 |
|
|
|
3,225.9 |
|
|
|
3,639.4 |
|
|
|
2,687.2 |
|
|
|
3,243.7 |
|
|
Load factor
|
|
|
65.9 |
% |
|
|
68.0 |
% |
|
|
70.0 |
% |
|
|
70.2 |
% |
|
|
73.1 |
% |
|
Yield (in cents)
|
|
|
14.38 |
|
|
|
14.22 |
|
|
|
14.31 |
|
|
|
14.24 |
|
|
|
14.32 |
|
AeroRepública Segment
(1)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Capacity (in available seat miles,
in millions) |
|
|
574.8 |
|
Load factor |
|
|
64.8 |
% |
Yield (in
cents)(2) |
|
|
15.88 |
|
|
|
(1) |
Since April 22, 2005 |
|
(2) |
AeroRepública has not historically distinguished between
revenue passengers and non-revenue passengers. While we are
implementing systems at AeroRepública to record that
information, revenue passenger information and other statistics
derived from revenue passenger data for the nine months ended
September 30, 2005 has been derived from estimates that we
believe to be materially accurate. Non-revenue passengers
represented approximately 2.3% of AeroRepúblicas
total passengers for the period from April 22, 2005 to
September 30, 2005. |
40
Generally, our revenues from and profitability of our flights
peak during the northern hemispheres summer season in July
and August and again during the December and January holiday
season. Given our high proportion of fixed costs, this
seasonality is likely to cause our results of operations to vary
from quarter to quarter.
The main components of our operating expenses are aircraft fuel,
salaries and benefits, passenger servicing, commissions,
aircraft maintenance, reservations and sales and aircraft rent.
A common measure of per unit costs in the airline industry is
cost per available seat mile (CASM) which is generally
defined as operating expenses divided by ASMs.
Aircraft fuel. The price we pay for aircraft fuel varies
significantly from country to country primarily due to local
taxes. While we purchase aircraft fuel at all the airports to
which we fly, we attempt to negotiate fueling contracts with
companies that have a multinational presence in order to benefit
from volume purchases. During 2004, as a result of the location
of our hub, we purchased approximately 50% of our aircraft fuel
in Panama, where we were able to obtain better prices due to
volume discounts. We have over eleven suppliers of aircraft fuel
across our network. In some cases we tanker fuel in order to
minimize our cost by fueling in countries where fuel prices are
lowest. Our aircraft fuel expenses are variable and fluctuate
based on global oil prices. From 2002 to 2004, the price of West
Texas Intermediate crude oil, a benchmark widely used for crude
oil prices that is measured in barrels and quoted in
U.S. dollars, increased by 39.3% from $31.20 per
barrel to $43.45 per barrel. On September 30, 2005,
the price was $65.25 per barrel. In addition, recently the
prices we pay for jet fuel have been affected by the supply
disruptions caused by Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita in
the southern United States. During the month ended
September 30, 2005, we paid on average $2.15 per
gallon for jet fuel. As of the first quarter of 2005, all of our
Boeing aircraft are also equipped with winglets which we believe
provide estimated fuel consumption savings of approximately four
percent compared to aircraft without winglets.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Aircraft Fuel Data | |
|
|
| |
|
|
Year Ended December 31, | |
|
|
|
|
| |
|
Nine Months Ended | |
|
|
2000 | |
|
2001 | |
|
2002 | |
|
2003 | |
|
2004 | |
|
September 30, 2005 | |
|
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
Copa Segment
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Average price per gallon of jet fuel
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
into
plane (excluding hedge) |
|
|
|
|
(in U.S. dollars) |
|
$ |
1.08 |
|
|
Gallons consumed (in thousands)
|
|
|
43,187 |
|
|
|
46,669 |
|
|
|
44,788 |
|
|
|
48,444 |
|
|
|
50,833 |
|
|
|
43,332 |
|
|
Available seat miles (in millions)
|
|
|
2,589 |
|
|
|
2,920 |
|
|
|
2,847 |
|
|
|
3,226 |
|
|
|
3,639 |
|
|
|
3,244 |
|
|
Gallons per ASM (in hundredths)
|
|
|
1.67 |
|
|
|
1.60 |
|
|
|
1.57 |
|
|
|
1.50 |
|
|
|
1.40 |
|
|
|
1.34 |
|
AeroRepública Segment
(1)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Average price per gallon of jet
fuel
into plane (excluding hedge)
(in U.S. dollars) |
|
$ |
1.93 |
|
Gallons consumed (in thousands) |
|
|
10,985 |
|
Available seat miles (in millions) |
|
|
575 |
|
Gallons per ASM (in hundredths) |
|
|
1.91 |
|
Salaries and benefits. Salaries and benefits expenses
have historically increased at the rate of inflation and by the
growth in the number of our employees. In some cases, we have
adjusted salaries of our employees to correspond to changes in
the cost of living in the countries where these employees work.
We do not increase salaries based on seniority.
41
Passenger servicing expenses. Our passenger servicing
expenses consist of expenses for liability insurance, baggage
handling, catering, in-flight entertainment and other costs
related to aircraft and airport services. These expenses are
generally directly related to the number of passengers we carry
or the number of flights we operate.
Commissions. Our commission expenses consist primarily of
payments for ticket sales made by travel agents and commissions
paid to credit card companies. Travel agents receive base
commissions, not including back-end incentive programs, ranging
from 0% to 12% depending on the country. The weighted average
rate for these commissions during 2004 was 5.5%. During the last
few years we have reduced our commission expense per available
seat mile as a result of an industry-wide trend of paying lower
commissions to travel agencies and by increasing the proportion
of our sales made through direct channels. We expect this trend
to continue as more of our customers become accustomed to
purchasing through our call center and through the internet.
While increasing direct sales may increase the commissions we
pay to credit card companies, we expect that the savings from
the corresponding reduction in travel agency commissions will
more than offset this increase. In recent years, base
commissions paid to travel agents have decreased significantly.
At the same time, we have encouraged travel agencies to move
from standard base commissions to incentive compensation based
on sales volume and fare types.
Maintenance, material and repair expenses. Our
maintenance, material and repair expenses consist of aircraft
repair and charges related to light and heavy maintenance of our
aircraft, including maintenance materials. Maintenance and
repair expenses, including overhaul of aircraft components, are
charged to operating expenses as incurred. With an average age
of only 3.3 years as of September 30, 2005, our Copa
fleet requires a low level of maintenance compared to the older
fleets of some of our competitors. We also currently incur lower
maintenance expenses on our Boeing aircraft because a
significant number of our aircraft parts remain under multi-year
warranties. As the age of our fleet increases and when our
warranties expire, our maintenance expenses will increase. We
only conduct line maintenance internally and outsource heavy
maintenance to independent third party contractors. In 2003, we
negotiated with GE Engine Services a maintenance cost per hour
program for the repair and maintenance of our CFM-56 engines
which power our Boeing 737 Next Generation fleet. Our engine
maintenance costs are also aided by the sea-level elevation of
our hub and the use of winglets which allow us to operate the
engines on our Boeing 737-700s with lower thrust thus putting
less strain on the engines.
All maintenance for AeroRepúblicas DC-9s and line
maintenance for the MD-80s is performed by
AeroRepúblicas in-house maintenance staff. Heavy
maintenance for the MD-80s is performed by FAA-certified
third-party aviation maintenance companies.
Aircraft rent. Our aircraft rental expenses are generally
fixed by the terms of our operating lease agreements. Currently,
six of Copas operating leases have fixed rates which are
not subject to fluctuations in interest rates and the seventh is
tied to LIBOR. All of AeroRepúblicas operating leases
have fixed rates which are not subject to fluctuations in
interest rates. Our aircraft rent expense also includes rental
payments related to our wet-leasing of freighter aircraft to
supplement our cargo operations.
Reservations and sales expenses. Our reservations and
sales expenses arise primarily from payments to global
distribution systems, such as Amadeus and Sabre, that list our
flight offerings on reservation systems around the world. These
reservation systems tend to raise their rates periodically, but
we expect that if we are successful in encouraging our customers
to purchase tickets through our direct sales channels, these
costs will decrease as a percentage of our operating costs. A
portion of our reservations and sales expense is also comprised
of our licensing payments for the SHARES reservation and
check-in management software we use, which is not expected to
change significantly from period to period.
Flight operations and landing fees and other rentals
are generally directly related to the number of flights we
operate.
Other include publicity and promotion expenses, expenses
related to our cargo operations, technology related initiatives
and miscellaneous other expenses.
42
We are subject to income tax in Panama based on the principle of
territoriality. Beginning in 2004, we adopted an alternate
method of calculating tax in Panama. Based on Article 121
of Executive Decree 170 of 1993, as amended in 1996, income for
international transportation companies is calculated based on a
territoriality method that determines gross revenues earned in
Panama by applying the percentage of miles flown within the
Panamanian territory against total revenues. Under this method,
loss carry forwards cannot be applied to offset tax liability.
Prior to 2004, our Panamanian taxable income was estimated using
revenues from passengers originating in or destined for Panama
which typically resulted in losses for purposes of Panamanian
corporate income tax. Under the new tax law adopted this year,
we are also subject to an alternative minimum tax based on our
revenues generated in Panama. We estimate that the combination
of the alternative minimum tax and the change in our method of
calculating revenues generated in Panama will increase our
Panamanian tax liability to approximately $1.3 million in
2005. Dividends from our Panamanian subsidiaries, including
Copa, are separately subject to a ten percent tax if such
dividends can be shown to be derived from Panamanian income that
has not been otherwise taxed.
We are also subject to local tax regulations in each of the
jurisdictions where we operate, the great majority of which are
related to the taxation of our income. In six of the countries
to which we fly, we do not pay any income taxes because we do
not generate income under the laws of those countries either
because they do not have income tax or due to treaties or other
arrangements those countries have with Panama. Under a
reciprocal exemption confirmed by a bilateral agreement between
Panama and the United States, we are exempt from the
U.S. source transportation income tax derived from the
international operation of aircraft. In the remaining countries,
we pay income tax at a rate ranging from 25% to 35% of our
income attributable to those countries. Different countries
calculate our income in different ways, but they are typically
derived from our sales in the applicable country multiplied by
our net margin or by a presumed net margin set by the relevant
tax legislation. We paid taxes totaling approximately
$2.4 million in 2003 and $4.3 million in 2004.
AeroRepúblicas taxes are based on Colombian income
tax legislation which calculates tax based on the higher of the
ordinary and presumptive income.
Ordinary income is defined as the companys
operating results under Colombian GAAP, and
presumptive income is defined as 6% of net assets
under Colombian GAAP.
We are currently a non-public company incorporated in Panama and
have traditionally prepared our financial statements under
International Financial Reporting Standards. In connection with
the initial preparation of our financial statements under
U.S. GAAP, we and our auditors identified a material
weakness (as defined under standards established by the Public
Company Accounting Oversight Board) in our internal control over
financial reporting. Specifically, we found that we did not have
appropriate expertise in U.S. GAAP accounting and reporting
among our financial and accounting staff to prepare our periodic
financial statements without needing to make material corrective
adjustments and footnote revisions when those statements are
audited or reviewed. This ineffective control over the
application of U.S. GAAP in relation to our business could
result in a material misstatement to the annual or interim
financial statements that would not be prevented or detected. In
light of this material weakness, in preparing the financial
statements included in this prospectus, we performed additional
analyses and other post-closing procedures in the course of
preparing our financial statements and related footnotes in
accordance with U.S. GAAP so that management would be able
to come to the conclusion that the financial statements included
in this prospectus fairly present, in all material respects, our
financial condition, results of operations and cash flows as of
and for the periods presented.
Pursuant to Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002,
beginning with our Annual Report on Form 20-F for the
fiscal year ending December 31, 2006, we will be required
to furnish a report by our management on our internal control
over financial reporting. This report will contain, among other
matters, an assessment of the effectiveness of our internal
controls over financial reporting as of the end of the fiscal
year, including a statement as to whether or not our internal
controls over financial reporting are effective. We have
43
contracted an additional accounting manager with experience in
preparing financial statements under U.S. GAAP, we have
engaged an internationally recognized accounting firm to assist
us in developing our procedures to comply with the requirements
of Section 404 and our management and audit committee are
developing other plans to prepare for our compliance with the
requirements of Section 404 and to correct the weakness
identified above. We expect that these plans may include hiring
additional personnel with appropriate levels of U.S. GAAP
experience and accounting expertise, requiring further education
and training in U.S. GAAP for our existing personnel and
engaging outside resources to assist in the design and
implementation of procedures for the testing of our internal
controls. We will incur incremental costs as a result of these
efforts, including increased auditing and legal fees, the
magnitude of which we are not able to estimate at this time.
Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates
The preparation of our consolidated financial statements in
conformity with U.S. GAAP requires our management to adopt
accounting policies and make estimates and judgments to develop
amounts reported in our consolidated financial statements and
related notes. We strive to maintain a process to review the
application of our accounting policies and to evaluate the
appropriateness of the estimates required for the preparation of
our consolidated financial statements. We believe that our
estimates and judgments are reasonable; however, actual results
and the timing of recognition of such amounts could differ from
those estimates. In addition, estimates routinely require
adjustments based on changing circumstances and the receipt of
new or better information.
Critical accounting policies and estimates are defined as those
that are reflective of significant judgments and uncertainties
and potentially result in materially different results under
different assumptions and conditions. For a discussion of these
and other accounting policies, see Note 1 to our annual
consolidated financial statements.
Revenue recognition. Passenger revenue is recognized when
transportation is provided rather than when a ticket is sold.
The amount of passenger ticket sales not yet recognized as
revenue is reflected in the Air traffic liability
line on our consolidated balance sheet. Tickets whose fares have
expired and/or are more than one year old are recognized as
passenger revenue.
Cargo and mail services revenue are recognized when we provide
the shipping services and thereby complete the earning process.
Other revenue is primarily comprised of excess baggage charges,
commissions earned on tickets sold for flights on other
airlines, and charter flights and is recognized when
transportation or service is provided.
Frequent flyer program. We participate in
Continentals frequent flyer program OnePass,
through which our passengers receive all the benefits and
privileges offered by the OnePass program. Continental is
responsible for the administration of the OnePass program. Under
the terms of our frequent flyer agreement with Continental,
OnePass members receive OnePass frequent flyer mileage credits
for travel on Copa and we pay Continental a per mile rate for
each mileage credit granted by Continental, at which point we
have no further obligation. The amounts due to Continental under
this agreement are expensed by us as the mileage credits are
earned.
Impairment of long-lived assets. We record impairment
losses on long-lived assets used in operations, consisting
principally of property and equipment, when events or changes in
circumstances indicate, in managements judgment, that the
assets might be impaired and that the undiscounted cash flows
estimated to be generated by those assets are less than the
carrying amount of those assets. Our cash flow estimates are
based on historical results adjusted to reflect our best
estimate of future market and operating conditions. The net
carrying value of non-recoverable assets is reduced to fair
value if it is lower than carrying value. Our estimates of fair
value represent our best estimate based on industry trends and
reference to market rates and transactions and are subject to
change. We recognized impairment losses on our Boeing 737-200
aircraft of $3.6 million during the year ended
December 31, 2003 and $13.7 million during the year
ended December 31, 2002.
44
Goodwill and indefinite-lived purchased intangible
assets. We review goodwill and purchased intangible assets
with indefinite lives, all of which relate to our acquisition of
AeroRepública, for impairment annually and whenever events
or changes in circumstances indicate the carrying value of an
asset may not be recoverable in accordance with Statement of
Financial Accounting Standard No. 142, Goodwill and
Other Intangible Assets
(SFAS No. 142). The provisions of
SFAS No. 142 require that a two-step impairment test
be performed on goodwill. In the first step, we compare the fair
value of the AeroRepública reporting unit to its carrying
value. If the fair value of the AeroRepública reporting
unit exceeds the carrying value of its net assets, goodwill is
not impaired and we are not required to perform further testing.
If the carrying value of the net assets of the
AeroRepública reporting unit exceeds its fair value, then
we must perform the second step of the impairment test in order
to determine the implied fair value of the AeroRepública
reporting units goodwill. If the carrying value of the
goodwill exceeds its implied fair value, then we record an
impairment loss equal to the difference. SFAS No. 142
also requires that the fair value of the purchased intangible
assets with indefinite lives be estimated and compared to the
carrying value. We recognize an impairment loss when the
estimated fair value of the intangible asset is less than the
carrying value. Determining the fair value of a reporting unit
or an indefinite-lived purchased intangible asset is judgmental
in nature and involves the use of significant estimates and
assumptions. These estimates and assumptions include revenue
growth rates and operating margins used to calculate projected
future cash flows, risk-adjusted discount rates, future economic
and market conditions, and determination of appropriate market
comparables. We base our fair value estimates on assumptions we
believe to be reasonable but that are unpredictable and
inherently uncertain. Actual future results may differ from
those estimates.
Derivative instruments used for aircraft fuel. In the
past, we have periodically entered into crude oil call options,
jet fuel zero cost collars, and jet fuel swap contracts to
provide for short to mid-term hedge protection (generally
three to eighteen months) against sudden and significant
increases in jet fuel prices, while simultaneously ensuring that
we are not competitively disadvantaged in the event of a
substantial decrease in the price of jet fuel. These derivatives
have historically not qualified as hedges for financial
reporting purposes in accordance with Statement of Financial
Accounting Standard No. 133, Accounting for Derivative
Instruments and Hedging Activities. Accordingly, changes in
the fair value of such derivative contracts, which amounted to
$1.9 million in the nine months ended September 30,
2005, ($0.9) million in 2004, $0.2 million in 2003 and
$3.1 million in 2002, were recorded as a component of
Other, net within Non-operating income
(expense). The fair value of hedge contracts amounted to
$2.1 million at September 30, 2005, $0.2 million
at December 31, 2004 and $1.1 at December 31, 2003,
and was recorded in the Other current assets line of
our consolidated balance sheet.
