As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on April
4
, 2022 UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM 20-F
REGISTRATION STATEMENT PURSUANT TO SECTION 12(b) OR (g) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 |
OR
ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 FOR THE FISCAL YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2021 |
OR
TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 |
OR
SHELL COMPANY REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 |
Commission file number: 001-32696
(Exact name of Registrant as Specified in Its Charter)
Not Applicable
(Translation of Registrant’s Name Into English)
(Jurisdiction of Incorporation or Organization)
(Address of Principal Executive Offices)
+507 304 2774 (Telephone)
+507
304
2696
(Facsimile) (Registrant’s Contact Person)
Securities registered or to be registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act
Title of Each Class: |
Trading Symbol(s) |
Name of Each Exchange On Which Registered | ||
Securities registered or to be registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act:
None
Securities for which there is a reporting obligation pursuant to Section 15(d) of the Act:
None
Indicate the number of outstanding shares of each of the issuer’s classes of capital or common stock as of the close of the period covered by the annual report: At December 31, 2021, there were outstanding 41,933,245 shares of common stock, without par value, of which 30,995,120 were Class A shares and 10,938,125 were Class B shares.
Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act. ☒ Yes ☐ No
If this report is an annual or transition report, indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.
☐
Yes
☒
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.
☒
☐
No
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation
☒S-T
(§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files). No
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a
non-accelerated
filer, or an emerging growth company. See definition of “large accelerated filer”, “accelerated filer” and “emerging growth company” in Rule
12b-2
of Exchange Act.:
☒ |
Accelerated Filer |
☐ |
Non-accelerated Filer |
☐ | ||||||
Emerging Growth Company |
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If an emerging growth company that prepares its financial statements in accordance with U.S. GAAP, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act.
☐
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has filed a report on and attestation to its management’s assessment of effectiveness of its internal control over financial reporting under Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (15 U.S.C. 7262(b)) by the registered public accounting firm that prepared or issued its audit report.
Indicate by check mark which basis of accounting the registrant has used to prepare the financial statements included in this filing:
U.S. GAAP ☐ |
☒ | Other ☐ | ||||||
by the International Accounting Standards Board |
If “Other” has been checked in response to the previous question, indicate by check mark which financial statement item the registrant has elected to follow:
Item 17
Item 18
If this is an annual report, indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule
☐12b-2
of the Exchange Act). Yes
No
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i
Introduction
In this annual report on Form
20-F,
unless the context otherwise requires, references to “Copa Airlines” are to Compañía Panameña de Aviación, S.A., the consolidated operating entity, “Wingo” refers to the low-cost
business model offered by AeroRepública and La Nueva Aerolínea, S.A., and references to “Copa”, “Copa Holdings”, “we”, “us” or the “Company” are to Copa Holdings, S.A. and its consolidated subsidiaries. References to “Class A shares” refer to Class A shares of Copa Holdings, S.A. This annual report contains terms relating to operating performance that are commonly used within the airline industry and are defined as follows:
| • | “Aircraft utilization” represents the average number of block hours operated per day per aircraft for the total aircraft fleet. |
| • | “Available seat miles” or “ASMs” represents the aircraft seating capacity multiplied by the number of miles the seats are flown. |
| • | “Average stage length” represents the average number of miles flown per flight segment. |
| • | “Block hours” refers to the elapsed time between an aircraft leaving an airport gate and arriving at an airport gate. |
| • | “Load factor” represents the percentage of aircraft seating capacity that is actually utilized (calculated by dividing revenue passenger miles by available seat miles). |
| • | “Operating expense per available seat mile” represents operating expenses divided by available seat miles. |
| • | “Operating revenue per available seat mile” represents operating revenues divided by available seat miles. |
| • | “Passenger revenue per available seat mile” represents passenger revenues divided by available seat miles. |
| • | “Revenue passenger miles” represents the number of miles flown by revenue passengers. |
| • | “Revenue passenger kilometers” represents the number of kilometers flown by revenue passengers. |
| • | “Revenue passengers” represents the total number of paying passengers (including all passengers redeeming frequent flyer miles and other travel awards) flown on all flight segments (with each connecting segment being considered a separate flight segment). |
| • | “Yield” represents the average amount one passenger pays to fly one mile. |
Market Data
This annual report contains certain statistical data regarding our airline routes, our competitive position, market share 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 our 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 in this annual report are our audited consolidated statement of financial position as of December 31, 2021 and 2020, and the related audited consolidated statements of profit or loss, comprehensive income or loss, changes in equity and cash flows for the years ended December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019.