45
Results of Operations
The following table shows each of the line items in our income
statements for the periods indicated as a percentage of our
total operating revenues for that period:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Nine Months Ended | |
|
|
Year Ended December 31, | |
|
September 30, | |
|
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
2002 | |
|
2003 | |
|
2004 | |
|
2004 | |
|
2005(1) | |
|
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
Operating revenues:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Passenger revenue
|
|
|
89.7 |
% |
|
|
91.2 |
% |
|
|
91.2 |
% |
|
|
91.6 |
% |
|
|
92.9 |
% |
|
Cargo, mail and other
|
|
|
10.3 |
% |
|
|
8.8 |
% |
|
|
8.8 |
% |
|
|
8.4 |
% |
|
|
7.1 |
% |
|
|
Total
|
|
|
100.0 |
% |
|
|
100.0 |
% |
|
|
100.0 |
% |
|
|
100.0 |
% |
|
|
100.0 |
% |
Operating expenses:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Aircraft fuel
|
|
|
(13.3 |
)% |
|
|
(14.2 |
)% |
|
|
(15.6 |
)% |
|
|
(14.9 |
)% |
|
|
(22.8 |
)% |
|
Salaries and benefits
|
|
|
(13.1 |
)% |
|
|
(13.2 |
)% |
|
|
(12.9 |
)% |
|
|
(12.3 |
)% |
|
|
(11.2 |
)% |
|
Passenger servicing
|
|
|
(11.3 |
)% |
|
|
(10.8 |
)% |
|
|
(9.8 |
)% |
|
|
(9.9 |
)% |
|
|
(8.4 |
)% |
|
Commissions
|
|
|
(9.6 |
)% |
|
|
(8.1 |
)% |
|
|
(7.3 |
)% |
|
|
(7.3 |
)% |
|
|
(7.3 |
)% |
|
Reservation and sales
|
|
|
(5.6 |
)% |
|
|
(5.3 |
)% |
|
|
(5.5 |
)% |
|
|
(5.4 |
)% |
|
|
(5.0 |
)% |
|
Maintenance, materials and repairs
|
|
|
(6.9 |
)% |
|
|
(6.0 |
)% |
|
|
(4.9 |
)% |
|
|
(4.7 |
)% |
|
|
(5.1 |
)% |
|
Depreciation
|
|
|
(4.4 |
)% |
|
|
(4.1 |
)% |
|
|
(4.8 |
)% |
|
|
(4.6 |
)% |
|
|
(3.5 |
)% |
|
Flight operations
|
|
|
(4.8 |
)% |
|
|
(4.7 |
)% |
|
|
(4.5 |
)% |
|
|
(4.5 |
)% |
|
|
(4.2 |
)% |
|
Aircraft rentals
|
|
|
(7.0 |
)% |
|
|
(4.9 |
)% |
|
|
(3.6 |
)% |
|
|
(3.6 |
)% |
|
|
(4.5 |
)% |
|
Landing fees and other rentals
|
|
|
(2.8 |
)% |
|
|
(3.1 |
)% |
|
|
(3.0 |
)% |
|
|
(3.0 |
)% |
|
|
(2.9 |
)% |
|
Other
|
|
|
(6.4 |
)% |
|
|
(7.6 |
)% |
|
|
(7.3 |
)% |
|
|
(6.8 |
)% |
|
|
(5.9 |
)% |
|
Fleet impairment charges
|
|
|
(4.5 |
)% |
|
|
(1.0 |
)% |
|
|
0.0 |
% |
|
|
0.0 |
% |
|
|
0.0 |
% |
|
|
Total
|
|
|
(89.7 |
)% |
|
|
(82.9 |
)% |
|
|
(79.4 |
)% |
|
|
(77.0 |
)% |
|
|
(80.8 |
)% |
Operating income
|
|
|
10.3 |
% |
|
|
17.1 |
% |
|
|
20.6 |
% |
|
|
23.0 |
% |
|
|
19.2 |
% |
Non-operating income (expenses):
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Interest expense
|
|
|
(2.5 |
)% |
|
|
(3.4 |
)% |
|
|
(4.1 |
)% |
|
|
(4.1 |
)% |
|
|
(3.7 |
)% |
|
Interest capitalized
|
|
|
0.4 |
% |
|
|
0.6 |
% |
|
|
0.2 |
% |
|
|
0.3 |
% |
|
|
0.2 |
% |
|
Interest income
|
|
|
0.3 |
% |
|
|
0.3 |
% |
|
|
0.4 |
% |
|
|
0.3 |
% |
|
|
0.5 |
% |
|
Other, net
|
|
|
(0.5 |
)% |
|
|
0.7 |
% |
|
|
1.5 |
% |
|
|
1.4 |
% |
|
|
0.9 |
% |
|
|
Total
|
|
|
(2.4 |
)% |
|
|
(1.8 |
)% |
|
|
(2.0 |
)% |
|
|
(2.1 |
)% |
|
|
(2.0 |
)% |
Income/(loss) before income taxes
|
|
|
7.9 |
% |
|
|
15.3 |
% |
|
|
18.6 |
% |
|
|
20.9 |
% |
|
|
17.2 |
% |
Income taxes
|
|
|
(1.0 |
)% |
|
|
(1.1 |
)% |
|
|
(1.4 |
)% |
|
|
(1.6 |
)% |
|
|
(1.9 |
)% |
Net income
|
|
|
6.9 |
% |
|
|
14.2 |
% |
|
|
17.1 |
% |
|
|
19.3 |
% |
|
|
15.2 |
% |
|
|
(1) |
Includes results from our AeroRepública segment for the
period from April 22, 2005 to September 30, 2005. |
Nine Months Ended September 30, 2005 Compared to Nine
Months Ended September 30, 2004
Our consolidated net income for the nine months ended
September 30, 2005 was $65.3 million, a 15.3% increase
over net income of $56.7 million in the same period in
2004. We had consolidated operating income of $82.3 million
in the nine months ended September 30, 2005, a 22.0%
increase over operating income of $67.5 million in the same
period in 2004. Our consolidated operating margin in the nine
months ended September 30, 2005 was 19.2%, a decrease of
3.8 percentage points over an operating margin of 23.0% in
the same period in 2004, primarily as a result of higher fuel
prices and the consolidation of AeroRepúblicas
results during the period from April 22, 2005 to
September 30, 2005.
46
Our consolidated revenue totaled $428.9 million in the nine
months ended September 30, 2005, a 46.3% increase over
operating revenue of $293.2 million in the same period in
2004 due to increases in our Copa segments passenger and
cargo revenues and the consolidation of $61.7 million in
operating revenues from our AeroRepública segment.
|
|
|
Copa segment operating revenue |
Copas operating revenue totaled $367.3 million in the
nine months ended September 30, 2005, a 25.3% increase over
operating revenue of $293.2 million in the same period in
2004 due to increases in both passenger and cargo revenues.
Passenger revenue. Passenger revenue totaled
$339.4 million in the nine months ended September 30,
2005, a 26.3% increase over passenger revenue of
$268.7 million in the same period in 2004. This increase
resulted primarily from the addition of capacity (ASMs increased
by 20.7% in the nine months ended September 30, 2005 as
compared to the same period in 2004) that resulted from an
increase in departures and, to a lesser extent, an increase in
average departures per aircraft, higher average stage length and
the addition of larger aircraft. Revenues also increased due to
our higher overall load factor (load factor increased from 70.2%
in the nine months ended September 30, 2004 to 73.1% in the
same period in 2005) during the period and the simultaneous
increase in passenger yield which rose by 0.6% to 14.32 cents in
the first nine months of 2005.
Cargo, mail and other. Cargo, mail and other totaled
$27.9 million in the nine months ended September 30,
2005, a 13.7% increase over cargo, mail and other of
$24.5 million in the same period in 2004. This increase was
primarily the result of higher cargo revenue resulting from an
increase in belly space capacity available, and to a lesser
extent higher other operating revenue from excess baggage fees.
|
|
|
AeroRepública segment operating revenue |
During the period starting on April 22, 2005, the date on
which we began consolidating AeroRepúblicas results,
and ending September 30, 2005, AeroRepública generated
operating revenue of $61.7 million.
Our consolidated operating expenses totaled $346.6 million
for the first nine-months of 2005, a 53.6% increase over
operating expenses of $225.7 million for the same period in
2004 that was primarily attributable to the growth of our
operations, higher fuel costs, and the consolidation of
$55.8 million in operating expenses from our
AeroRepública segment. An overview of the major variances
on a consolidated basis follows.
Aircraft fuel. Aircraft fuel totaled $97.7 million
in the nine months ended September 30, 2005, a 123.4%
increase over aircraft fuel of $43.8 million in the same
period in 2004. This increase was primarily a result of higher
fuel costs, higher fuel consumption due to increased capacity of
our Copa operation, and the consolidation of $21.2 million
in AeroRepúblicas aircraft fuel expenses.
Salaries and benefits. Salaries and benefits totaled
$48.1 million in the nine months ended September 30,
2005, a 33.8% increase over salaries and benefits of
$36.0 million in the same period in 2004. This increase was
primarily a result of an overall increase in headcount due to
increased capacity of our Copa operation and the consolidation
of $6.6 million in AeroRepública salaries and benefits
expenses.
Passenger servicing. Passenger servicing totaled
$36.2 million in the nine months ended September 30,
2005, a 24.2% increase over passenger servicing of
$29.1 million in the same period in 2004. This increase was
primarily a result of an increase in Copas capacity, an
increase in Copas on-board passengers, and the
consolidation of $3.2 million in AeroRepública
passenger servicing expenses.
Commissions. Commissions totaled $31.5 million in
the nine months ended September 30, 2005, a 46.6% increase
over commissions of $21.5 million in the same period in
2004. This increase was primarily a result of higher passenger
revenue and the consolidation of $5.4 million in
AeroRepública commission expenses.
47
The remaining operating expenses totaled $133.1 million in
the nine months ended September 30, 2005, an increase of
$37.7 million in the same period in 2004, of which
$19.4 million resulted from the consolidation of
AeroRepública.
|
|
|
Copa segment operating expenses |
The breakdown of operating expenses per available seat mile is
as follows:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Nine Months Ended | |
|
|
|
|
September 30, | |
|
|
|
|
| |
|
Percent | |
|
|
2004 | |
|
2005 | |
|
Change | |
|
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
(in cents) | |
|
|
Operating Expenses per ASM:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Salaries and benefits
|
|
|
1.34 |
|
|
|
1.28 |
|
|
|
(4.4 |
)% |
Passenger servicing
|
|
|
1.08 |
|
|
|
1.02 |
|
|
|
(6.2 |
)% |
Commissions
|
|
|
0.80 |
|
|
|
0.80 |
|
|
|
0.8 |
% |
Reservation and sales
|
|
|
0.59 |
|
|
|
0.58 |
|
|
|
(0.2 |
)% |
Maintenance, materials and repairs
|
|
|
0.52 |
|
|
|
0.47 |
|
|
|
(8.4 |
)% |
Depreciation
|
|
|
0.50 |
|
|
|
0.44 |
|
|
|
(11.1 |
)% |
Flight operations
|
|
|
0.49 |
|
|
|
0.49 |
|
|
|
0.3 |
% |
Aircraft rentals
|
|
|
0.39 |
|
|
|
0.51 |
|
|
|
30.1 |
% |
Landing fees and other rentals
|
|
|
0.33 |
|
|
|
0.32 |
|
|
|
(2.8 |
)% |
Other
|
|
|
0.74 |
|
|
|
0.69 |
|
|
|
(7.1 |
)% |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total operating expenses per ASM before aircraft fuel
|
|
|
6.77 |
|
|
|
6.61 |
|
|
|
(2.4 |
)% |
Aircraft fuel
|
|
|
1.63 |
|
|
|
2.36 |
|
|
|
44.9 |
% |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total operating expenses per ASM
|
|
|
8.40 |
|
|
|
8.97 |
|
|
|
6.8 |
% |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Aircraft fuel. Aircraft fuel totaled $76.5 million
in the nine months ended September 30, 2005, a 74.9%
increase over aircraft fuel of $43.8 million in the same
period in 2004. This increase was primarily a result of a 42.4%
increase in the average price per gallon of jet fuel ($1.75 in
the nine months ended September 30, 2005 as compared to
$1.23 in the same period in 2004) and the consumption of 14.7%
more fuel due to a 9.6% increase in departures and an increase
in average stage length. These increases were partially offset
by our newer, more fuel-efficient aircraft. Aircraft fuel per
available seat mile increased by approximately 44.9% due to the
increase in average fuel cost per gallon.
Salaries and benefits. Salaries and benefits totaled
$41.5 million in the nine months ended September 30,
2005, a 15.5% increase over salaries and benefits of
$36.0 million in the same period in 2004. This increase was
primarily a result of an overall increase of 9.8% in headcount
at period end in 2005 versus the same period end in 2004, mainly
to cover increased operations. Salaries and benefits per
available seat mile decreased by 4.4%.
Passenger servicing. Passenger servicing totaled
$33.0 million in the nine months ended September 30,
2005, a 13.2% increase over passenger servicing of
$29.1 million in the same period in 2004. This increase was
primarily a result of Copas 20.7% increase in capacity and
an increase of 19.2% in on-board passengers. Passenger servicing
per available seat mile decreased by 6.2% as a result of fixed
costs being spread over a higher number of available seat miles.
Commissions. Commissions totaled $26.1 million in
the nine months ended September 30, 2005, a 21.6% increase
over commissions of $21.5 million in the same period in
2004. This increase was primarily a result of higher passenger
revenue. Commissions per available seat mile increased by 0.8%.
Reservations and sales. Reservations and sales totaled
$19.0 million in the nine months ended September 30,
2005, a 20.5% increase over reservations and sales of
$15.7 million in the same period in 2004. This increase was
primarily a result of a 28.5% increase in charges related to
global distribution systems
48
resulting from a 19.2% increase in on-board passengers and a
10.1% increase in average rates. Reservations and sales expenses
per available seat mile decreased by 0.2%.
Maintenance, materials and repairs. Maintenance,
materials and repairs totaled $15.4 million in the nine
months ended September 30, 2005, a 10.6% increase over
maintenance, materials and repairs of $13.9 million in the
same period in 2004. This increase was a result of an increase
in the total number of hours flown by our aircraft, partially
offset by lower average maintenance costs due to the replacement
of the older Boeing 737-200s. Maintenance, materials and repair
per available seat mile decreased by 8.4% as a result of the
lower cost associated with the newer Boeing 737-Next Generation
fleet.
Depreciation. Depreciation totaled $14.3 million in
the nine months ended September 30, 2005, a 7.3% increase
over depreciation of $13.4 million in the same period in
2004. This increase was primarily due to the acquisition of
three new Boeing 737-Next Generation aircraft in 2004, partially
offset by lower depreciation expenses related to non-aircraft
related assets. Depreciation per available seat mile decreased
by 11.1%.
Aircraft rentals. Aircraft rentals totaled
$16.4 million in the nine months ended September 30,
2005, a 57.1% increase over aircraft rentals of
$10.4 million in the same period in 2004. This increase was
a result of three additional leased Boeing 737-Next Generation
aircraft in December 2004, February 2005 and May 2005. Aircraft
rentals per available seat mile increased by 30.1% as a result
of the higher average lease rate of the three aircraft received.
Flight operations and landing fees and other
rentals. Combined, flight operations and landing fees and
other rentals increased from $22.1 million in the nine
months ended September 30, 2004 to $26.4 million in
the same period in 2005, primarily as a result of Copas
20.7% increase in capacity.
Other. Other expenses totaled $22.3 million in the
nine months ended September 30, 2005, a 12.2% increase over
other expenses of $19.8 million in the same period in 2004.
This increase was primarily a result of a 17.0% increase in
OnePass frequent flyer miles earned by customers during the
period, as well as other miscellaneous administrative expenses
such as software licenses and legal expenses. Other expenses per
available seat mile decreased by 7.1% as result of
administrative expenses growing slower than capacity.
|
|
|
AeroRepública segment operating expenses |
During the period starting on April 22, 2005, the date on
which we began consolidating AeroRepúblicas results,
and ending September 30, 2005, AeroRepública generated
operating expenses of $55.8 million.
AeroRepúblicas operating margin was 9.6% over the
same period.
|
|
|
Non-operating income (expense) |
Our consolidated non-operating expenses totaled
$8.7 million for the first nine-months of 2005, a 42.2%
increase over non-operating expenses of $6.1 million for
the same period in 2004 that was primarily attributable to the
consolidation of $2.9 million in non-operating expenses
from our AeroRepública segment.
|
|
|
Copa segment non-operating income (expense) |
Non-operating expense totaled $5.8 million in the nine
months ended September 30, 2005, a 5.7% decrease over
non-operating expense of $6.1 million in the same period in
2004, attributable primarily to higher interest income and other
non-operating income partially offset by higher interest expense.
Interest expense. Interest expense totaled
$14.2 million in the nine months ended September 30,
2005, a 17.5% increase over interest expense of
$12.1 million in the same period in 2004, resulting from a
higher amount of debt related to a greater number of owned
aircraft and higher interest rate. The average effective
interest rates on our debt also increased by 40 basis
points from 4.20% during the first nine months of 2004 to 4.60%
during the same period in 2005. At periods end,
approximately 73% of our outstanding debt was fixed at an
average effective rate of 4.47%.
49
Interest capitalized. Interest capitalized totaled
$0.7 million in the nine months ended September 30,
2005, a 30.7% decrease over interest capitalized of
$0.9 million in the same period in 2004, resulting from
lower average debt relating to pre-delivery payments on aircraft.