The details of the changes in accounting policies or presentation are disclosed in note 5 of our annual consolidated financial statements.
The Company’s consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards or “IFRS,” as issued by the International Accounting Standards Board, or “IASB.”
Unless otherwise indicated, all references in the annual report to “$” or “dollars” refer to U.S. dollars.
Certain figures included in this annual report 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.
Special Note About Forward-Looking Statements
This annual report includes forward-looking statements, principally under the captions “Risk Factors,” “Business Overview” and “Operating and Financial Review and Prospects.” 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 annual report, could cause our actual results to differ substantially from those anticipated in our forward- looking statements, including, among other things:
| • | general economic, political and business conditions in Panama and Latin America and particularly in the geographic markets we serve; |
| • | the continued effect of the coronavirus (“COVID-19”) pandemic on our business and the markets in which we operate; |
| • | our management’s expectations and estimates concerning our future financial performance and financing plans and programs; |
| • | our level of debt and other fixed obligations; |
| • | demand for passenger and cargo air service in the markets in which we operate; |
| • | competition; |
| • | our capital expenditure plans; |
| • | changes in the regulatory environment in which we operate; |
| • | changes in labor costs, maintenance costs, fuel costs and insurance premiums; |
| • | changes in market prices, customer demand and preferences and competitive conditions; |
| • | cyclical and seasonal fluctuations in our operating results; |
| • | defects or mechanical problems with our aircraft; |
| • | our ability to successfully implement our growth strategy; |
| • | our ability to obtain financing on commercially reasonable terms; and |
| • | the risk factors discussed under “Risk Factors” beginning on page 4. |
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 the date of this annual report 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 annual report 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 annual report.
2
PART I
Item 1. Identity of Directors, Senior Management and Advisers
Not applicable.
Item 2. Offer Statistics and Expected Timetable
Not applicable.
Item 3. Key Information
A. |
Selected Financial Data |
Not applicable.
B. |
Capitalization and Indebtedness |
Not applicable.
C. |
Reasons for the Offer and Use of Proceeds |
Not applicable.
D. |
Risk Factors |
Risks Relating to the
COVID-19
Pandemic The
COVID-19
pandemic has had and is expected to continue to have a material adverse impact on our business. The spread of or
COVID-19
and the global pandemic had a significant adverse impact on all aspects of our business. In response to the pandemic, many governments around the world implemented a variety of aggressive measures to reduce the spread of the virus, including travel restrictions, bans and vaccination requirements. As a result, we and the broader air travel industry have suffered unprecedented reductions in demand, which has significantly affected our business, financial condition and operating results. This adverse effect, however to a lesser extent, may continue after the virus is contained, particularly if economic conditions, as well as government regulation and consumer attitudes toward air travel change in a lasting way that reduces the effectiveness of our hub-and-spoke
low-cost
business models. As a result of the travel restrictions imposed by the governments of the countries in which we operate, including the Panamanian authorities’ suspension of commercial operations to and from Panama, we suspended all commercial flights on March 22, 2020. On August 14, 2020, the Company restarted limited scheduled commercial operations, subject to Panama’s health control restrictions on the number of flights and on entry for
non-citizens
and non-residents
to Panama. These restrictions were subsequently lifted on October 11, 2020. The Company has been gradually increasing capacity since then. The ramp up of our operations have been steady. As of June 15, 2021, we resumed service at our six-bank
hub at Tocumen International Airport. Our operations have grown steadily during this period. In December 2021, we operated at 88% of the December 2019 capacity. However, we continue to evaluate demand levels, the easing or lifting of travel restrictions, and advisories and changes of health conditions in markets we serve. Reduction of demand levels and new restrictions imposed by governments could require us to reduce flight frequencies and destinations, and consequently, to re-evaluate
the size of our fleet, our network and our workforce levels going forward. Laws, regulations, orders, or other government actions that require employees or passengers to be vaccinated in the countries in which we operate could materially adversely affect the Company’s operations. Vaccination requirements for international travelers could negatively impact demand in certain of our markets. For example, the Argentine, Canadian, Chilean and United States governments have required international passengers traveling into each country to be vaccinated or comply with certain quarantine and testing requirements. Additionally, to the extent that our employees or third-party vendors and service providers are subject to vaccination regulations, the Company’s operations could be materially adversely affected should these individuals be unable or unwilling to comply with the applicable requirements.
3
The screening measures that may apply to our personnel and/or the traveling public, our results of operations would be materially adversely affected, and we may have to take additional actions to preserve our long- term sustainability.
COVID-19
pandemic has had, and may continue to have, a material adverse impact on the Company’s operations. The extent of the future impact of COVID-19
on the Company’s operational and financial performance will depend on future developments, including, but not limited to, the scope and severity of the pandemic related travel advisories and restrictions, the availability and effectiveness of vaccines, the effectiveness of available vaccines against variants of the virus, the duration and severity of the impact of COVID-19
on overall demand for air travel, and its economic impact, all of which are highly uncertain and cannot be predicted. Pilots, flight attendants and other employees testing positive for COVID has resulted and may result in flight cancellations or may require us to otherwise scale back services. If the Company’s operations were to shut down or significantly reduced levels for an extended period, or if governments implement permanent travel restrictions, including enhanced COVID-19-related
In addition, an outbreak of another disease or similar public health threat, or fear of such an event, including a resurgence of
COVID-19
and its variations, that affects travel demand, travel behavior or travel restrictions could have a material adverse impact on the Company’s business, financial condition and operating results. Outbreaks of other diseases could also result in increased government restrictions and regulation, such as those actions described above or otherwise, which could adversely affect our operations. We may not have sufficient liquidity for the duration of the
COVID-19
pandemic and resulting effects therefrom. As of December 31, 2021, we had approximately $1.0 billion in cash, cash equivalents, and short-term investments. Our continued access to sources of liquidity depends on multiple factors, including global economic conditions, government regulation, the condition of global financial markets, the availability of sufficient amounts of financing and our operating and financial performance. There is no guarantee that these additional sources of financing will be available on commercially reasonable terms or at all, and there is no guarantee that we will be successful in implementing our other outlined strategic initiatives, in which case we may need to seek other sources of funding. In addition, the terms of future debt agreements could include restrictive covenants, which could restrict our business operations.
The significant adverse effect that the
COVID-19
pandemic has had on the airline industry may cause an impairment in our long-lived assets. The spread of
COVID-19
and the recent developments surrounding the global pandemic are having an unprecedented adverse impact on the airline industry. As a result, we may be required to write down the carrying value of certain of our long-lived assets, such as aircraft, to the extent the value of those assets declines. The Company can provide no assurance that a material impairment loss of assets will not occur in a future period, and the risk of future material impairments has been significantly heightened as result of the effects of the
COVID-19
pandemic on our flight schedules and business. The value of the Company’s aircraft could also be impacted in future periods by changes in supply and demand for these aircraft. These changes in supply and demand for certain aircraft types could result from the continued or additional future grounding of aircraft. An impairment loss could have a material adverse effect on the Company’s financial condition, operating results and ability to secure financing. The
COVID-19
pandemic is having a significant negative impact on the economies of the countries in which we operate, which is reducing demand for travel. Travel expenditures are sensitive to personal and business discretionary spending levels and grow more slowly or decline during economic downturns. A substantial portion of our assets are located in Panama and a significant portion of our passengers’ trips either originate or end in Panama. Furthermore, a large majority of Copa’s 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. We also derive a substantial portion of our revenues from Colombia, Brazil, the United States, and other countries in Latin America.
The
COVID-19
pandemic has significantly and negatively impacted the global economy, including in Panama and other countries where we operate. The pandemic has resulted in increased unemployment, reduced financial capacity of both business and leisure travelers, diminished liquidity and credit availability, declines in consumer confidence and discretionary income, large devaluations in the currencies of many countries in Latin America, and general uncertainty about economic stability. Although we have 4
seen partial economic recovery, we cannot predict the impact future or
COVID-19
variants may have on our economic recovery nor can we predict when our business operations will return to pre COVID-19
levels. This may not occur until well after the broader global economy begins to improve. We cannot predict the effect the COVID-19
pandemic could have on long-term demand for air travel even once broader global economic conditions improve and travel restrictions are eased or lifted, including whether the increased usage of video conferencing technology results in a permanent reduction in business travel, or whether our hub-and-spoke
low-cost
business models will be effective in a changed demand environment. We cannot predict the magnitude, length or recurrence of these impacts to the global economy, which have impacted, and may continue to impact demand for travel and lead to reduced spending on the services we provide. Risks Relating to our Company
Failure to successfully implement our business strategy may adversely affect our results of operations and harm the market value of our Class A shares.