Interest income. Interest income totaled
$2.2 million in the nine months ended September 30,
2005, a 149.9% increase over interest income of
$0.9 million in the same period in 2004. This increase was
mainly a result of our higher average cash balance over the year
and higher interest rates during the period.
Other, net. Other, net income totaled $5.5 million
in the nine months ended September 30, 2005, a 35.0%
increase over other, net income of $4.1 million in the same
period in 2004. This increase was primarily the result of a
$1.1 million gain on sale of two Boeing 737-200 we disposed
of during the nine months ended September 30, 2005 as
compared to a $0.6 million gain on sale of one Boeing
737-200 during the same period in 2004.
Year 2004 Compared to Year 2003
Our net income for the year 2004 was $68.6 million, a 41.4%
increase over net income of $48.5 million in 2003. We had
operating income of $82.3 million in 2004, a 41.2% increase
over operating income of $58.3 million in 2003. Our
operating margin in 2004 was 20.6%, an increase of
3.5 percentage points over an operating margin of 17.1% in
2003.
Our operating revenue totaled $399.8 million in 2004, a
17.0% increase over operating revenue of $341.8 million in
2003 due to increases in both passenger and cargo revenues.
Passenger revenue. Passenger revenue totaled
$364.6 million in 2004, a 17.0% increase over passenger
revenue of $311.7 million in 2003. This increase resulted
primarily from the addition of capacity (ASMs increased by 12.8%
in 2004 as compared to 2003) that resulted from an increase in
departures and, to a lesser extent, an increase in average
departures per aircraft, higher average stage length and the
addition of larger aircraft. Revenues also increased due to our
higher overall load factor (load factor increased from 68.0% in
2003 to 70.0% in 2004) during the period and the simultaneous
increase in passenger yield, which rose by 0.7% to 14.31 cents
in 2004. A general increase in passenger demand for air travel
in 2004, in part as a result of growing Latin American and
U.S. economies, allowed us to increase both capacity and
load factor without affecting yields.
Cargo, mail and other. Cargo, mail and other totaled
$35.2 million in 2004, a 17.0% increase over cargo, mail
and other of $30.1 million in 2003. This increase was
primarily the result of higher cargo revenue primarily resulting
from an increase in belly space capacity available as we
replaced four Boeing 737-200s with larger Boeing 737-Next
Generation aircraft during 2004, plus the full year effect of
four Boeing 737-Next Generation aircraft received in the second
half of 2003. There was also a general increase in demand for
courier services in the region during 2004.
50
Operating expenses totaled $317.5 million in 2004, a 12.0%
increase over operating expenses of $283.5 million in 2003.
The increase in operating expenses was primarily attributable to
a 12.0% increase in capacity, an increase in the average cost of
jet fuel and an increase in salaries and benefits expenses. The
breakdown of operating expenses per available seat mile is as
follows:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Year Ended | |
|
|
|
|
December 31, | |
|
|
|
|
| |
|
Percent | |
|
|
2003 | |
|
2004 | |
|
Change | |
|
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
(in cents) | |
|
|
Operating expenses per ASM:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Salaries and benefits
|
|
|
1.40 |
|
|
|
1.42 |
|
|
|
1.3 |
% |
Passenger servicing
|
|
|
1.14 |
|
|
|
1.08 |
|
|
|
(5.7 |
)% |
Commissions
|
|
|
0.86 |
|
|
|
0.80 |
|
|
|
(6.9 |
)% |
Reservation and sales
|
|
|
0.56 |
|
|
|
0.61 |
|
|
|
8.8 |
% |
Depreciation
|
|
|
0.44 |
|
|
|
0.53 |
|
|
|
21.7 |
% |
Maintenance, materials and repairs
|
|
|
0.63 |
|
|
|
0.54 |
|
|
|
(14.0 |
)% |
Flight operations
|
|
|
0.50 |
|
|
|
0.49 |
|
|
|
(0.7 |
)% |
Aircraft rentals
|
|
|
0.52 |
|
|
|
0.40 |
|
|
|
(23.3 |
)% |
Landing fees and other rentals
|
|
|
0.33 |
|
|
|
0.33 |
|
|
|
2.1 |
% |
Other
|
|
|
0.81 |
|
|
|
0.81 |
|
|
|
|
% |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total operating expenses per ASM before aircraft fuel and fleet
impairment charges
|
|
|
7.17 |
|
|
|
7.01 |
|
|
|
(2.3 |
)% |
Aircraft fuel
|
|
|
1.50 |
|
|
|
1.72 |
|
|
|
14.3 |
% |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total operating expenses per ASM before fleet impairment charges
|
|
|
8.68 |
|
|
|
8.72 |
|
|
|
0.5 |
% |
Fleet impairment charges
|
|
|
0.11 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
N/A |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total operating expenses per ASM
|
|
|
8.79 |
|
|
|
8.72 |
|
|
|
(0.7 |
)% |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Aircraft fuel. Aircraft fuel totaled $62.5 million
in 2004, a 28.9% increase over aircraft fuel of
$48.5 million in 2003. This increase was primarily a result
of a 30.3% increase in the average price per gallon of jet fuel
($1.32 in 2004 as compared to $1.01 in 2003) and the consumption
of 4.9% more fuel due to a 6.7% increase in departures. These
increases were partially offset by our newer, more
fuel-efficient aircraft. Aircraft fuel per available seat mile
increased by approximately 14.3% due to the increase in average
fuel cost per gallon.
Salaries and benefits. Salaries and benefits totaled
$51.7 million in 2004, a 14.2% increase over salaries and
benefits of $45.3 million in 2003. This increase was
primarily a result of the full year effect of employees hired
throughout 2003, higher performance bonuses paid as a result of
our improved operating results and an overall increase of 4.3%
in full-time equivalent employees at period end from 2003 to
2004, mainly to cover increased operations. Salaries and
benefits per available seat mile increased by 1.3%.
Passenger servicing. Passenger servicing totaled
$39.2 million in 2004, a 6.4% increase over passenger
servicing of $36.9 million in 2003. This increase was
primarily a result of our 12.8% increase in capacity and an
increase of 15.0% in on-board passengers. Passenger servicing
per available seat mile decreased by 5.7% as a result of fixed
costs being spread over a higher number of available seat miles.
Commissions. Commissions totaled $29.1 million in
2004, a 5.0% increase over commissions of $27.7 million in
2003. This increase was primarily a result of higher passenger
revenue, partially offset by lower average commissions.
Commissions per available seat mile decreased by approximately
6.9% due to lower average commissions and more direct sales.
Reservations and sales. Reservations and sales totaled
$22.1 million in 2004, a 22.8% increase over reservations
and sales of $18.0 million in 2003. This increase was a
result of a 15.0% increase in on-board passengers, a 5.7%
increase in average rates charged by global distribution systems
and the cost of terminating our relationship with a General
Sales Agent in Puerto Rico. Reservations and sales expenses per
available seat mile increased by 8.8%.
51
Depreciation. Depreciation totaled $19.3 million in
2004, a 37.3% increase over depreciation of $14.0 million
in 2003. This increase was primarily due three new Boeing
737-Next Generation aircraft acquired in 2004 and the full year
effect of four Boeing 737-Next Generation aircraft acquired in
2003. Depreciation per available seat mile increased by 21.7%.
Maintenance, materials and repairs. Maintenance,
materials and repairs totaled $19.7 million in 2004, a 3.0%
decrease over maintenance, materials and repairs of
$20.4 million in 2003. This decreased was a result of the
replacement of four Boeing 737-200 aircraft with newer Boeing
737-Next Generation and the full year effect of disposing of two
Boeing 737-200 aircraft in 2003, partially offset by beginning
of the airframe overhaul schedule for the first four of our
Boeing 737-Next Generation aircraft. Maintenance, materials and
repair per available seat mile decreased by 14.0%.
Aircraft rentals. Aircraft rentals totaled
$14.4 million in 2004, a 13.4% decrease over aircraft
rentals cost of $16.7 million in 2003. This decrease
resulted from new aircraft leases with better rates as we
experienced the effect of four lease contracts we renegotiated
in 2003. Aircraft rentals per available seat mile decreased by
23.3% due to higher capacity and the lower lease rates.
Flight operations and landing fees and other rentals. As
a group, flight operations and landing fees and other rentals
increased from $26.5 million in 2003 to $30.1 million
in 2004, or 13.3%, primarily as a result of our 12.8% increase
in capacity.
Other. Other expenses totaled $29.3 million in 2004,
a 12.8% increase over other expenses of $26.0 million in
2003. This increase was primarily due to technology initiatives
related to improving our telecommunications capabilities,
non-recurring expenses related to our evaluation of a potential
acquisition that we chose not to pursue and a 9.0% increase in
publicity and promotion resulting from higher OnePass frequent
flyer miles earned by customers. Other expenses per available
seat mile remained unchanged.
|
|
|
Non-operating income (expense) |
Non-operating expense totaled $8.0 million in 2004, a 30.4%
increase over non-operating expense of $6.2 million in
2003, attributable primarily to greater interest expense
partially offset by higher interest income and other
non-operating income.
Interest expense. Interest expense totaled
$16.5 million in 2004, a 42.0% increase over interest
expense of $11.6 million in 2003, resulting from a higher
amount of debt related to a greater number of owned aircraft.
The average effective interest rates on our debt also increased
by 57 basis points from 3.64% during 2003 to 4.21% during
2004. At the end of 2004, we had approximately 77% of our
outstanding debt fixed at an effective rate of 4.47%.
Interest capitalized. Interest capitalized totaled
$1.0 million in 2004, a 52.1% decrease over interest
capitalized of $2.0 million in 2003, resulting from lower
average debt relating to pre-delivery payments on aircraft.
Interest income. Interest income totaled
$1.4 million in 2004, a 60.4% increase over interest income
of $0.9 million in 2003. This increase was mainly a result
of our higher average cash balance over the year and higher
prevailing interest rates during 2004.
Other, net. Other, net income totaled $6.1 million
in 2004, a 137.4% increase over other, net income of
$2.6 million in 2003. This increase was the result of
non-recurring adjustments and a gain of $1.1 million
resulting from the sale of two Boeing 737-200 aircraft,
partially offset by a decrease in the market value of fuel hedge
instruments of $0.9 million.
Year 2003 Compared to Year 2002
Our net income for the year 2003 was $48.5 million, a
134.6% increase over net income of $20.7 million in 2002.
We had operating income of $58.3 million in 2003, an 89.0%
increase over operating income of $30.8 million in 2002.
Our operating margin was 17.1%, an increase of
6.8 percentage points over an operating margin of 10.3% in
2002.
52
Our operating revenue totaled $341.8 million in 2003, a
13.7% increase over operating revenues of $300.6 million in
2002 due primarily to increased passenger revenues.
Passenger revenue. Our passenger revenue totaled
$311.7 million in 2003, a 15.6% increase over passenger
revenues of $269.6 million in 2002. This increase resulted
primarily from the addition of capacity (ASMs increased by 13.3%
in 2003) that resulted from an increase in departures, an
increase in average departures per aircraft and our continued
transition to larger aircraft. Revenues also increased due to
our higher overall load factor (increased by 2.1 percentage
points from 65.9% in 2002 to 68.0% in 2003) during the period.
Passenger yield decreased slightly by 1.2% from 14.38 cents in
2002 to 14.22 cents in 2003, as a result of the longer average
stage length. A general increase in passenger demand for air
travel in 2003, in part as a result of growth in the Latin
American economy, allowed us to increase both capacity and load
factor.
Cargo, mail and other. Cargo, mail and other totaled
$30.1 million in 2003, a 2.9% decrease over cargo, mail and
other of $31.0 million in 2002. This decrease was primarily
the result of a 20.1% reduction in excess baggage revenues as a
result of the standardization of our policies for excess
baggage, which effectively reduced our revenues per passenger.
This decrease was partially offset by an increase in cargo
revenues of 3.9% to $24.1 million in 2003 as a result of an
increase in demand in the region and an increase in our
available cargo capacity as we replaced four Boeing 737-200s
with larger Boeing 737-Next Generation aircraft in the second
half of 2003.
Operating expenses totaled $283.5 million in 2003, a 5.1%
increase in operating expenses of $269.8 million in 2002.
The increase in operating expenses was primarily attributable to
a 13.3% increase in capacity and an increase in the average cost
of jet fuel per gallon of 18.2%. Operating expenses for 2003
also include a fleet impairment charge of $3.6 million
related to the Boeing 737-200 fleet, as compared to the fleet
impairment charge of $13.7 million in 2002 related to the
Boeing 737-200 fleet. The breakdown of operating expenses per
available seat mile is as follows:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Year Ended | |
|
|
|
|
December 31, | |
|
|
|
|
| |
|
Percent | |
|
|
2002 | |
|
2003 | |
|
Change | |
|
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
(in cents) | |
|
|
Operating expenses per ASM:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Salaries and benefits
|
|
|
1.38 |
|
|
|
1.40 |
|
|
|
1.7 |
% |
Passenger servicing
|
|
|
1.19 |
|
|
|
1.14 |
|
|
|
(4.0 |
)% |
Commissions
|
|
|
1.01 |
|
|
|
0.86 |
|
|
|
(14.9 |
)% |
Reservation and sales
|
|
|
0.59 |
|
|
|
0.56 |
|
|
|
(4.9 |
)% |
Depreciation
|
|
|
0.47 |
|
|
|
0.44 |
|
|
|
(7.4 |
)% |
Maintenance, materials and repairs
|
|
|
0.73 |
|
|
|
0.63 |
|
|
|
(13.4 |
)% |
Flight operations
|
|
|
0.51 |
|
|
|
0.50 |
|
|
|
(3.2 |
)% |
Aircraft rentals
|
|
|
0.74 |
|
|
|
0.52 |
|
|
|
(30.5 |
)% |
Landing fees and other rentals
|
|
|
0.30 |
|
|
|
0.33 |
|
|
|
9.6 |
% |
Other
|
|
|
0.67 |
|
|
|
0.81 |
|
|
|
19.6 |
% |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total operating expenses per ASM before aircraft fuel and fleet
impairment charges
|
|
|
7.59 |
|
|
|
7.17 |
|
|
|
(5.5 |
)% |
Aircraft Fuel
|
|
|
1.41 |
|
|
|
1.50 |
|
|
|
7.0 |
% |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total operating expenses per ASM before fleet impairment charges
|
|
|
9.00 |
|
|
|
8.68 |
|
|
|
(3.6 |
)% |
Fleet impairment charges
|
|
|
0.48 |
|
|
|
0.11 |
|
|
|
(76.9 |
)% |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total operating expenses per ASM
|
|
|
9.48 |
|
|
|
8.79 |
|
|
|
(7.3 |
)% |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Aircraft Fuel. Aircraft fuel totaled $48.5 million
in 2003, a 21.2% increase over aircraft fuel of
$40.0 million in 2002. This increase was a result of an
18.2% increase in the average price per gallon of jet fuel
($1.01 in 2003 as compared to $0.86 in 2002) and the consumption
of 8.1% more fuel due to a 10.0% increase in departures. These
increases were partially offset by our newer, more
fuel-efficient aircraft. Aircraft fuel per available seat mile
increased by 7.0% due to the increase in average fuel cost per
gallon.
53
Salaries and benefits. Salaries and benefits totaled
$45.3 million in 2003, a 15.3% increase over salaries and
benefits of $39.3 million in 2002. This increase was
primarily the result of a 7.6% increase in full time equivalent
employees, mainly to cover increased operations, and the full
year effect of salary increases made in October 2002. Salaries
and benefits per available seat mile increased by 1.7%.
Passenger servicing. Passenger servicing totaled
$36.9 million in 2003, an 8.8% increase over passenger
servicing of $33.9 million in 2002. This increase was
primarily a result of higher handling and aircraft servicing
expenses which were partially offset by lower passenger
liability insurance rates resulting from Copa joining
Continentals insurance policies. Passenger servicing per
available seat mile decreased by 4.0% as a result of lower
insurance costs and the distribution of similar fixed costs over
a greater number of available seat miles.
Commissions. Commissions totaled $27.7 million in
2003, a 3.6% decrease as compared to commissions of
$28.7 million in 2002. This decrease was primarily a result
of lower average commissions and a higher percentage of direct
revenues (23% in 2002 as compared to 25% in 2003), partially
offset by a higher volume of sales. Commissions per available
seat mile decreased by 14.9%.
Reservations and sales. Reservations and sales totaled
$18.0 million in 2003, a 7.8% increase over reservation and
sales of $16.7 million in 2002. This increase was a result
of an 11.5% increase in on-board passengers. Reservations and
sales cost per available seat mile decreased by 4.9%.
Depreciation. Depreciation totaled $14.0 million in
2003, a 5.0% increase over depreciation of $13.4 million in
2002. This increase was primarily due to four new Boeing
737-Next Generation aircraft acquired in 2003 and the full year
effect of four Boeing 737-Next Generation aircraft acquired in
2002, partially offset by lower depreciation expenses of
non-aircraft related equipment. Depreciation per available seat
mile decreased by 7.4%.
Maintenance, materials and repairs. Maintenance,
materials and repairs totaled $20.4 million in 2003, a 1.8%
decrease as compared to maintenance, materials and repairs of
$20.7 million in 2002. This decrease was a result of the
replacement of two Boeing 737-200 aircraft with newer Boeing
737-Next Generation and the full year effect of disposing of
three Boeing 737-200 aircraft in 2002. Maintenance, materials
and repairs per available seat mile decreased by 13.4%.
Flight operations. Flight operations cost totaled
$16.0 million in 2003, a 9.7% increase over flight
operations of $14.6 million in 2002, primarily as a result
of a 10.0% increase in the number of departures. Flight
operations per available seat mile decreased by 3.2%.