We intend to restore capacity to
pre-pandemic
levels, increase the frequency of flights to the markets we currently serve over the long term and offer new destinations that add value to our network. Achieving these goals will allow our business to benefit from cost efficiencies resulting from economies of scale, but will require substantial cash needs. If we do not have enough cash to fund such projects, we may not be able to successfully expand our route system, therefore, our future revenue and earnings growth would be limited. As we restart routes, add new frequencies to existing routes, or add new routes, our advertising and other promotional costs generally increase, which may result in initial losses that could have a negative impact on our results of operations as well as require substantial amounts of cash. We also periodically run special promotional fare campaigns. Promotional fares can 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 flight frequencies depend on available demand and on our ability to identify the appropriate geographic markets upon which to focus and to gain suitable airport access in addition to route approval in the aforementioned markets. There can be no assurance that the markets we enter will yield passenger traffic at the expected fares that will be 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 or renew existing route rights that we ceased to use during the pandemic, under bilateral agreements or the inability to maintain our existing slots, flight banks and obtain additional slots, could constrain the expansion of our operations.
Our business also requires skilled personnel, equipment and facilities. The inability to hire, train and/or retain pilots and other personnel or secure the required equipment and facilities efficiently, cost-effectively, and on a timely basis, could adversely affect our ability to execute our plans. It also could 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. Difficulties obtaining necessary equipment could also affect our business. Considering these factors, we cannot ensure that we will be able to successfully establish new markets or expand our existing markets, and our failure to do so could have an impact on our business and results of operations, as well as the value of our Class A shares.
Our performance is heavily dependent on economic and political conditions in the countries in which we do business.
Passenger demand is heavily cyclical and highly dependent on global, regional and country-specific economic growth, economic expectations and foreign exchange rate variations. We have been negatively impacted by poor economic performance in certain emerging market countries in which we operate, as well as by weaker Latin American currencies, including as a result of the
COVID-19
pandemic. See “— The COVID-19
pandemic is having a significant negative impact on the economies of the countries in which we operate, which is reducing demand for travel.” In addition, Venezuela has experienced difficult political conditions and declines in the rate of economic growth in recent periods as well as governmental actions that have adversely impacted businesses that operate there. In December 2020, the Company cancelled flights between Panama and Venezuela, due to the Venezuelan government’s air travel restrictions intended to contain the
COVID-19
pandemic. The Company resumed service between Panama and Venezuela in January 2021 after the Venezuelan government lifted the passenger flight restrictions. Also, on May 15, 2019 the Homeland Security Department of the United States announced a suspension of all commercial passenger and cargo flights between the United States and Venezuela. The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) concurred with this determination and issued an order suspending all foreign air transportation for passengers or cargo to or from any airport in Venezuela. 5
Any of the following developments (or a continuation or worsening of any of the following currently in existence) in the countries in which we operate could adversely affect our business, financial condition, liquidity and results of operations:
| • | changes in economic or other governmental policies, including exchange controls; |
| • | 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 are derived from discretionary and leisure travel, which are especially sensitive to economic downturns and political conditions. An adverse economic and/or political environment, whether global, regional or in a specific country, could result in a reduction in passenger traffic, and leisure travel in particular, as well as a reduction in our cargo business, and could also impact our ability to raise fares, which in turn would materially and negatively affect our financial condition and results of operations.
The cost of financing our aircraft may increase, or the availability of financing could be limited, which could negatively impact our business.
We have historically been able to achieve favorable financing terms through commercial and US Export-Import bank guaranteed loans, sale-leasebacks, as well as financial and operating leases. Given the state of the industry as a result of the
COVID-19
pandemic, aviation financing has become much harder and more expensive to obtain. Therefore, we cannot ensure that we will be able to continue to raise financing from past sources, or from other sources, on terms comparable to our existing financing or at all. Additionally, the disruption and volatility in the global and domestic capital markets resulting from the COVID-19
pandemic may increase the cost of capital and limit our ability to access capital. If the cost of such financing increases or we are unable to obtain such financing, we may be forced to incur higher than anticipated financing costs, which could have an adverse impact on our business, including the execution of our growth strategy. Due to limited availability of financing, our last seven deliveries have been financed through the Export Import Bank of the United States (or “Ex-Im”
bank) guaranteed loans. On April 30, 2020, we issued $350 million aggregate principal amount of 4.5% convertible senior, unsecured notes due 2025 in a private offering. Noteholders may convert their notes at their election on and following October 15, 2024 through the maturity date, with an initial conversion price of approximately $51.66 per share of Class A common stock. The conversion rate of the convertible senior notes may represent a significant premium over the trading price of our stock at the time of conversion, which could result in dilution to our shareholders.
We have historically operated using a model and are vulnerable to competitors offering direct flights between destinations we serve and/or opening new hubs.
hub-and-spoke
The general structure of our flight operations follows what is known in the airline industry as a 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 operators have faced significant and increasing competitive pressure from carriers on routes with sufficient demand to sustain service. A structure enables airlines to focus on the most profitable, high-demand routes and to offer greater convenience and, in many instances, lower fares. If demand for air travel in Latin America increases, some of our competitors have initiated model remains our primary operational model and we believe that competition from carriers will be directed towards the largest markets that we serve and is likely to continue at this level or intensify in the future. As a result, the effect of competition on us could be significant and could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
“hub-and-spoke”
hub-and-spoke
low-cost,
point-to-point
point-to-point
point-to-point
non-stop
service between destinations that we currently serve through our hub in Panama. Additionally, newer aircraft models, such as, Boeing 737 MAX and Airbus 320-NEO,
allow nonstop flights in certain city pairs that could not be served with prior generation narrow-body aircraft and may bypass our hub. Airbus will also launch the A321 XLR: a new model of the Airbus 320 family that will extend the range of the current Airbus 320 NEO allowing competitors to explore new competitive routes overflying our Hub. It is expected to be released in 2023. Competitors are also opening new international hubs, especially in Brazil. Competitive services, which bypass our hub in Panama, may be more convenient and possibly less expensive than our services and could significantly decrease demand for our service to those destinations. In December 2016, we launched a low-cost
business model, Wingo, to diversify our offerings and to better compete with other low-cost
carriers, or “LCCs,” in the market. However, our traditional hub-and-spoke
point-to-point
We may not realize benefits from Wingo, our
low-cost
business model. Wingo is our
low-cost
business model, which is operated by AeroRepública, S.A., During the third quarter of 2021, we incorporated a new operator, La Nueva Aerolínea S.A., which is based in Panama and will initially operate under the Wingo brand. As of December 31, 2021, Wingo operated eight of our Boeing 737-800s,
each configured with 186 seats in a single class cabin. During 2022, Wingo, through La Nueva Aerolinea, S.A., will incorporate one additional aircraft based in Panama City. 6
During recent years, we have successfully operated our Wingo
low-cost
business model, with better results than initially expected. As a result, we decided to change the Boeing 737-700s
fleet to Boeing 737-800s,
with a greater seat density and lower unitary costs, which shall make our competitive position stronger. Even though we have gained knowledge regarding the low-cost
business model over recent years, we have limited experience operating it, and we may not be able to accurately predict its impact on our main line services. In particular, if demand for Wingo flights is not substantial, or cannibalizes Copa´s mainline flights, if our pricing strategy does not adequately align with our cost structure, or if Wingo does not meet customer expectations, Wingo’s operations could have a negative impact on our reputation or our operating results. We may not realize benefits from our strategic alliances and other commercial relationships, including from our announced joint business agreement with United Airlines, Inc. (“UAL”) and Avianca Holdings (“Avianca”).