Aircraft rentals. Aircraft rentals totaled
$16.7 million in 2003, a 21.2% decrease over aircraft
rentals of $21.2 million in 2002. This decrease resulted
from the replacement of two leased Boeing 737-200 with owned
Boeing 737-Next Generation aircraft in 2003 and the full year
effect of the replacement of another two leased Boeing 737-200
with owned Boeing 737-Next Generation aircraft in 2002. Aircraft
rentals per available seat mile decreased by 30.5%.
Landing fees and other rentals. Landing fees and other
rentals totaled $10.6 million in 2003, a 24.2% increase
over landing fees and other rentals cost of $8.5 million in
2002. This increase was primarily a result of an increase in
departures of 10.0%, increased rates for landing fees at three
of the airports we serve, and the higher landing fees associated
with the heavier Boeing 737-800 aircraft. Landing fees and other
rentals per available seat miles increased by 9.6%.
Other. Other expenses totaled $26.0 million in 2003,
a 35.5% increase over other expenses of $19.2 million in
2002. This increase was primarily a result of an increase of
$2.2 million in publicity and promotion expenses due to a
new television advertising campaign, as well as an increase in
technology related initiatives, specifically the outsourcing of
information technology services at our locations outside Panama,
which are expected to have a net positive long-term effect on
the results of the company. Other expenses per available seat
mile increased by 19.6%.
Fleet impairment charges. Fleet impairment charges were
recorded relating to the Boeing 737-200 fleet in the amounts of
$3.6 million in 2003 and $13.7 million in 2002 in
accordance with Statement of Financial
54
Accounting Standards No. 144, Accounting for the
Impairment or Disposal of Long-Lived Assets. See Note 8
to our consolidated financial statements.
|
|
|
Non-operating income (expense) |
Non-operating expense totaled $6.2 million in 2003, a 14.1%
decrease over non-operating expense of $7.2 million in
2002, attributable primarily to greater interest expense
partially offset by higher interest income and other
non-operating income.
Interest expense. Interest expense totaled
$11.6 million in 2003, a 52.2% increase over interest
expense of $7.6 million in 2002, resulting from a higher
amount of debt related to a greater number of owned aircraft.
The average effective interest rates paid increased slightly
from 3.53% during 2002 to 3.64% during 2003.
Interest capitalized. Interest capitalized totaled
$2.0 million in 2003, an 80.3% increase over interest
capitalized of $1.1 million in 2002, resulting from higher
average debt relating to pre-delivery payments for aircraft
deliveries.
Interest income. Interest income totaled
$0.9 million in 2003, a 6.7% increase over interest income
of $0.8 million in 2002, as higher balances in 2003 were
offset by lower prevailing interest rates.
Other, net. Other, net income totaled $2.6 million
in 2003 versus other, net expense of $1.5 million in 2002.
This difference was primarily attributable to a foreign exchange
loss of $0.2 million in 2003 as compared to a foreign
exchange loss of $3.2 million in 2002. The lower foreign
exchange loss in 2003 is mainly attributable to gains totaling
$0.5 million in Argentina and Brazil versus a loss of
$1.0 million in Argentina during 2002.
55
Quarterly Results of Operations
The following table sets forth, for each of our last five
quarters, selected data from our statement of income as well as
other financial data and operating statistics. The information
for each of these quarters is unaudited and has been prepared on
the same basis as the audited financial statements appearing
elsewhere in this prospectus.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Three Months Ended | |
|
|
| |
|
|
September 30, | |
|
December 31, | |
|
March 31, | |
|
June 30, | |
|
September 30, | |
|
|
2004 | |
|
2004 | |
|
2005 | |
|
2005 | |
|
2005 | |
|
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
(in thousands of dollars, except share and per share data and operating data) | |
INCOME STATEMENT DATA
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Operating revenue
|
|
$ |
106,060 |
|
|
$ |
106,671 |
|
|
$ |
113,608 |
|
|
$ |
137,374 |
|
|
$ |
177,947 |
|
Operating expenses
|
|
|
80,690 |
|
|
|
91,830 |
|
|
|
87,631 |
|
|
|
117,083 |
|
|
|
141,874 |
|
Depreciation
|
|
|
4,661 |
|
|
|
5,911 |
|
|
|
4,739 |
|
|
|
4,996 |
|
|
|
5,109 |
|
Interest expense
|
|
|
4,204 |
|
|
|
4,412 |
|
|
|
4,557 |
|
|
|
5,152 |
|
|
|
6,046 |
|
Interest capitalized
|
|
|
167 |
|
|
|
15 |
|
|
|
143 |
|
|
|
201 |
|
|
|
313 |
|
Interest income
|
|
|
351 |
|
|
|
545 |
|
|
|
687 |
|
|
|
673 |
|
|
|
940 |
|
Net income before tax
|
|
|
22,967 |
|
|
|
12,948 |
|
|
|
24,446 |
|
|
|
17,986 |
|
|
|
31,172 |
|
Net income
|
|
|
21,137 |
|
|
|
11,879 |
|
|
|
22,560 |
|
|
|
15,111 |
|
|
|
27,675 |
|
OTHER FINANCIAL DATA
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
EBITDA(1)
|
|
|
31,314 |
|
|
|
22,711 |
|
|
|
32,912 |
|
|
|
27,260 |
|
|
|
41,074 |
|
Aircraft rentals
|
|
|
3,583 |
|
|
|
4,010 |
|
|
|
4,678 |
|
|
|
7,236 |
|
|
|
7,437 |
|
Operating margin
|
|
|
23.9 |
% |
|
|
13.9 |
% |
|
|
22.9 |
% |
|
|
14.8 |
% |
|
|
20.3 |
% |
Weighted average shares used in computing net income per
share(2)
|
|
|
42,812,500 |
|
|
|
42,812,500 |
|
|
|
42,812,500 |
|
|
|
42,812,500 |
|
|
|
42,812,500 |
|
Net income (loss) per
share(2)
OPERATING DATA
|
|
$ |
0.49 |
|
|
$ |
0.28 |
|
|
$ |
0.53 |
|
|
$ |
0.35 |
|
|
$ |
0.65 |
|
Revenue passenger miles
|
|
|
681 |
|
|
|
663 |
|
|
|
736 |
|
|
|
875 |
|
|
|
1,131 |
|
Available seat miles
|
|
|
945 |
|
|
|
952 |
|
|
|
1,018 |
|
|
|
1,266 |
|
|
|
1,535 |
|
Load factor
|
|
|
72.0 |
% |
|
|
69.7 |
% |
|
|
72.3 |
% |
|
|
69.1 |
% |
|
|
73.7 |
% |
Break-even load factor
|
|
|
51.1 |
% |
|
|
57.9 |
% |
|
|
52.1 |
% |
|
|
58.1 |
% |
|
|
58.4 |
% |
Yield
|
|
|
14.35 |
|
|
|
14.46 |
|
|
|
14.28 |
|
|
|
14.49 |
|
|
|
14.73 |
|
Passenger revenue per ASM
|
|
|
10.33 |
|
|
|
10.08 |
|
|
|
10.33 |
|
|
|
10.02 |
|
|
|
10.86 |
|
Operating revenue per ASM
|
|
|
11.22 |
|
|
|
11.20 |
|
|
|
11.16 |
|
|
|
10.85 |
|
|
|
11.60 |
|
Operating expenses per ASM
|
|
|
8.53 |
|
|
|
9.64 |
|
|
|
8.61 |
|
|
|
9.25 |
|
|
|
9.25 |
|
SEGMENT FINANCIAL DATA
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Copa:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Operating revenue
|
|
|
106,060 |
|
|
|
106,671 |
|
|
|
113,608 |
|
|
|
115,955 |
|
|
|
137,690 |
|
Operating expenses
|
|
|
80,690 |
|
|
|
91,830 |
|
|
|
87,631 |
|
|
|
96,260 |
|
|
|
106,941 |
|
Depreciation
|
|
|
4,661 |
|
|
|
5,911 |
|
|
|
4,739 |
|
|
|
4,770 |
|
|
|
4,833 |
|
Aircraft rentals
|
|
|
3,583 |
|
|
|
4,010 |
|
|
|
4,678 |
|
|
|
5,831 |
|
|
|
5,882 |
|
Interest expense
|
|
|
4,204 |
|
|
|
4,412 |
|
|
|
4,557 |
|
|
|
4,691 |
|
|
|
4,940 |
|
Interest capitalized
|
|
|
167 |
|
|
|
15 |
|
|
|
143 |
|
|
|
201 |
|
|
|
313 |
|
Interest income
|
|
|
351 |
|
|
|
545 |
|
|
|
687 |
|
|
|
656 |
|
|
|
851 |
|
Net income before tax
|
|
|
22,967 |
|
|
|
12,948 |
|
|
|
24,446 |
|
|
|
18,360 |
|
|
|
27,823 |
|
AeroRepública (since April 22, 2005):
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Operating revenue |
|
|
21,419 |
|
|
|
40,257 |
|
Operating expenses |
|
|
20,823 |
|
|
|
34,933 |
|
Depreciation |
|
|
226 |
|
|
|
276 |
|
Aircraft rentals |
|
|
1,405 |
|
|
|
1,555 |
|
Interest expense |
|
|
461 |
|
|
|
1,106 |
|
Interest capitalized |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Interest income |
|
|
17 |
|
|
|
89 |
|
Net income (loss) before tax |
|
|
(374 |
) |
|
|
3,349 |
|
|
|
(1) |
EBITDA represents net income (loss) plus the sum of interest
expense, income taxes, depreciation and amortization minus the
sum of interest capitalized and interest income. EBITDA is
presented as supplemental information because we believe it is a
useful |
56
|
|
|
indicator of our operating
performance and is useful in comparing our operating performance
with other airlines. However, EBITDA should not be considered in
isolation, as a substitute for net income prepared in accordance
with U.S. GAAP or as a measure of a companys
profitability. In addition, our calculation of EBITDA may not be
comparable to other companies similarly titled measures.
The following table presents a reconciliation of our net income
to EBITDA for the specified periods:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Three Months Ended | |
|
|
| |
|
|
September 30, | |
|
December 31, | |
|
March 31, | |
|
June 30, | |
|
September 30, | |
|
|
2004 | |
|
2004 | |
|
2005 | |
|
2005 | |
|
2005 | |
|
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
(in thousands of dollars) | |
Net income (loss)
|
|
$ |
21,137 |
|
|
$ |
11,879 |
|
|
$ |
22,560 |
|
|
$ |
15,111 |
|
|
$ |
27,675 |
|
Interest expense
|
|
|
4,204 |
|
|
|
4,412 |
|
|
|
4,557 |
|
|
|
5,152 |
|
|
|
6,046 |
|
Income taxes
|
|
|
1,830 |
|
|
|
1,069 |
|
|
|
1,886 |
|
|
|
2,875 |
|
|
|
3,497 |
|
Depreciation
|
|
|
4,661 |
|
|
|
5,911 |
|
|
|
4,739 |
|
|
|
4,996 |
|
|
|
5,109 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Subtotal
|
|
|
31,832 |
|
|
|
23,271 |
|
|
|
33,742 |
|
|
|
28,134 |
|
|
|
42,327 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Interest capitalized
|
|
|
(167 |
) |
|
|
(15 |
) |
|
|
(143 |
) |
|
|
(201 |
) |
|
|
(313 |
) |
Interest income
|
|
|
(351 |
) |
|
|
(545 |
) |
|
|
(687 |
) |
|
|
(673 |
) |
|
|
(940 |
) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
EBITDA
|
|
|
31,314 |
|
|
|
22,711 |
|
|
|
32,912 |
|
|
|
27,260 |
|
|
|
41,074 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(2) |
All share and per share amounts have been retroactively restated
to reflect the current capital structure described under
Description of Capital Stock and in the notes to our
consolidated financial statements. |
Liquidity and Capital Resources
In recent years, we have been able to meet our working capital
requirements through cash from our operations. Our capital
expenditures, which consist primarily of aircraft purchases, are
funded through a combination of our cash from operations and
long-term financing. From time to time, we finance pre-delivery
payments related to our aircraft with medium-term financing in
the form of bonds privately placed with commercial banks.
Our cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments increased
by $48.9 million from $66.0 million at
December 31, 2003 to $114.9 million at
December 31, 2004. These totals include $3.9 million
and $4.5 million of restricted cash and cash equivalents as
of December 31, 2004 and 2003, respectively. Our cash, cash
equivalents and short-term investments increased to
$129.2 million at September 30, 2005. This total
includes $4.9 million of restricted cash and cash
equivalents. At September 30, 2005 we had available credit
lines totaling $23.5 million of which there were no amounts
outstanding.
We rely primarily on cash flows from operations to provide
working capital for current and future operations. For the first
nine months of 2005, cash flow from operating activities totaled
$78.3 million. Cash flows from operating activities totaled
$98.6 million in 2004, $73.6 million in 2003 and
$50.9 million in 2002. The increase in operating cash flows
over these periods was primarily due to the growth of our
business. Our accounts receivable at September 30, 2005
increased by $27.3 million since December 31, 2004
primarily as a result of the consolidation of $14.3 million
of AeroRepúblicas receivables and growth in operating
revenues.
During the first nine months of 2005, capital expenditures were
$7.1 million. During 2004, capital expenditures were
$65.8 million, which consisted primarily of expenditures
related to our purchase of three Boeing 737-Next Generation
aircraft. During 2003, capital expenditures were
$112.2 million, which consisted primarily of expenditures
related to our purchase of four Boeing 737-Next Generation
aircraft and one CFM 56-7B spare engine. During 2002,
capital expenditures were $76.0 million, which consisted
primarily of expenditures related to our purchase of four Boeing
737-Next Generation aircraft.
Financing activities during the first nine months of 2005
consisted primarily of the financing for aircraft pre-delivery
payments with $21.9 million of privately-placed bonds, the
issuance of $20.4 million in
57
commercial debt by AeroRepública, primarily related to the
refinancing of existing liabilities, the repayment of
$34.3 million in long-term debt and $10.1 million in
dividends declared and paid.
Financing activities during 2004 consisted primarily of
financing for three Boeing 737-Next Generation aircraft for
$101.2 million ($35.7 million of the proceeds of which
were used to redeem privately-placed bonds used for pre-delivery
payments related to those aircraft), the financing for aircraft
pre-delivery payments with $6.4 million of privately-placed
bonds, the repayment of $32.1 million in long-term debt and
$10.0 million in dividends declared and paid.
Financing activities during 2003 consisted primarily of
financing for four Boeing 737-Next Generation aircraft and a
spare engine for $140.7 million ($35.2 million of the
proceeds of which were used to redeem privately-placed bonds
used for pre-delivery payments related to those aircraft), the
financing for aircraft pre-delivery payments with
$21.7 million of privately-placed bonds and the repayment
of $22.0 million in long-term debt.
Financing activities during 2002 consisted primarily of
financing for four Boeing 737-Next Generation aircraft for
$112.9 million ($47.8 million of the proceeds of which
were used to repay loans used for pre-delivery payments related
to those aircraft), the financing for aircraft pre-delivery
payments with $42.8 million of privately-placed bonds and
the repayment of $55.3 million in long-term debt which
includes payments on debt related to loans used for pre-delivery
payments.
We have generally been able to arrange medium-term financing for
pre-delivery payments through loans with commercial banks
through a private issuance of bonds. Although we believe that
financing on similar terms should be available for our future
aircraft pre-delivery payments, we may not be able to secure
such financing on terms attractive to us.
We have financed the acquisition of fifteen Boeing 737-Next
Generation aircraft and three spare engines through syndicated
loans provided by international financial institutions with the
support of partial guarantees issued by the Export-Import Bank
of the United States, or Ex-Im, with repayment profiles of
12 years. The Ex-Im guarantees support 85% of the net
purchase price and are secured with a first priority mortgage on
the aircraft in favor of a security trustee on behalf of Ex-Im.
The documentation for each loan follows standard market forms
for this type of financing, including standard events of
default. Our Ex-Im supported financings amortize on a quarterly
basis, are denominated in dollars and originally bear interest
at a floating rate linked to LIBOR. Our Ex-Im guarantee
facilities typically offer an option to fix the applicable
interest rate. We have exercised this option with respect to
$299.2 million as of September 30, 2005 at an average
weighted interest rate of 4.47%. The remaining
$45.7 million bears interest at an average weighted
interest of LIBOR plus 0.03%. At September 30, 2005, the
total amount outstanding under our Ex-Im-supported financings
totaled $344.9 million.
We effectively extend the maturity of our Boeing aircraft
financing to 15 years through the use of a Stretched
Overall Amortization and Repayment, or SOAR, structure
which provides serial draw-downs calculated to result in a 100%
loan accreting to a recourse balloon at the maturity of the
Ex-Im guaranteed loan. The SOAR portions of our facilities
require us to maintain certain financial covenants, including an
EBITDAR to fixed charge ratio, a net debt to capitalization
ratio and minimum net worth. To comply with the first ratio, our
EBITDA plus aircraft rent expense, or EBITDAR, for the prior
year must be at least 2.5 times our fixed charge expenses
(including interest, commission, fees, discounts and other
finance payments) for that year. To comply with the second
ratio, our tangible net worth shall be at least five times our
long-term obligations. Third, our tangible net worth must be at
least $50 million. As of September 30, 2005 we
complied with all required covenants. We also pay a commitment
fee on the unutilized portion of our SOAR loans.
We also typically finance approximately 10% of the purchase
price of our Boeing aircraft through commercial loans which
totaled $22.2 million as of September 30, 2005. Under
the commercial loan agreements for aircraft received in 2002, we
are required to comply with four specific financial covenants.
The first covenant requires our EBITDAR for the prior year to be
at least 1.9 times our finance charge expenses (including
interest, commission, fees, discounts and other finance
payments) for the first year of the agreement and 2.0 times our
finance charge expenses for the remainder of the agreement. The
second covenant limits our net borrowings to 92% of our
capitalization during the first two years, 90% during the next
two years and 85% during the last six years of the agreement.