We maintain a number of strategic alliances and other commercial relationships in many of the jurisdictions in which we operate. For example, we have been a Star Alliance member since June 2012, and we renewed our strategic alliance with UAL in May 2021. In addition, on November 30, 2018, we announced a
three-way
joint business agreement (“JBA”) with UAL and Avianca that is intended to cover our combined network between the United States and Latin America (except Brazil). We, UAL and Avianca intend to apply for regulatory approval of the JBA and an accompanying grant of antitrust immunity from the U.S. Department of Transportation and other relevant agencies. However, we can provide no assurances as to whether or when the parties will receive such approvals, and we do not plan to fully implement the JBA until we have received such approvals. Furthermore, there can be no assurance as to what the impact will be of the COVID-19
pandemic or the implementation of Avianca’s approved bankruptcy reorganization plan following its exit from United States Code title 11 bankruptcy proceeding with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court (“Chapter 11”). The parties to the JBA recently agreed to an amendment that provides, among other terms, that they will negotiate mutually acceptable amendments to the JBA for a period of up to two years after the confirmation of a plan of reorganization in Avianca’s Chapter 11 case. The parties also agreed that any party may terminate the JBA without liability or compensation after the completion of such a two-year
“discussion period” by delivering notice to the other parties within 60 days. The purpose of these alliances and relationships is to increase revenues by enhancing our network and offering our customers services that we could not otherwise offer. However, the intended benefits may not be realized, or may not outweigh the technological and other costs associated with any alliance or relationship. In addition, if any of our strategic alliances or commercial relationships deteriorate, or is terminated, our business, financial condition and operational results could be adversely affected. Our business is subject to extensive regulation which may restrict our growth, our operations or increase our costs.
Our business, financial condition and operational results 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 Panamanian Civil Aviation Authority (the , or the “AAC”), the Colombian Civil Aviation Administration (the , or the “UAEAC”), 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. In addition, Panama is a member state of the International Civil Aviation Organization, or “ICAO,” a United Nations specialized agency. ICAO coordinates with its member states and various industry groups to establish and maintain international civil aviation standards and recommended practices and policies, which are then used by ICAO member states to ensure that their local civil aviation operations and regulations conform to global standards. We cannot predict or control any actions that the AAC, the UAEAC, the ICAO or other foreign aviation regulators may take in the future, which could include restricting our operations or imposing new and costly regulations or policies. Also, our fares are subject to review by the AAC, the UAEAC, and the regulators of certain other countries to which we fly, any of which may in the future impose restrictions on our fares.
Autoridad Aeronáutica Civil
Unidad Administrativa Especial de Aeronáutica Civil
We are also subject to international bilateral air transport agreements that provide for the exchange of air traffic rights between each of Panama and Colombia, 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. Any 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 in certain airports or destinations, the cancellation of any of our provisional routes, the inability for us to obtain favorable
take-off
and landing rights at certain high-density airports or the imposition of other sanctions could also have a negative impact on our business. We cannot be certain that a change in a foreign government’s 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. 7
We plan to restore the scale of our operations and revenues to
pre-pandemic
levels by expanding our presence on previously existing routes and to including new destinations. Our ability to successfully implement this strategy will depend upon many factors, several of which are outside our control or subject to change, including the timing and easing of regulations, restrictions and testing requirements promulgated by health authorities in Panama and other countries where we operate in response to the COVID-19
pandemic. 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, security measures, collision avoidance systems, airborne wind shear avoidance systems, noise abatement and other environmental issues, and increased inspections and maintenance procedures to be conducted on older aircraft. On March 13, 2019, the FAA issued an emergency order prohibiting the operation of Boeing 737 MAX series airplanes by U.S. certificated operators. On November 18, 2020, the FAA rescinded the order that grounded the Boeing
737-MAX
aircraft type and published an Airworthiness Directive and MAX training requirements, paving the way for a return to service. See “—If we fail to successfully operate new aircraft, in particular our new Boeing 737 MAX aircraft, our business could be harmed.” If the FAA were to issue another order prohibiting the operation of these aircraft, our ability to carry out regular operations could be negatively impacted. Additional new regulations continue to be regularly implemented by the U.S. Transportation Security Administration, or “TSA”, as well. As we expand our presence on routes to and from the United States, we expect to continue incurring expenses to comply with the FAA’s and TSA’s regulations, and any increase in the cost of compliance could have an adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations. Copa Airlines is authorized by the DOT to engage in scheduled and charter air transportation services, including the transportation of persons, property (cargo) and mail, or combinations thereof, between points in Panama and points in the United States and beyond (via intermediate points in other countries). Copa Airlines holds the necessary authorizations from the DOT in the form of a foreign air carrier permit, an exemption authority and statements of authorization to conduct our current operations to and from the United States. The exemption authority was granted by the DOT in February 1998 and was due to expire in February 2000. However, the authority remains in effect by operation of law under the terms of the Administrative Procedure Act pending final DOT action on the application we filed to renew the authority on January 3, 2000. There can be no assurance that the DOT will grant the application. Our foreign air carrier permit has no expiration date. A modification, suspension or revocation of any of our DOT authorizations or FAA operating specifications could have a material adverse effect on our business.
The growth of our operations to the United States and the benefits of our code-sharing arrangements with UAL are dependent on Panama’s continued favorable safety assessment.
The FAA periodically audits the aviation regulatory authorities of other countries. As a result of this inspection, each country is given an International Aviation Safety Assessment, or “IASA,” rating. As of 2018, Panama was rated a Category 1 country under the IASA program, which means that Panama complies with the safety requirements set forth by ICAO. Furthermore in 2021, Copa Airlines and AeroRepública successfully completed IOSA audits by external providers. We cannot guarantee 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 Panama’s IASA rating were to be downgraded in the future, it could prevent us from increasing service to the United States and could affect our code-share arrangement with UAL.
We are highly dependent on our hub at Panama City’s Tocumen International Airport.
Our business is heavily dependent on our operations at our hub at Panama City’s Tocumen International Airport. The Tocumen International Airport has experienced significant closures and delays as a result of the
COVID-19
pandemic, see “—The COVID-19
pandemic has had and is expected to continue to have a material adverse impact on our business.” Most of our Copa flights either depart from or arrive at our hub. Our operations and business strategy is therefore dependent on its facilities and infrastructure, including the success of its multi-phase expansion projects, certain of which have been completed while others are underway and have experienced significant delays. Terminal 2 has experienced delays since one of the contractors responsible for the construction, Norberto Odebrecht Construction, was subject to penalties in 2017 for its past practices related to project approvals. Terminal 2 started operating a few gates during the early part of 2019. In 2021, Tocumen International Airport terminated the contract with Odebrecht due to their
non-compliance
8
construction of the new passenger terminal. As of February 28, 2022, the contract is still in dispute, and no other company has been selected to continue with the construction of Terminal 2. Due to the construction delays, we are currently unable to determine when Copa Operations will function at full capacity in Terminal 2. Due to the magnitude of the construction required for this new Terminal 2, we may experience logistical issues and/or be subject to further increases in passenger taxes and airport charges related to the financing of the construction.
In addition, the structure of our operations is particularly dependent on the
hub-and-spoke
on-time
arrival of tightly coordinated groupings of flights (or banks) 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, power outages and increased security/health measures. Delays affect passengers, reduce aircraft utilization and increase costs, all of which in turn negatively affect our profitability. Tocumen International Airport is operated by a corporation that is owned and 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 to govern rights to use the airport’s jet ways or aircraft parking spaces. Therefore, we would not have contractual recourse if the airport authority assigned new capacity to competing airlines, reassigned our resources to other aircraft operators, raised fees or discontinued investments in the airport’s maintenance and expansion. Any of these events could result in significant new competition for our routes or could otherwise have a material adverse effect on our current operations or capacity for future growth.
We are exposed to increases in airport charges, taxes and various other fees and cannot be assured access to adequate facilities and landing rights necessary to achieve our business strategy.
We must pay fees to airport operators for the use of their facilities. Any additional fees or substantial increase in current airport charges, including at Tocumen International Airport, could have a material adverse impact on our results of operations. Passenger taxes and airport charges have increased in recent years, sometimes substantially. For example, in 2020 the industry experienced materially higher effective rates related to airport services in North America. Certain important airports that we use 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 ensure 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 various restrictions, including slot restrictions during certain periods of the day, limits on aircraft noise levels, limits on the number of average daily departures and curfews on runway use. We cannot be certain that we will be able to obtain a sufficient number of slots, gates and other facilities at airports to expand our services in line with our growth strategy. 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. In addition, we cannot ensure 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. 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. We have significant fixed expenditures in connection with our operating leases and facility rental costs, and a significant portion of our property and equipment is pledged to secure indebtedness. For the year ended December 31, 2021, our finance cost totaled $76.2 million. As of December 31, 2021, approximately 75.8% of our total indebtedness bore interest at fixed rates and the remainder was determined with reference to LIBOR. Most of our aircraft lease obligations bear interest at fixed rates.