The third covenant requires our tangible net worth to be at
least $30 million for the first
58
two years, $70 million for the next three years and
$120 million for the last four years of the agreement. The
last covenant requires us to maintain a minimum of
$30 million in available cash (including cash equivalents
and committed credit facilities) for the first five years and
$50 million for the last five years of the agreement. As of
September 30, 2005 we complied with all required covenants.
Our Embraer aircraft purchases will not be eligible for Ex-Im
guaranteed financing. We have arranged financing for the six
Embraer aircraft to be delivered through the end of 2006, having
obtained a commitment for senior term loan facilities in the
amount of approximately $134 million from PK AirFinance US,
Inc., an affiliate of General Electric. The loans will have a
term of twelve years. We entered into definitive documentation
with respect to these facilities and drew our first installment
under the facilities in connection with the delivery of our
first Embraer 190 on November 16, 2005. We will also pay a
commitment fee with respect to the unused portion of the
facilities.
Upon our acquisition of AeroRepública, we arranged a
commercial credit facility in the amount of $15.0 million,
primarily to refinance existing liabilities and to provide
AeroRepública with working capital. This facility was
divided in two tranches of $5.0 million and
$10.0 million with maturities of three and five years,
respectively. This facility is secured by credit card
receivables. The facility requires AeroRepública to
maintain certain financial covenants such as a financial debt to
EBITDAR ratio of less than 4.5. As of September 30, 2005 we
complied with all required covenants.
Capital resources. We finance our aircraft through long
term debt and operating lease financings. Although we expect to
finance future aircraft deliveries with a combination of similar
debt arrangements and financing leases, we may not be able to
secure such financing on attractive terms. To the extent we
cannot secure financing, we may be required to modify our
aircraft acquisition plans or incur higher than anticipated
financing costs. We expect to meet our operating obligations as
they become due through available cash and internally generated
funds, supplemented as necessary by short-term credit lines.
We have placed firm orders with The Boeing Company for seven
Boeing 737-Next Generation aircraft and we have purchase rights
for an additional ten Boeing 737-Next Generation aircraft. We
have also placed firm orders with Embraer for eleven Embraer 190
aircraft and we have options to purchase an additional eighteen
Embraer 190 aircraft. The schedule for delivery of our firm
orders is as follows: one in 2005, six in 2006, six in 2007,
four in 2008 and one in 2009. We meet our pre-delivery deposit
requirements for our Boeing 737-Next Generation aircraft by
paying cash, or by using medium-term borrowing facilities and/or
vendor financing for deposits required 24 to 6 months prior
to delivery. We are also required to make pre-delivery payments
with respect to our Embraer aircraft at the time of our
commitment to purchase and at periodic intervals prior to
delivery. We fund these deposits with our own cash.
Contractual Obligations
Our non-cancelable contractual obligations at September 30,
2005 included the following:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
At September 30, 2005 | |
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
Remainder | |
|
|
|
|
Total | |
|
of 2005 | |
|
2006 | |
|
2007 | |
|
2008 | |
|
2009 | |
|
Thereafter | |
|
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
(in thousands of dollars) | |
|
|
|
|
Aircraft and engine purchase commitments
|
|
$ |
579,406 |
|
|
$ |
62,004 |
|
|
$ |
166,091 |
|
|
$ |
189,549 |
|
|
$ |
128,742 |
|
|
$ |
33,020 |
|
|
$ |
|
|
Aircraft operating leases
|
|
|
126,051 |
|
|
|
7,960 |
|
|
|
28,418 |
|
|
|
28,203 |
|
|
|
26,918 |
|
|
|
21,750 |
|
|
|
12,802 |
|
Other operating leases
|
|
|
24,473 |
|
|
|
1,615 |
|
|
|
3,944 |
|
|
|
3,569 |
|
|
|
3,474 |
|
|
|
3,370 |
|
|
|
8,501 |
|
Short-term debt and long-term debt
(1)
|
|
|
501,817 |
|
|
|
15,089 |
|
|
|
84,706 |
|
|
|
49,778 |
|
|
|
48,052 |
|
|
|
44,454 |
|
|
|
259,738 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total
|
|
$ |
1,231,747 |
|
|
$ |
86,668 |
|
|
$ |
283,159 |
|
|
$ |
271,099 |
|
|
$ |
207,186 |
|
|
$ |
102,594 |
|
|
$ |
281,041 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(1) Includes actual interest and estimated interest for
floating-rate debt based on September 30, 2005 rates.
Most contract leases include renewal options. Non-aircraft
related leases have renewable terms of one year, and their
respective amounts included in the table below have been
estimated through 2009, but we cannot estimate amounts with
respect to those leases for later years. Our leases do not
include residual value guarantees.
59
Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements
None of our operating lease obligations are reflected on our
balance sheet and we have no other off-balance sheet
arrangements. We are responsible for all maintenance, insurance
and other costs associated with operating these aircraft;
however, we have not made any residual value or other guarantees
to our lessors.
Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk
The risks inherent in our business are the potential losses
arising from adverse changes to the price of fuel, interest
rates and the U.S. dollar exchange rate.
Aircraft Fuel. Our results of operations are affected by
changes in the price and availability of aircraft fuel. To
manage the price risk, we use crude oil option contracts, zero
cost collars and swap agreements. Market risk is estimated as a
hypothetical 10% increase in the December 31, 2004 cost per
gallon of fuel. Based on projected 2005 fuel consumption, such
an increase would result in an increase to aircraft fuel expense
of approximately $7.9 million in 2005, not taking into
account our derivative contracts. We currently have hedged
approximately 15% of Copas projected 2005 fuel
requirements and 10% of Copas projected fuel consumption
from January 1, 2006 to March 31, 2006. All existing
hedge contracts settle by March 2006.
Interest. Our earnings are affected by changes in
interest rates due to the impact those changes have on interest
expense from variable-rate debt instruments and operating leases
and on interest income generated from our cash and investment
balances. If interest rates average 10% more in 2005 than
they did during 2004, our interest expense would increase by
approximately $152,000, and the fair value of our debt would
decrease by approximately $3.6 million. If interest rates
average 10% less in 2005 than they did in 2004, our
interest income from cash equivalents would decrease by
approximately $238,000 and the fair value of our debt would
increase by approximately $3.7 million. These amounts are
determined by considering the impact of the hypothetical
interest rates on our variable-rate debt and cash equivalent
balances at December 31, 2004.
Foreign Currencies. The majority of our obligations are
denominated in U.S. dollars. Since Panama uses the
U.S. dollar as legal tender, the majority of our operating
expenses are also denominated in U.S. dollars. Our foreign
exchange risk is limited as approximately 50% of our revenues
are in U.S. dollars. While a significant part of our
revenues are in foreign currency, no single currency represented
more than 6.0% of our operating revenues in 2004, except for the
Colombian Peso which represented 10.3%. Generally, our exposure
to most of these foreign currencies is limited to the period of
up to two weeks between the completion of a sale and the
repatriation to Panama in dollars.
2004 Revenues and Expenses Breakdown by Currency
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Revenue | |
|
Expense | |
|
|
| |
|
| |
Brazilian Real
|
|
|
4.95% |
|
|
|
2.30% |
|
Colombian Peso
|
|
|
10.26% |
|
|
|
4.58% |
|
Costa Rican Colon
|
|
|
5.18% |
|
|
|
2.07% |
|
Mexican Peso
|
|
|
5.57% |
|
|
|
2.51% |
|
U.S. Dollar
|
|
|
51.07% |
|
|
|
78.75% |
|
Venezuelan Bolivar
|
|
|
4.56% |
|
|
|
2.07% |
|
Other(1)
|
|
|
18.41% |
|
|
|
7.71% |
|
(1) Argentine Peso, Chilean Peso, Dominican Peso, Guatemalan
Quetzal, Jamaican Dollar, Honduran Lempira, Haitian Gourde.
As a result of the acquisition of AeroRepública in April
2005, we have an increased exposure to the Colombian Peso than
that noted in the table above. AeroRepúblicas
revenues from April 22, 2005 to September 30, 2005
represent 14.4% of total consolidated revenues.
Outlook: Remainder of 2005 and 2006
We seek to expand our operations by adding additional flights to
existing routes and adding new routes, which includes, among
others, increasing the number of flights to San Salvador in
December 2005 and Santiago, Chile in January 2006. For the
remainder of 2005, we expect to continue to concentrate on
keeping
60
our operating costs low and pursuing ways to make our operations
more efficient. In 2006, we expect to expand our operations by
adding frequencies and new routes with the addition of six new
aircraft to our fleet, including two Boeing-737 Next Generation
and four Embraer 190 aircraft.
We expect jet fuel prices will continue to be high in 2005 and
expect to continue evaluating fuel hedging programs to help
protect us against short-term movements in crude oil prices. We
also expect interest rates to increase during the rest of 2005
which would increase the amount of interest expense related to
the 30% of our debt that bears interest at floating rates. We
also expect that our 2005 earnings will be affected by a new
Panamanian corporate income tax law and a new Panamanian social
security law. For 2005, we expect the new corporate income tax
law to increase our Panamanian tax liability to approximately
$1.3 million. We estimate that the new social security law
would have had an incremental effect of approximately $300,000
from June 1, 2005 through the remainder of 2005 had the new
social security law not been suspended until December 2005.
We took delivery of our first Embraer 190 aircraft on
November 16, 2005. We believe that the addition of the
Embraer 190 aircraft will enhance our ability to provide
efficient service to new destinations in mid-sized markets that
currently do not generate sufficient demand to justify service
with our larger Boeing aircraft. Nevertheless, we expect to
incur one-time charges associated with integrating a new
aircraft type into our fleet prior to it entering revenue
service, including obtaining the necessary certifications, the
hiring and training of new pilots, technicians and flight
attendants. We do not expect these expenses to be material.
We expect that our recent acquisition of AeroRepública will
enhance our access and visibility in the Colombian market of
45 million inhabitants, which we expect to translate into
additional passenger traffic through our network and increased
revenues. However, we also believe that the consolidation of
AeroRepúblicas results in future periods will
continue to reduce our consolidated operating margins.
AeroRepública expects to initiate international flights
between Medellín and Panama City, Cali and Panama City and
between Cartagena and Panama City. In addition,
AeroRepública expects to initiate flights between Cali and
Medellín and between Bogotá and Cúcuta and
expects to take delivery of one additional MD-80 aircraft in
December of 2005.
We expect our consolidated capacity to increase by approximately
3.2% in the last quarter of 2005 as compared to the previous
quarter primarily as a result of AeroRepúblicas new
flights. We currently expect AeroRepública to break even or
have a small loss for the year ended December 31, 2005 and
to experience improvement for 2006. Over the next few years we
expect to fund between $8 million and $12 million in
AeroRepública which will be primarily used for capital
investment projects and short term working capital needs.
61
BUSINESS
Overview
We are a leading Latin American provider of international
airline passenger and cargo service. Operating from our
strategically located position in the Republic of Panama, we
currently offer approximately 80 daily scheduled flights among
30 destinations in 20 countries in North, Central and South
America and the Caribbean. Additionally, we provide passengers
with access to flights to more than 110 other destinations
through codeshare arrangements with Continental Airlines
pursuant to which each airline places its name and flight
designation code on the others flights. We provide airline
passenger and cargo service through our Panama City hub which
enables us to consolidate passenger traffic from multiple points
to serve each destination effectively. We also operate a
Colombian carrier, AeroRepública S.A., that we acquired
during the second quarter of 2005.
We operate a modern fleet of 22 Boeing 737-Next Generation
aircraft with an average age of approximately 3.3 years as
of September 30, 2005 (not taking into account the fleet of
AeroRepública, our recently-purchased operating
subsidiary). We also accepted delivery of our first 94-seat
Embraer 190 aircraft on November 16, 2005. To meet our growing
capacity requirements, we have firm commitments to accept
delivery of 18 additional aircraft through 2009 and have
negotiated purchase rights and options that, if exercised, would
allow us to accept delivery of up to 28 additional aircraft
through 2011. Our firm orders are for seven additional Boeing
737-Next Generation aircraft and eleven additional Embraer 190s,
and our purchase rights and options are for up to ten Boeing
737-Next Generation aircraft and up to 18 Embraer 190s.
Since January 2001, Copa Holdings has grown significantly and
has established a track record of consistent profitability,
recording four consecutive years of increasing earnings. Our
total operating revenues have increased from $290.4 million
in 2001 to $399.8 million in 2004, while our net income has
increased from $14.8 million to $68.6 million over the
same period. Our operating margins also improved from 8.6% in
2001 to 20.6% in 2004. Over the same period, Copa Airlines
increased its capacity from 2,920 million available seat
miles to 3,639 million available seat miles while improving
its load factor from 64.0% during 2001 to 70.0% during 2004 and
its yield from 13.79 cents during 2001 to 14.31 cents during
2004.
We started our strategic alliance with Continental Airlines in
1998 in conjunction with its purchase of 49% of our capital
stock. Together, we conduct joint marketing and code-sharing
arrangements, and we participate in the award-winning OnePass
frequent flyer loyalty program globally and on a co-branded
basis in Latin America. We believe that our co-branding and
joint marketing activities with Continental have enhanced our
brand and reputation in Latin America, and that our relationship
has afforded us many cost-related benefits, such as improving
our purchasing power in negotiations with service providers,
aircraft vendors and insurers. Immediately prior to the
consummation of this offering, our alliance and related services
agreements with Continental will be extended until 2015.
We recently purchased AeroRepública S.A. for an aggregate
purchase price of approximately $23.4 million, including
acquisition costs. AeroRepública is a Colombian air carrier
that operates a fleet of ten leased MD-80s and two owned DC-9s.
According to the Colombian Civil Aviation Administration,
Unidad Especial Administrativa de Aeronáutica Civil,
in 2004 AeroRepública was the second-largest domestic
carrier in Colombia in terms of number of passengers carried,
providing service to 11 cities in Colombia through a
point-to-point route network. We believe that this acquisition
represents an attractive opportunity to increase our access to
one of the largest airline passenger markets in Latin America
and to improve AeroRepúblicas operational and
financial performance.
Our Strengths
We believe our primary business strengths that have allowed us
to compete successfully in the airline industry include the
following:
|
|
|
|
|
Our Hub of the Americas airport is strategically
located. We believe that our base of operations at the
geographically central location of Tocumen International Airport
in Panama City, Panama |
62
|
|
|
|
|
provides convenient connections to our principal markets in
North, Central and South America and the Caribbean, enabling us
to consolidate traffic to serve several destinations that do not
generate enough demand to justify point-to-point service.
Flights from Panama operate with few service disruptions due to
weather, contributing to high completion factors and on-time
performance. Tocumen International Airports sea-level
altitude allows our aircraft to operate without performance
restrictions that they would be subject to at higher-altitude
airports. We believe that the geographic reach provided by our
central location allows us to generate revenue across a large
and diverse base of destinations. We also believe that our hub
in Panama allows us to benefit from Panama Citys status as
a center for financial services, shipping and commerce and from
Panamas stable, dollar-based economy, free-trade zone and
growing tourism industry. |
|
|
|
We focus on keeping our operating costs low. In recent
years, our low operating costs and efficiency have contributed
significantly to our profitability. Our cost per available seat
mile was 8.72 cents in 2004 and 9.08 cents in the first nine
months of 2005. The cost per available seat mile of our Copa
operating segment when excluding costs for fuel and fleet
impairment charges was 7.50 cents in 2001, 7.59 cents in 2002,
7.17 cents in 2003, 7.01 cents in 2004 and 6.61 cents
during the nine months ended September 30, 2005. See
Managements Discussion and Analysis of Financial
Condition and Results of Operations Results of
Operations for a reconciliation of our cost per available
seat mile when excluding costs for fuel and fleet impairment
charges to our cost per available seat mile. We believe that our
cost per available seat mile reflects our modern fleet,
efficient operations and the competitive cost of labor in Panama. |
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|
We operate a modern fleet. Copa Airlines recently
completed a fleet renovation program through which it replaced
all of its older Boeing 737-200s with Boeing 737-Next Generation
aircraft equipped with winglets and other modern cost-saving and
safety features. We also recently accepted delivery of our first
Embraer 190 aircraft. Over the next four years, we intend to
further enhance our modern fleet through the addition of at
least seven additional Boeing 737-Next Generation aircraft and
eleven new Embraer 190s. We expect our Boeing 737-700s and
737-800s and our new Embraer 190s to offer substantial
operational cost savings over the replaced aircraft in terms of
fuel efficiency and maintenance costs. In addition, Copa
Airlines believes that its modern fleet contributes to its
excellent on-time performance and high completion factor which
contribute to passenger satisfaction. |
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We believe we have a strong brand and a reputation for
quality service. We believe that the Copa brand is
associated with value to passengers, providing world-class
service and competitive pricing. For the nine months ended
September 30, 2005, Copa Airlines statistic for
on-time performance was 93.3%, completion factor was 99.7% and
baggage handling was 0.8 mishandled bags per
1000 passengers. Our goal is to apply our expertise in
these areas to improve AeroRepúblicas service
statistics to comparable levels. Our focus on customer service
has helped to build passenger loyalty. We believe that our brand
has also been enhanced through our relationship with
Continental, including our joint marketing of the OnePass
loyalty program in Latin America, the similarity of our aircraft
livery and aircraft interiors and our participation in
Continentals Presidents Club lounge program. |
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Our management fosters a culture of teamwork and continuous
improvement. Our management team has been successful at
creating a culture based on teamwork and focused on achieving
greater efficiencies through continuous improvement. Each of our
employees has individual objectives based on corporate goals
that serve as a basis for measuring performance. When corporate
operational and financial targets are met, employees are
eligible to receive bonuses according to our profit sharing
program. See BusinessEmployees. We also
recognize outstanding performance of individual employees
through company-wide recognition, one-time awards, special
events and, in the case of our senior management after this
offering, grants of restricted stock and stock options.
According to internal surveys, over 90% of our employees report
being satisfied with their job. Our goal-oriented culture and
incentive programs have contributed to a motivated work force
that is focused on satisfying customers, achieving efficiencies
and growing profitability. |
63
Our Strategy
Our goal is to continue to grow profitably and enhance our
position as a leader in Latin American aviation by providing a
combination of superior customer service, convenient schedules
and competitive fares, while maintaining competitive costs. The
key elements of our business strategy include the following:
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Expand our network by increasing frequencies and adding new
destinations. We believe that demand for air travel in Latin
America is likely to expand in the next decade, and we intend to
use our increasing fleet capacity to meet this growing demand.
We intend to focus on expanding our operations by increasing
flight frequencies on our most profitable routes and initiating
service to new destinations. Our Panama City hub allows us to
consolidate traffic and provide service to certain underserved
markets, particularly in Central America and the Caribbean, and
we intend to focus on providing new service to regional
destinations that we believe best enhance the overall
connectivity and profitability of our network. With the addition
of Embraer 190 aircraft and growth in overall capacity, we will
have more flexibility in scheduling our flights for our
customers convenience. |
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Continue to focus on keeping our costs low. We seek to
reduce our cost per available seat mile without sacrificing
services valued by our customers as we execute our growth plans.
Our goal is to maintain a young fleet of modern aircraft and to
make effective use of our resources through efficient aircraft
utilization and employee productivity. We intend to reduce our
distribution costs by increasing direct sales, including
internet and call center sales, as well as improving efficiency
through technology and automated processes. |
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Introduce service with new Embraer 190 aircraft. We
believe that the addition of the Embraer 190 aircraft in
late 2005 will allow us to provide service to new destinations
in underserved markets whose demand would be more efficiently
served with the 94-seat Embraer 190 aircraft. In addition, we
believe that the Embraer 190s will also enable us to more
efficiently match our capacity to demand, allowing us to improve
service frequencies to currently served markets and to redeploy
the higher capacity Boeing 737-Next Generation aircraft to serve
routes with greater demand. |
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Emphasize superior service and value to our customers. We
intend to continue to focus on satisfying our customers and
earning their loyalty by providing a combination of superior
service and competitive fares. We believe that continuing our
operational success in keeping flights on time, reducing
mishandled luggage and offering convenient schedules to
attractive destinations will be essential to achieving this
goal. We intend to continue to incentivize our employees to
improve or maintain operating and service metrics relating to
our customers satisfaction by continuing our profit
sharing plan and employee recognition programs and to reward
customer loyalty with the popular OnePass frequent flyer
program, upgrades and access to Presidents Club lounges. |
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Selectively evaluate future acquisitions. From time to
time in the future, we expect to evaluate acquisition
opportunities in the Latin American aviation sector as they
arise. We intend to evaluate any such opportunities selectively,
focusing in particular on the extent to which they might
complement our existing operations and provide potential for
growth and increased shareholder value. |
History
Copa was established in 1947 by a group of Panamanian investors
and Pan American World Airways, which provided technical and
economic assistance as well as capital. Initially, Copa served
three domestic destinations in Panama with a fleet of three
Douglas C-47 aircraft. In the 1960s, Copa began its
international service with three weekly flights to cities in
Costa Rica, Jamaica and Colombia using a small fleet of
Avro 748s and Electra 188s. In 1971, Pan American World
Airways sold its stake in Copa to a group of Panamanian
investors who retained control of the airline until 1986. During
the 1980s, Copa suspended its domestic service to focus on
international flights.
In 1986, CIASA purchased 99% of Copa, which was controlled by
the group of Panamanian shareholders who currently control
CIASA. From 1992 until 1998, Copa was a part of a commercial
alliance with Grupo TACAs network of Central American
airline carriers. In 1997, together with Grupo TACA, Copa entered
64
into a strategic alliance with American Airlines. After a year
our alliance with American was terminated by mutual consent. In
May 1998, CIASA sold a 49% stake in Copa Holdings to Continental
and entered into an extensive alliance agreement with
Continental providing for code-sharing, joint marketing,
technical exchanges and other cooperative initiatives between
the airlines.
Since 1998, we have grown and modernized our fleet while
improving customer service and reliability. In 1999, we received
our first Boeing 737-700s and in 2003 we received our first
Boeing 737-800s. In the first quarter of 2005, we completed our
fleet renovation program and discontinued use of our last Boeing
737-200s. Since 1998, we have expanded from 24 destinations in
18 countries to 30 destinations in 20 countries. We plan to
continue our expansion in the future, and we plan to almost
double our fleet over the next five years.
AeroRepública
We acquired 85.6% of AeroRepública on April 22, 2005
and another 14.0% in a series of transactions ending in the
third quarter of 2005. We carried out the acquisition by
purchasing substantially all of the equity ownership interest in
AeroRepública from its several former shareholders for an
aggregate purchase price of approximately $23.4 million,
including acquisition costs. According to the Colombian Civil
Aviation Administration, Unidad Especial Administrative de
Aeronáutica Civil, AeroRepública is the second
largest passenger air carrier in Colombia, with a market share
of approximately 27% of the domestic traffic in Colombia in 2004
and approximately 1,300 employees.
Our goal is to achieve growth at AeroRepública through a
combination of increasing Colombian domestic passenger traffic
volume and increasing market share, particularly in the business
travelers segment. We believe that Copas operational
coordination with AeroRepública may create additional
passenger traffic in our existing route network by providing
Colombian passengers more convenient access to the international
destinations served through our Panama hub.
We believe that AeroRepúblicas revenues were
approximately $87 million for 2003 and approximately
$118 million for 2004. We also believe that during those
years AeroRepública operated with very low net operating
margins and experienced a net loss in 2003. However, in the
course of our due diligence investigations in connection with
the purchase, we and our external accounting advisors discovered
certain inconsistencies in AeroRepúblicas accounting
and internal controls that caused us to believe that its
published financial statements as prepared under Colombian GAAP
may not have accurately reflected its results of operations for
the years covered. Since we acquired AeroRepública, we have
retained an internationally recognized accounting firm to assist
us in the maintenance of accounting records, perform additional
analyses and post-closing procedures necessary for the
preparation of AeroRepúblicas financial statements
and provide other assistance in areas in which
AeroRepública had insufficient internal resources.
Additionally, our accounting personnel have been directly
involved in the preparation and review of
AeroRepúblicas financial information consolidated
into our financial statements subsequent to the acquisition. As
a result, we believe the financial information of
AeroRepública that is consolidated into our financial
statements has been prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP and
that our interim financial statements for the periods subsequent
to our acquisition of AeroRepública are materially correct.
Our management and audit committee are developing plans for the
remediation of the deficiencies in AeroRepúblicas
internal controls. These plans include additional oversight by
our accounting personnel, further education and training in U.S.
GAAP for AeroRepúblicas existing personnel and
engaging outside resources to assist in the design and
implementation of additional internal controls. We expect to
carry out these plans during the next year in connection with
our initial assessment of our internal control over financial
reporting as of December 31, 2006, as required by
Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. The
consolidation of AeroRepública into our results of
operations has substantially increased our revenues and
decreased our operating margins and is likely to do so for the
foreseeable future.
Industry
In Latin America, the scheduled passenger service market
consists of three principal groups of travelers: strictly
leisure, business and travelers visiting friends and family.
Leisure passengers and passengers visiting
65
friends and family typically place a higher emphasis on lower
fares, whereas business passengers typically place a higher
emphasis on flight frequency, on-time performance, breadth of
network and service enhancements, including loyalty programs and
airport lounges.
According to data from the International Air Transport
Association, or IATA, Latin America comprised approximately 7%
of worldwide passengers flown in 2004, or 94 million
passengers. The majority of this traffic consisted of passengers
flying between the United States and Latin America.
The Central American aviation market is dominated by
international traffic. According to data from IATA,
international traffic represented more than 61.6% of passengers
carried and 79.2% of passenger miles flown in Central America in
2004. International passenger traffic is concentrated between
North America and Central America. This segment represented
61.9% of international passengers flown in Central America in
2004, compared to 20.0% for passengers flown between Central
America and South America and 18.1% for passengers flown within
Central American countries. Total passengers flown on
international flights in Central America grew by 7.3% in
2004, and load factors on international flights to and from
Central America were 68.9% on average.
Domestic traffic, or flights within Central American countries,
represented approximately 38.4% of passengers carried and 20.8%
of passenger miles flown in 2004. According to data collected by
IATA, domestic passenger miles in Central America grew by 2.6%
in 2004 while passengers flown grew by 1.6%. Average load
factors on domestic flights within Central America were 63.7% in
2004. The chart below details passenger traffic in 2004.
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|
2004 IATA Traffic Results | |
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| |
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|
Passengers | |
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|
|
Passenger | |
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|
|
|
Carried | |
|
Change | |
|
Miles | |
|
Change | |
|
ASMs | |
|
Change | |
|
Load | |
|
|
(Thousands) | |
|
(%) | |
|
(Millions) | |
|
(%) | |
|
(Million) | |
|
(%) | |
|
Factor | |
|
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
International Scheduled Service
|
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|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
North AmericaCentral America
|
|
|
12,671 |
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|
|
11.10% |
|
|
|
17,682 |
|
|
|
16.10% |
|
|
|
25,288 |
|
|
|
11.30% |
|
|
|
69.90% |
|
North AmericaSouth America
|
|
|
18,686 |
|
|
|
17.70% |
|
|
|
39,448 |
|
|
|
20.50% |
|
|
|
55,761 |
|
|
|
17.30% |
|
|
|
70.70% |
|
Central AmericaSouth America
|
|
|
4,101 |
|
|
|
15.80% |
|
|
|
8,271 |
|
|
|
19.60% |
|
|
|
11,978 |
|
|
|
15.60% |
|
|
|
69.10% |
|
Within Central America
|
|
|
3,711 |
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|
|
27.50% |
|
|
|
4,256 |
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|
|
29.10% |
|
|
|
6,581 |
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|
|
31.70% |
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|
|
64.70% |
|
Within South America
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|
|
7,498 |
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|
|
12.90% |
|
|
|
5,656 |
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|
|
7.50% |
|
|
|
8,756 |
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|
|
4.40% |
|
|
|
64.60% |
|
Domestic Scheduled Service
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|
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|
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|
|
|
|
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|
Central America
|
|
|
12,749 |
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|
|
1.60% |
|
|
|
7,941 |
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|
|
2.60% |
|
|
|
12,464 |
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|
|
0.80% |
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|
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63.70% |
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South America
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|
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34,251 |
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|
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15.60% |
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|
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17,584 |
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16.10% |
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|
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26,423 |
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7.50% |
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66.50% |
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Panama serves as a hub for connecting passenger traffic between
major North American, South American, Caribbean and Central
American markets. Accordingly, passenger traffic to and from
Panama is significantly influenced by economic growth in
surrounding regions. Major passenger traffic markets in
North America, South America and Central America
experienced growth in their GDP in 2004 on both an absolute and
per capita basis. Real GDP in our two most important markets
also grew in 2004, increasing by 6.0% in Panama and 4.0% in
Colombia in 2004.
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|
GDP | |
|
GDP per Capita | |
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| |
|
| |
|
|
2004 GDP | |
|
2004 Real GDP | |
|
2004 GDP per Capita | |
|
|
(US$bn) | |
|
(% Growth) | |
|
(US$) | |
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| |
|
| |
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| |
Brazil
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599.7 |
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5.2% |
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|
|
3,417.1 |
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Argentina
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|
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151.9 |
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|
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9.0% |
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|
|
3,912.1 |
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Chile
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|
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93.7 |
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6.0% |
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|
|
5,856.2 |
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Mexico
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|
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676.5 |
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|
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4.4% |
|
|
|
6,506.3 |
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Colombia
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|
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95.2 |
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|
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4.0% |
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|
|
2,099.2 |
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Panama
|
|
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13.8 |
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|
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6.0% |
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|
|
4,523.8 |
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USA
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|
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11,733.5 |
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|
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4.4% |
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|
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39,934.3 |
|
Source: International Monetary Fund, World Economic Outlook
Database, April 2005; real GDP growth calculated in local
currency
Panama has benefitted from a stable economy with moderate
inflation and steady GDP growth. According to World Bank
estimates, from 1999 to 2003 Panamas real GDP grew at an
average annual rate of
66
2.9% while inflation averaged 0.6% per year. The service
sector represents approximately 76% of total real GDP in Panama,
a higher percentage of GDP than the service sector represents in
most other Latin American countries. The World Bank currently
estimates Panamas population to be 3.0 million, an
increase of 1.5% from 2.9 million in 2002, with the
majority of the population concentrated in Panama City, where
our hub at Tocumen International Airport is located. We believe
the combination of a stable, service-oriented economy and steady
population growth has helped drive our domestic origin and
destination passenger traffic. The World Bank estimates that
annual aircraft departures in Panama increased by 17% from
21,900 in 2002 to 25,700 in 2003.
Domestic travel within Panama primarily consists of individuals
visiting families as well as domestic and foreign tourist
visiting the countryside. Most of this travel is done via ground
transportation, and its main flow is to and from Panama City,
where most of the economic activity and population is
concentrated. Demand for domestic air travel is growing and
relates primarily to leisure travel from foreign and local
tourist. The market is served primarily by two local airlines,
Turismo Aereo and Aeroperlas, which operate turbo prop aircraft
generally with less than 50 seats. These airlines do not
offer international service and operate in the domestic terminal
of Panama City, which is located 30 minutes by car from Tocumen
International Airport.
Colombia is the third largest country in Latin America in terms
of population, with a population of approximately
45 million in 2004 according to the World Bank, and has a
land area of approximately 440,000 square miles.
Colombias GDP was approximately $98.2 billion in
2004, and per capita income was $2,216. Colombias
geography is marked by the Andean mountains and an inadequate
road and rail infrastructure, making air travel a convenient and
attractive transportation alternative. Colombia shares a border
with Panama, and for historic, cultural and business reasons it
represents a significant market for many Panamanian businesses.
Route Network and Schedules
As of September 30, 2005, we provided regularly scheduled
flights to 30 cities in North, Central and South America
and the Caribbean. Substantially all of our flights operate
through our hub in Panama which allows us to transport
passengers and cargo among a large number of destinations with
service which is more frequent than if each route were served
directly.
We believe our hub-and-spoke model is the most efficient way for
us to operate our business since most of the
origination/destination city pairs we serve would not generate
sufficient traffic to justify a point-to-point connection, and
because we serve many countries, it would be very difficult to
obtain the bilateral route rights necessary to operate a
point-to-point system.
We schedule a morning bank and an evening bank of flights, with
flights timed to arrive at the hub at approximately the same
time and to depart a short time later. Over the next few years,
as our hub expands to allow us to de-peak our schedules and with
the addition of two new banks to our hub, we intend to increase
the number of destinations and frequencies. Operating more banks
during the day will increase our asset utilization and allow us
to utilize the employees at our hub more efficiently since
periods of low activity without arriving or departing flights at
the hub will be shorter. Additional banks will also give us the
opportunity to provide more frequent service to many
destinations, allow some passengers more convenient connections
and increase the flexibility of scheduling flights throughout
our route network.
67
The following table sets forth certain information with respect
to our route system based on our flight schedule in effect as of
September 30, 2005:
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|
Number of Passengers | |
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|
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|
Carried in Year Ended | |
|
|
|
|
December 31, | |
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|
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|
| |
Region |
|
ASMs per Week | |
|
2002 | |
|
2003 | |
|
2004 | |
|
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
North America
|
|
|
21,833,388 |
|
|
|
247,995 |
|
|
|
335,294 |
|
|
|
395,497 |
|
Central America
|
|
|
7,889,543 |
|
|
|
593,258 |
|
|
|
655,726 |
|
|
|
741,295 |
|
South America
|
|
|
33,274,109 |
|
|
|
739,067 |
|
|
|
799,057 |
|
|
|
884,298 |
|
Caribbean
|
|
|
12,367,023 |
|
|
|
245,788 |
|
|
|
265,660 |
|
|
|
290,372 |
|
As a part of our strategic relationship with Continental, we
provide flights through code-sharing arrangements to over 110
other destinations. To a limited extent, we also provide flights
through tactical and regional code-sharing arrangements with
Mexicana, Gol and Gulfstream International Airlines.
In addition to increasing the frequencies to destinations we
already serve, our business strategy is also focused on adding
new destinations across Latin America, the Caribbean and North
America in order to increase the attractiveness of our Hub of
the Americas at Tocumen International Airport hub for
intra-American traffic. We currently plan to introduce new
destinations and to increase frequencies to many of the
destinations that we currently serve. The addition of the
Embraer 190s should also allow us to improve our service by
enabling us to increase frequencies and service new destinations
that cannot be served efficiently with a Boeing 737-Next
Generation or that can be served more profitably with a smaller
aircraft.
Our plans to introduce new destinations and increase frequencies
depend on the allocation of route rights, a process over which
we do not have direct influence. Route rights are allocated
through negotiations between the government of Panama and the
governments of countries to which we intend to increase flights.
If we are unable to obtain route rights, we will exercise the
flexibility within our route network to re-allocate capacity as
appropriate.
We do not currently provide any domestic service in the Republic
of Panama, choosing instead to focus entirely on international
traffic both regionally and around the Americas. We divide our
sales and marketing into the following regions: North America;
South America; Central America (excluding Panama); the
Caribbean; and Panama. The following table shows our sales
generated in each of these regions.
Revenue by Region
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|
Year Ended | |
|
|
December 31, | |
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|
| |
Region |
|
2002 | |
|
2003 | |
|
2004 | |
|
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
North
America(1)
|
|
|
13.4% |
|
|
|
15.5% |
|
|
|
17.3% |
|
South America
|
|
|
39.4% |
|
|
|
38.6% |
|
|
|
38.3% |
|
Central America
|
|
|
16.7% |
|
|
|
16.0% |
|
|
|
15.2% |
|
Caribbean(2)
|
|
|
14.0% |
|
|
|
13.3% |
|
|
|
12.9% |
|
Panama
|
|
|
16.6% |
|
|
|
16.6% |
|
|
|
16.2% |
|
|
|
(1) |
The United States, Canada and Mexico. |
|
(2) |
Cuba, Dominican Republic, Haiti, Jamaica, Puerto Rico |
68
AeroRepública currently provides scheduled service to the
following cities in Colombia:
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|
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|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Number of Passengers | |
|
|
|
|
Departures | |
|
Carried During the | |
|
|
Date Service | |
|
Scheduled | |
|
Year Ended | |
Destinations Served |
|
Commenced | |
|
per Week(1) | |
|
December 31, 2004 | |
|
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
Barranquilla
|
|
|
Jun 1995 |
|
|
|
22 |
|
|
|
102,012 |
|
Bogotá
|
|
|
Jun 1993 |
|
|
|
211 |
|
|
|
1,002,500 |
|
Bucaramanga
|
|
|
May 1995 |
|
|
|
21 |
|
|
|
85,093 |
|
Cali
|
|
|
Jun 1993 |
|
|
|
57 |
|
|
|
323,311 |
|
Cartagena
|
|
|
Jun 1993 |
|
|
|
32 |
|
|
|
174,867 |
|
Leticia
|
|
|
Nov 1993 |
|
|
|
5 |
|
|
|
24,501 |
|
Medellín
|
|
|
Oct 1994 |
|
|
|
53 |
|
|
|
228,594 |
|
Montería
|
|
|
Jul 1994 |
|
|
|
14 |
|
|
|
56,221 |
|
Pereira
|
|
|
Mar 2003 |
|
|
|
15 |
|
|
|
27,169 |
|
San Andrés
|
|
|
Jun 1993 |
|
|
|
41 |
|
|
|
203,185 |
|
Santa Marta
|
|
|
Jun 1993 |
|
|
|
15 |
|
|
|
83,677 |
|
|
|
(1) |
As of September 30, 2005. |
In addition to the destinations described above,
AeroRepública periodically operates charter flights to
Margarita Island, Venezuela; Havana, Cuba; Punta Cana, Dominican
Republic and Montego Bay, Jamaica.
AeroRepública is in the process of adding limited
international service to its schedule and, in June 2005,
AeroRepública was granted the authorization to fly regular
services to Panama City from Cali, Medellín and
San Andrés, Colombia. We expect that
AeroRepúblicas new service on these routes will
provide feeder traffic and complement Copas existing
service out of Panama City. In addition, AeroRepública has
been granted the authorization to fly between Cali and
Medellín and between Bogotá and Cúcuta.
AeroRepública has applied for authorization to fly routes
between Bogotá and Quito and between Bogotá and
Guayaquil. It also has code-sharing agreements with the
Venezuelan carrier, Aeropostal, and the Spanish carrier, Air
Plus Comet, both of which provide AeroRepública the ability
to offer expanded international service to its customers.
Colombia has open-skies agreements with the Andean Pact
(Comunidad Andina) nations of Bolivia, Ecuador, Peru and
Venezuela.
Airline Operations
Passenger revenues accounted for approximately
$364.6 million or 91.2% of Copas total revenues in
2004, all earned from international routes. Leisure traffic,
which makes up close to half of Copas total loads, tends
to coincide with holidays, school schedules and cultural events
and peaks in July and August and again in December and January.
Despite these seasonal variations, Copas overall traffic
pattern is relatively stable due to the constant influx of
business travelers. Approximately 40% of Copa passengers regard
Panama City as their destination or origination point, and most
of the remaining passengers pass through Panama City in transit
to other points on our route network.
AeroRepúblicas business is more concentrated on
passenger service, which in 2004 accounted for approximately 97%
of its total revenues. The majority of AeroRepúblicas
customers are leisure travelers and travelers visiting friends
and family, and traffic is heaviest during the vacation months
of July, August and the holiday season in December.
In addition to our passenger service, we make efficient use of
extra capacity in the belly of our aircraft by carrying cargo.
Our cargo business generated revenues of approximately
$23.2 million in 2002, $24.1 million in
69
2003 and $28.2 million in 2004, representing 7.7%, 7.0% and
7.0%, respectively, of Copas operating revenues. We sold
our remaining dedicated Boeing 737-200 Freighter aircraft in
April 2002. However, we still wet-lease freighter capacity from
time to time to reliably meet our cargo customers needs.
In 2004, our cargo business consisted of approximately 69.5% in
courier and freight; 28.3% in wet leases; and 2.2% in mail
service. Of these sub-categories of service, courier traffic has
shown the most growth, and we expect that in the future it will
constitute a larger share of our cargo business.
We recently acquired a cargo management system that allows us to
improve our monitoring, tracking, and pricing capabilities. This
new system includes a reservations module, a web-tracking
system, electronic delivery confirmations and information
management through bar codes. This new system complies with
Cargo 2000 standards, a worldwide quality management system for
the air cargo industry.
Pricing and Revenue Management
We have designed our fare structure to balance our load factors
and yields in a way that we believe will maximize profits on our
flights. We also maintain revenue management policies and
procedures that are intended to maximize total revenues, while
remaining generally competitive with those of our major
competitors.
We charge slightly more for tickets on higher-demand routes,
tickets purchased on short notice and other itineraries
suggesting a passenger would be willing to pay a premium. This
represents strong value to our business customers, who can count
on competitive rates when flying with Copa. The number of seats
we offer at each fare level in each market results from a
continual process of analysis and forecasting. Past booking
history, seasonality, the effects of competition and current
booking trends are used to forecast demand. Current fares and
knowledge of upcoming events at destinations that will affect
traffic volumes are included in our forecasting model to arrive
at optimal seat allocations for our fares on specific routes. We
use a combination of approaches, taking into account yields,
flight load factors and effects on load factors of continuing
traffic, depending on the characteristics of the markets served,
to arrive at a strategy for achieving the best possible revenue
per available seat mile, balancing the average fare charged
against the corresponding effect on our load factors. We
recently replaced our Revenue Management software with a more
sophisticated revenue management system designed by SABRE.
During 2002, we purchased an automated pricing system from SMG
Technologies that allows us to efficiently monitor our
competitors published, unpublished and web fares and
easily file fares with automated services. This gives us the
time to publish competitive fares to and from points in the
United States that we serve via our code-share agreement with
Continental and to analyze the impact of any change on revenue.
The system was fully implemented in February 2004.
Improvements are being made to AeroRepúblicas revenue
management, pricing capabilities and systems that we expect will
be completely in place by early 2006. We are evaluating options
to upgrade AeroRepúblicas revenue management system
with the capability of working more effectively in a low-cost
airline business model.
Relationship with Continental Airlines
In recent years, many airlines have sought to form marketing
alliances with other carriers. Such alliances generally provide
for codesharing, frequent flyer reciprocity, coordinated
scheduling of flights of each alliance member to permit
convenient connections and other joint marketing activities.
Such arrangements permit an airline to market flights operated
by other alliance members as its own. This increases the
destinations, connections and frequencies offered by the
airline, which provide an opportunity for the airline to
increase traffic on flight segments which connect with those of
the alliance partners.
Concurrently with its 49% investment in our company in May 1998,
Continental entered into an alliance agreement, as well as
related services, frequent flyer participation, trademark and
other agreements with Copa. These agreements were initially
signed for a period of ten years. We intend to amend and restate
the major
70
agreements in connection with the offering and extend them
through 2015. Continentals continued ownership of our
shares is not a condition to the ongoing effectiveness of these
agreements. As we coordinate our activities more closely with
our new AeroRepública subsidiary, we may involve the
Colombian carrier in some aspects of our alliance with
Continental. Our alliance with Continental currently enjoys
antitrust immunity in the United States which allows us to
coordinate pricing, scheduling and joint marketing initiatives.
In an effort to maximize the benefit from the relationship,
Continental and Copa work together on the following initiatives:
Product Positioning. Since the start of the alliance with
Continental, we have introduced a new image to align ourselves
more tangibly with the U.S. carrier. Our color scheme,
logo, aircraft interior and staff uniforms are similar to
Continentals. With initiatives such as the introduction of
our business class product Clase Ejecutiva and a
smoke-free cabin, the Copa in-flight product was
modeled on Continentals. Furthermore, our business class
passengers enjoy access to Continentals Presidents
Club business lounges, and we jointly operate a co-branded
Presidents Club lounge with Continental at Tocumen
International Airport.
We have also adopted Continentals OnePass frequent flyer
program globally and on a co-branded basis in Latin America
which has enabled us to develop brand loyalty among business
travelers. The co-branding of the OnePass loyalty programs has
helped us by leveraging the brand recognition that Continental
already enjoyed across Latin America and enabling the two
airlines to compete more effectively against regional
competition such as Grupo TACA and the oneworld alliance
represented by American Airlines and LAN Airlines.
Continental is sponsoring our proposed affiliation with the Sky
Team global alliance network, which also includes Delta,
Northwest, Aeroméxico, Air France, Alitalia, KLM, Korean
Air and CSA Czech.
Code-sharing. We currently place the Copa designator code
on Continental operated flights from Panama to Houston and
Panama to Newark. In addition, flights carrying the Copa code
operate to over 110 other Continental destinations, primarily
through Continentals gateways in Houston and Newark.
Continentals flights from Guatemala City and Managua City
to Houston, and from Guatemala City to Newark also share our
code. In May 2001, the DOT awarded us antitrust immunity for our
code-share agreement, allowing us to deepen the alliance
through, among other things, coordinating schedules and pricing.
The downgrading of the Panamanian AAC to IASAs Category 2
in 2001, although no reflection on our own safety standards,
resulted in the suspension of our code-share status with
Continental until Category 1 status was restored in April 2004.
See Safety.
Aircraft Maintenance & Flight Safety.
Continental and Copa have been cooperating closely to fully
integrate both airlines maintenance programs. Continental
and Copas maintenance programs for the Boeing 737-Next
Generation are identical. We share Continentals Sceptre
inventory management software which allows us to pool spare
parts with the larger airline and we rely on Continental to
provide engineering support for maintenance projects. We have
also been able to take advantage of Continentals
purchasing power and negotiate more competitive rates for spare
parts and third-party maintenance work.
Sales & Revenue Management. The two airlines
recently embarked upon a co-branding of our city ticket offices,
or CTOs, throughout Latin America, and as a result both now
enjoy greater access to this important direct sales channel at
little incremental cost. Joint corporate and travel agency
incentive programs have been launched. Also, a new revenue
management system and team were introduced at Copa under the
direct management of experts brought in from Continental. We
believe that we benefit from Continentals experience in
distribution costs and channel strategy studies, and management
as a whole is gaining an intangible benefit from the high level
of cooperation with Continental.
Information Technology. By leveraging Continentals
expertise and experience, we have implemented several important
information technology systems, such as the Sceptre system for
maintenance and the SHARES computer reservation
system. In November 2000, we transitioned from the SABRE
reservation and airport check-in system to SHARES in
an effort to maintain commonality with Continental.
71
Fleet Modernization. All of our Boeing aircraft share
nearly identical configurations to Continentals
configurations. We have also been able to take advantage of
Continentals greater purchasing power with its suppliers,
including Boeing, thus enabling us to negotiate lower purchase
prices for these new aircraft.
Sales, Marketing and Distribution
Sales and Distribution. Approximately 75% of sales during
2004 were through travel agents and other airlines while
approximately 25% were direct sales via our CTOs, our call
centers, our airport counters or our website. Travel agents
receive base commissions, not including back-end incentive
payments, ranging from 0% to 12% depending on the country. The
weighted average rate for these commissions during 2004 was
5.5%. In recent years, base commissions have decreased
significantly in most markets as more efficient back-end
incentive programs have been implemented to reward selected
travel agencies that exceed their sales targets.
Travel agents obtain airline travel information and issue
airline tickets through global distribution systems, or GDSs,
that enable them to make reservations on flights from a large
number of airlines. GDSs are also used by travel agents to make
hotel and car rental reservations. We participate actively in
all major international GDSs, including SABRE, Amadeus, Galileo
and Worldspan. In return for access to these systems, we pay
transaction fees that are generally based on the number of
reservations booked through each system.
We have a sales and marketing network consisting of 78 domestic
and international ticket offices, including airport and city
ticket offices. We have 17 CTOs co-branded with Continental.
Approximately 20.3% and 4.1% of our sales for the year ended
December 31, 2004 were booked through our ticket counters
and our call centers, respectively.
E-tickets, a key component of our sales efforts through the
Internet and our call centers, was launched at the end of 2002
and, by December 2003, E-Ticketing for direct sales, non-revenue
passengers (company business, elite reward travel and
promotional travel), as well as American Airlines and
Continental interline tickets had been implemented. E-tickets
for travel agencies was implemented in the second quarter of
2004.
The call center that operates our reservations and sales
services handles calls from Panama as well as most other
countries we fly to. Such centralization has resulted in a
significant increase in telephone sales as it efficiently
allowed for improvements in service levels such as
24-hour-a-day, 7-days-a-week service.
We encourage the use of direct Internet bookings by our
customers because it is our most efficient distribution channel.
During mid 2002, we signed a contract with Amadeus to use their
booking engine to facilitate ticket purchases on www.copaair.com
and launched the system on January 6, 2003. The cost of
each booking via the website is roughly 25% the cost of a
regular travel agency booking. In 2004, we purchased a new
booking engine in order to further reduce distribution costs,
and 0.8% of our sales were made via our website. Our goal is to
channel more of our total sales through the website.
Advertising and Promotional Activities. Our advertising
and promotional activities include the use of television, print,
radio and billboards, as well as targeted public relation events
in the cities where we fly. We believe that the corporate
traveler is an important part of our business, and we
particularly promote our service to these customers by conveying
the reliability, convenience and consistency of our service and
offering value-added services such as convention and conference
travel arrangements, as well as our Business Rewards loyalty
program for our frequent corporate travelers. We also promote
package deals among the destinations where we fly through
combined efforts with selected hotels and travel agencies.
AeroRepública does not currently have a mileage-based
frequent flyer program but instead offers one free ticket to
passengers for every five purchased trips. We are in the process
of implementing the OnePass frequent flyer program at
AeroRepública. AeroRepública is also in the process of
implementing e-ticketing and expects to complete implementation
by December 2005 to complement its call center, 26 city ticket
72
offices and 11 airport ticket offices. We believe e-ticketing
will improve passenger convenience and reduce commission costs.
In 2004, approximately 75% of AeroRepúblicas sales
were made through travel agencies and 25% were made directly to
passengers.
Competition
We face intense competition throughout our route network.
Overall airline industry profit margins are low and industry
earnings are volatile. Airlines compete in the areas of pricing,
scheduling (frequency and flight times), on-time performance,
frequent flyer programs and other services. Copa competes with a
number of other airlines that currently serve the routes on
which we operate, including Grupo TACA, American Airlines Inc.,
LAN Airlines S.A. and Avianca. Some of our competitors, such as
American Airlines, have larger customer bases and greater brand
recognition in the markets we serve outside Panama, and some of
our competitors have significantly greater financial and
marketing resources than we have. Airlines based in other
countries may also receive subsidies, tax incentives or other
state aid from their respective governments, which are not
provided by the Panamanian government. The commencement of, or
increase in, service on the routes we serve by existing or new
carriers could negatively impact our operating results.
Likewise, competitors service on routes that we are
targeting for expansion may make those expansion plans less
attractive. We must constantly react to changes in prices and
services offered by our competitors to remain competitive.
Traditional hub-and-spoke carriers in the United States and
Europe have in recent years faced substantial and increasing
competitive pressure from low-cost carriers offering discounted
fares. The low-cost carriers operations are typically
characterized by point-to-point route networks focusing on the
highest demand city pairs, high aircraft utilization, single
class service and fewer in-flight amenities. As evidenced by the
operations of Gol in Brazil and several new low-cost carriers
planning to start service in Mexico, among others, the
low-cost carrier business model appears to be
gaining acceptance in the Latin American aviation industry, and
we may face new and substantial competition from low-cost
carriers in the future.
The main source of competition to Copa, and our alliance with
Continental, comes from the multinational Grupo TACA and its
alliance partner, American Airlines, the U.S. airline with
the largest Latin American route network. Colombian carrier
Avianca and Chilean carrier LAN Airlines are also significant
competitors.
Grupo TACAs strategy has been to develop three hubs at
San Jose, Costa Rica, San Salvador, El Salvador
and Lima, Peru, which serve more than 40 cities in 19
countries and compete with Copas hub at Tocumen
International Airport. In addition, Grupo TACAs strategic
alliance with American Airlines has enabled it to utilize
American Airlines Latin American hub in Miami. Grupo TACA
also has alliances with Iberia and Air France. Grupo TACA
primarily operates a fleet of Airbus A319 and A320 aircraft and
they intend to take delivery of a significant number of new
Airbus aircraft between now and December 2009. We have routes to
several of the Central American republics where Grupo TACA has
established service, including Managua, Nicaragua,
San Jose, Costa Rica and Guatemala. Grupo TACA places its
code on our flights between San Salvador and Managua. Grupo
TACA lowered many of its fares a year ago in an effort to
generate higher demand, and we have been forced to respond by
adjusting our fares to remain competitive on the affected
routes. It is premature to determine whether or not Grupo
TACAs recent fare reductions represent the commencement of
its transition to a new business model. Such a transition could
result in significant and lasting downward pressure on the fares
we charge for flights on the routes on which we compete with
Grupo TACA.
American Airlines also offers significant competition. American
attracts strong brand recognition throughout the Americas and is
able to attract brand loyalty through its AAdvantage
frequent flyer program. American Airlines competes through its
hubs at Miami and San Juan, Puerto Rico. American Airlines
was a founding member of the oneworld global marketing alliance.
LAN Airlines is another oneworld member that offers service to
more than 50 destinations, primarily in Latin America. LAN
Airlines is comprised of LAN Chile, LAN Peru, LAN Ecuador, LAN
Argentina, LAN Cargo and LAN Express. While we do not compete
directly with LAN Airlines on many of our current routes,
73
LAN Airlines has grown rapidly over the past several years and
may become a more significant competitor in the future.
We are also introducing service to and from destinations where
the local airline is less viable and competitive, such as the
Dominican Republic (Santo Domingo), Ecuador (Quito and
Guayaquil) and Venezuela (Caracas). Several smaller airlines
also compete in Central America, including AeroHonduras and
Tikal Jets.
Copa has also established itself as a significant player on
traffic to and from Colombia, with strong market share on routes
to and from Barranquilla, Bogotá, Cali, Cartagena,
Medellín and San Andrés. AeroRepública
competes more directly with Avianca and other Colombian carriers
in the Colombian domestic market. Avianca recently emerged from
U.S. bankruptcy protection, after being purchased by
Brazils Synergy Group. The new owners of Avianca have
announced their intention to increase Aviancas market
share and transform Bogotá into a major international
aviation hub which, if successful, will compete directly with
our hub at Tocumen International Airport. We cannot predict
whether Avianca will become more competitive under its new
management, or if their increased operations from Bogotá
will prove successful. The other Colombian carriers against
which AeroRepública competes, Aires, Aerolineas de
Antioquia and the state-owned airline Satena, collectively
accounted for approximately 25% of the domestic Colombian market
in 2004. Airlines that seek to compete in the Colombian air
transportation market face substantial barriers to entry, as the
Colombian government requires an airline to operate at least
five aircraft and comply with extensive filing and certification
requirements before it becomes eligible to receive domestic
route rights on certain Colombian routes between major cities.
In addition, the number of air carriers offering service on any
route is currently regulated by the Colombian Aviation Authority.
With respect to our cargo operations, we will continue to face
competition from all of the major airfreight companies, most
notably DHL, which has a large cargo hub operation at Tocumen
International Airport.
Aircraft
As of September 30, 2005 Copa operated a fleet consisting
of 22 aircraft, including 18 Boeing 737-700 Next Generation
aircraft and four Boeing 737-800 Next Generation aircraft. In
the first quarter of 2005, we discontinued use of our remaining
Boeing 737-200 aircraft. On November 16, 2005, we accepted
delivery on the first of our twelve firm commitments to purchase
the Embraer 190. We currently have firm orders to purchase seven
additional Boeing 737-Next Generation aircraft and eleven
Embraer 190s. We also have options for an additional 18 Embraer
190s and purchase rights for an additional ten 737-Next
Generation aircraft, some of which may be used to purchase
aircraft for our AeroRepública subsidiary.
The current composition of the Copa fleet as of
September 30, 2005 is more fully described below:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Average Term | |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Number of Aircraft | |
|
of Lease | |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
Remaining | |
|
Average Age | |
|
Seating | |
|
|
Total | |
|
Owned | |
|
Leased | |
|
(Years) | |
|
(Years) | |
|
Capacity | |
|
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
Boeing 737-700
|
|
|
18 |
|
|
|
12 |
|
|
|
6 |
|
|
|
5.4 |
|
|
|
3.7 |
|
|
|
124 |
|
Boeing 737-800
|
|
|
4 |
|
|
|
3 |
|
|
|
1 |
|
|
|
7.1 |
|
|
|
1.3 |
|
|
|
155 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total
|
|
|
22 |
|
|
|
15 |
|
|
|
7 |
|
|
|
5.7 |
|
|
|
3.3 |
|
|
|
n/a |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
74
As of September 30, 2005, the Copa fleet consisted of 18
Boeing 737-700s (six of which we leased) and four Boeing
737-800s (one of which we leased). Our fleet will continue to
center on the Boeing 737-700 model, although we will continue to
add Boeing 737-800s to our fleet in order to cover high-demand
routes and Embraer 190s to serve underserved markets as well as
fly additional frequencies where we believe excess demand
exists. The table below describes the expected development of
our Copa fleet until December 31, 2009.
Expected Fleet Plan (Year End)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Aircraft Type |
|
2004 | |
|
2005 | |
|
2006 | |
|
2007 | |
|
2008 | |
|
2009 | |
|
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
737-200
|
|
|
2 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
737-700
|
|
|
17 |
|
|
|
18 |
|
|
|
20 |
|
|
|
20 |
|
|
|
20 |
|
|
|
20 |
|
737-800(1)
|
|
|
3 |
|
|
|
4 |
|
|
|
4 |
|
|
|
6 |
|
|
|
8 |
|
|
|
10 |
|
Embraer 190
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
2 |
|
|
|
6 |
|
|
|
11 |
|
|
|
15 |
|
|
|
20 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total Fleet
|
|
|
22 |
|
|
|
24 |
|
|
|
30 |
|
|
|
37 |
|
|
|
43 |
|
|
|
50 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(1) |
We have the option to take delivery of Boeing 737-700s rather
than Boeing 737-800s for deliveries scheduled after 2006. |
The Boeing 737-700 and Boeing 737-800 aircraft currently in our
fleet are fuel-efficient and suit our operations well for the
following reasons:
|
|
|
|
|
They have simplified maintenance procedures. |
|
|
|
They require just one type of standardized training for our
crews. |
|
|
|
They have one of the lowest operating costs in their class. |
Our focus on profitable operations means that we periodically
review our fleet composition. As a result, our fleet composition
changes over time when we conclude that adding other types of
aircraft will help us achieve this goal. The introduction of any
new type of aircraft to our fleet is only done if, after careful
consideration, we determine that such a step will improve our
profitability. In line with this philosophy, after conducting a
careful cost-benefit analysis, we decided to add the Embraer 190
aircraft because its combination of smaller size and highly
efficient operating characteristics made it the ideal aircraft
to serve new mid-sized markets and to increase frequency to
existing destinations. The Embraer 190 incorporates advanced
design features, such as integrated avionics, fly-by-wire flight
controls, and efficient CF34-10 engines made by General
Electric. The Embraer E190 is expected to have a range of
approximately 2,000 nautical miles enabling it to fly to a wide
range of destinations from short-haul to certain medium-haul
destinations. We will configure our Embraer aircraft with a
business class section similar to the business class section we
have on our Boeing 737-Next Generation aircraft.
Through several special purpose vehicles, we currently have
beneficial ownership of 16 of our aircraft, including our new
Embraer 190. In addition, we lease six of our Boeing 737-700s
and one of our Boeing 737-800s under long-term operating lease
agreements that have an average remaining term of
68 months. Leasing some of our aircraft provides us with
flexibility to change our fleet composition if we consider it to
be in our best interests to do so. We make monthly rental
payments, some of which are based on floating rates, but are not
required to make termination payments at the end of the lease.
Currently, we do not have purchase options in any of our lease
agreements. Under our operating lease agreements, we are
required in some cases to maintain maintenance reserve accounts
and in other cases to make supplemental rent payments at the end
of the lease that are calculated with reference to the
aircrafts maintenance schedule. In either case, we must
return the aircraft in the agreed upon condition at the end of
the lease term. Title to the aircraft remains with the lessor.
We are responsible for the maintenance, servicing, insurance,
repair and overhaul of the aircraft during the term of the lease.
To respond to and cater to the growing number of business
travelers, we introduced business class (Clase Ejecutiva)
in November of 1998. Our business class service features twelve
luxury seats in the Boeing 737-700s with a 38-inch pitch,
upgraded meal service, special check-in desks, bonus mileage for
full-fare
75
business class passengers and access to VIP lounges. Our Boeing
737-800s are configured with 14 business class seats. Our
Embraer 190s will have 10 business class seats in a three
abreast configuration and 38-inch pitch.
Each of our Boeing 737-Next Generation aircraft is powered by
two CFM International Model CFM 56-7B engines. We currently
have three spare engines for service replacements and for
periodic rotation through our fleet.
AeroRepública currently operates a fleet of two owned
DC-9s, five leased MD-81s, three leased MD-82s and two leased
MD-83s with an average age in excess of 20 years.
AeroRepública expects to take delivery of one additional
MD-82 aircraft in 2005. All of the AeroRepública fleet is
configured as a single class, with the MD fleet having an
average capacity of 157 seats and the DC-9 fleet having an
average capacity of 110 seats.
Maintenance
The maintenance performed on our aircraft can be divided into
two general categories: line and heavy maintenance. Line
maintenance consists of routine, scheduled maintenance checks on
our aircraft, including pre-flight, daily and overnight checks,
A-checks and any diagnostics and routine repairs.
Most of our line maintenance is performed by our own highly
experienced technicians at our base in Panama. Some line
maintenance is also carried out at the foreign stations by Copa
employees or third-party contractors. Heavy maintenance consists
of more complex inspections and overhauls, including
C-checks, and servicing of the aircraft that cannot
be accomplished during an overnight visit. Maintenance checks
are performed as defined by the aircraft manufacturer. These
checks are based on the number of hours or calendar months
flown. We contract with certified outside maintenance providers,
such as Goodrich Aviation Technical Services, Inc. in Everett,
Washington, which is certified as an authorized repair station
by the FAA and the AAC, for heavy aircraft maintenance services.
We also have an exclusive long-term contract with GE Engines
whereby they will perform maintenance on all of our CFM-56
engines. In 2004, outside contractors performed airframe heavy
maintenance on four of our aircraft. When possible, we attempt
to schedule heavy maintenance during our lower-demand season in
April, May, October and November.
We employ over 200 maintenance professionals, including
engineers, supervisors, technicians and mechanics, who perform
maintenance in accordance with maintenance programs that are
established by the manufacturer and approved and certified by
international aviation authorities. Every mechanic is trained in
factory procedures and goes through our own rigorous in-house
training program. Every mechanic is licensed by the AAC and
approximately 22 of our mechanics are also licensed by the FAA.
Our safety and maintenance procedures are reviewed and
periodically audited by the aircraft manufacturer, the AAC, the
FAA, IATA and, to a lesser extent, every foreign country to
which we fly. Our maintenance facility at Tocumen International
Airport has been certified by the FAA as an approved repair
station, and each year the FAA inspects our facilities to renew
the certification. Our aircraft are initially covered by
warranties that have a term of four years, resulting in lower
maintenance expenses during the period of coverage. As part of
the purchase agreement for the new Embraer 190s, several of our
mechanics are enrolled in a comprehensive factory training
course on the maintenance program for the Embraer 190s. All of
our mechanics will eventually be trained to perform line
maintenance on the Embraer 190s.
All maintenance for AeroRepúblicas DC-9s and line
maintenance for the MD-80s is performed by
AeroRepúblicas in-house maintenance staff, while
C-checks on the MD-80s are performed by FAA certified
third-party aviation maintenance companies. All of
AeroRepúblicas maintenance and safety procedures are
performed according to Boeing standards (certified by the FAA),
and certified by the Aeronáutica Civil of Colombia and
BVQi, the institute that issues ISO quality certificates. All of
AeroRepúblicas maintenance personnel are licensed by
the Aeronáutica Civil of Colombia.
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Safety
We place a high priority on providing safe and reliable air
service. We have uniform safety standards and safety-related
training programs that cover all of our operations. In
particular, we periodically evaluate the skills, experience and
safety records of our pilots in order to maintain strict control
over the quality of our pilot crews. All of our pilots
participate in training programs, some of which are sponsored by
aircraft manufacturers, and all are required to undergo
recurrent training two times per year. We have a full time
program of Flight Data Analysis (FOQA) wherein the flight
data from every Copa flight is analyzed for safety or technical
anomalies. During 2005, Copa Airlines completed a Line
Operations Safety Audit under contract with University of Texas
researchers. We also recently successfully completed our IATA
Operational Safety Audit (IOSA).
In the last ten years, Copa has had no accidents or incidents
involving major injury to passengers, crew or aircraft. Over
thirteen years ago, we lost one aircraft and all of its
passengers in an accident believed to have been caused by
failure of a navigation instrument. Just prior to our
acquisition of AeroRepública, one of its planes slid off of
a runway in an accident without serious injuries to passengers;
however, the aircraft was severely damaged and declared a total
loss by its insurers.
The FAA periodically audits the aviation regulatory authorities
of other countries. As a result of their investigation, each
country is given an International Aviation Safety Assessment, or
IASA, rating. In May 2001, Panamas IASA rating was
downgraded from Category 1 to Category 2 due to alleged
deficiencies in the Panamanian governments air safety
standards and AACs capability to provide regulatory
oversight. As a result of this downgrade, we were prevented from
adding flights to new destinations in the United States and from
certifying new aircraft for flights to the United States, and
Continental was prevented from placing its code on our flights.
On April 14, 2004, the FAA upgraded the IASA rating for
Panama from Category 2 to Category 1,
which indicates a strong level of confidence in the safety
regulation of the AAC. The return to Category 1 allowed
Continental to reestablish placing its code on our flights and
allowed us to add new U.S. destinations to our network.
In order to recover Category 1 status, the Panamanian government
passed a new law regulating aviation; and the AAC issued new
regulations compliant with standards of the International Civil
Aviation Organization, or ICAO. FAA inspectors and ICAO advisors
were hired to help with training; and the government approved a
budget of $14 million for the AAC to comply with various
regulations of ICAO.
Airport Facilities
We believe that our hub at Panama Citys Tocumen
International Airport (PTY) is an excellent base of
operations for the following reasons:
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Panamas consistently temperate climate is ideal for
airport operations. For example, Tocumen was closed and
unavailable for flight operations for a total of less than two
hours in each 2003 and 2004. |
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Tocumen is the only airport in Central America with two
operational runways. Also unlike some other regional airports,
we are currently not constrained by a lack of available
gates/parking positions at Tocumen, and there is ample room to
expand Tocumen. |
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From Panamas central location, our 124-seat Boeing
737-700s can efficiently serve long-haul destinations in South
American cities such as Santiago, Chile; Buenos Aires,
Argentina; and São Paulo, Brazil as well as short-haul
destinations in Central and South America. |
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Travelers can generally make connections easily through Tocumen
because of its manageable size and Panamas policies
accommodating in-transit passengers. |
Tocumen International Airport is operated by an independent
corporate entity established by the government, where
stakeholders have a say in the operation and development of the
airport. A Copa executive, as a representative of the Panamanian
Airline Association, holds a seat on the board of this airport
operator. The law that created this entity also provided for a
significant portion of revenues generated at Tocumen to be used
for airport expansion and improvements. We do not have any
formal, written agreements with the airport
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management that govern access fees, landing rights or allocation
of terminal gates. We rely upon our good working relationship
with the airports management and the Panamanian government
to ensure that we have access to the airport resources we need
at prices that are reasonable.
We have worked closely with the airports management and
consulted with the IATA infrastructure group to provide plans
and guidance for Phase I of an airport expansion that will
provide up to eight new gate positions with jet bridges, six new
remote parking positions, expand retail areas and improve the
baggage-handling facilities. The government has authorized
$70 million to cover the costs of this expansion. In April
2004, Leo A. Daly, an American company whose experience includes
the renovation of the Miami, Dallas and Washington, D.C.
(Reagan) airports, won the bid to remodel and expand the
terminal. Work on Phase I is expected to be completed by
the first quarter of 2006. We are considering an increased role
for Copa in facilitating a planned Phase II of the airport
expansion that would add another five gates to the airport.
We provide all of our own ground services and handling of
passengers and cargo at Tocumen International Airport. In
addition, we provide services to several of the principal
foreign airlines that operate at Tocumen. At most of the foreign
airports where we operate, foreign airport services companies
provide all of our support services other than sales, counter
services and some minor maintenance.
We lease a variety of facilities at Tocumen, including our
maintenance hangar and our operations facilities in the airport
terminal. From our System Operations Control Center located at
Tocumen International Airport, we dispatch, track and direct our
aircraft throughout the hemisphere and respond to operational
contingencies as necessary. We generally cooperate with the
airport authority to modify the lease terms as necessary to
account for capital improvements and expansion plans. Currently,
our elite passengers have access to a Presidents Club at
the airport, which is jointly operated with Continental and was
opened in March 2000. The Presidents Club will be expanded
to approximately twice its current size as part of the Tocumen
International Airport expansion project.
Bogotas El Dorado Airport is AeroRepúblicas
main operating terminal. It is also Colombias main
international and domestic terminal, with two operational
runways. El Dorado is undergoing a privatization process in
which improvements are expected to the passenger and cargo
terminals. AeroRepública currently leases a variety of
facilities at El Dorado, including counters, maintenance and
administrative and dispatch areas.
Fuel
Fuel costs are extremely volatile, as they are subject to many
global economic and geopolitical factors that we can neither
control nor accurately predict. Due to its inherent volatility,
aircraft fuel has historically been our most unpredictable unit
cost. Concurrent with the worlds economic recovery, demand
for oil has surged, especially in fast-growing China. This
increase in demand coupled with limited refinery capacity and
instability in oil-exporting countries has led to a rapid
increase in prices. When combined with the relative weakness of
the U.S. dollar, the currency in which oil is traded, these
factors have caused a record high price for oil in nominal
dollar terms.
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Aircraft Fuel Data | |
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Nine Months Ended | |
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2000 | |
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September 30, 2005 | |
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Copa
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Average price per gallon of jet fuel into plane (excluding
hedge) (in U.S. dollars)
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$ |
1.08 |
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$ |
0.95 |
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