As of December 31, 2021, the Company had one purchase contract with Boeing which entails 66 firm orders of The Boeing 737 MAX aircraft, agreed to be delivered between 2022 and 2028. The aircraft under this contract have an approximate value of $3.1 billion based on contractual obligations net of discounts and
pre-delivery
payments, including estimated amounts for contractual price escalation. We will require substantial capital from external sources to meet our future financial commitments. In addition, 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: 9
| • | limit our ability in the future to obtain additional financing for working capital or other important needs; |
| • | impair our liquidity by diverting substantial cash from our operating needs to service fixed financing obligations; or |
| • | 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 factors could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
The phase out of the London Interbank offered Rate (LIBOR), or the replacement of LIBOR with a different reference rate, may adversely affect interest rates.
In March 2021, the ICE Benchmark Administration (the Financial Conduct Authority-regulated and authorized administrator of LIBOR) announced that it would cease the publication of the
one-week
and two-month
U.S. dollar LIBOR after December 31, 2021, and the publication of all remaining U.S. dollar LIBOR tenors after June 30, 2023. The U.S. Federal Reserve, in conjunction with the Alternative Reference Rates Committee (the “ARRC”), a steering committee comprised of large U.S. financial institutions, has proposed a new index calculated by short term repurchase agreements, backed by U.S. Treasury securities, called the Secured Overnight Financing Rate (“SOFR”) as an alternative to LIBOR for use in contracts that are currently indexed to U.S. dollar LIBOR and has proposed a paced market transition plan to SOFR. On July 29, 2021, the ARRC formally recommended SOFR as its preferred alternative replacement rate for U.S. dollar LIBOR.
Although many of our LIBOR-based obligations provide for alternative methods of calculating the interest rate payable if LIBOR is not reported, the extent and manner of any future changes with respect to methods of calculating LIBOR or replacing LIBOR with another benchmark are unknown and impossible to predict at this time and, as such, may result in interest rates that are materially higher than current interest rates. This could materially and adversely affect our results of operations, cash flows and liquidity.
If we are unable to successfully operate new aircraft due to safety concerns, in particular our new Boeing 737 MAX aircraft, our business could be harmed.
We fly and rely on Boeing aircraft. As of December 31, 2021, we operated a fleet of 91 Boeing aircraft, including three Boeing
737-700
aircraft currently in temporary storage. In 2022, we expect to take delivery of eight additional Boeing 737 MAX 9 aircraft. In the future we expect to continue incorporating new aircraft into our fleet. This is based on a variety of factors, including the implementation of our business strategy. Acquisition of new aircraft involves a variety of risks relating to their ability to be successfully placed into service including:
| • | manufacturer’s delays in meeting the agreed upon aircraft delivery schedule; |
| • | difficulties in obtaining financing on acceptable terms to complete our purchase of all of the aircraft we have committed to purchase; and |
| • | the inability of new aircraft and their components to comply with agreed upon specifications and performance standards. |
In addition, we cannot predict the reliability of our new fleet as the aircraft matures. In particular, we cannot predict the reliability of the Boeing 737 MAX aircraft, powered by LEAP 1B engines, which first entered commercial service in May 2017. The LEAP 1B engine was developed by Safran Aircraft Engines and GE through their joint company, CFM International, to power the next generation of single-aisle commercial jets. The LEAP 1B has been selected by Boeing as the exclusive power plant for the new 737 MAX single-aisle jetliner.
Following the Ethiopian Airlines accident involving a Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft on March 10, 2019, we suspended operations of our six Boeing 737 MAX 9 aircraft, after authorities in Panama and other countries grounded the 737 MAX fleet worldwide, during the investigation into the cause of the accident. We partially covered our operation with other aircraft in our fleet, with significant cancellations and delays. On November 18, 2020, the FAA rescinded its grounding order, issued an airworthiness directive, and published training requirements enabling the Company to begin modifying certain operating procedures, implementing enhanced pilot training requirements, installing
FAA-approved
flight control software updates and completing other required maintenance tasks specific to the MAX aircraft. In January 2021, we resumed operations of our Boeing 737 MAX fleet after the authorization of the AAC.
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In 2020, Boeing announced that it will compensate all airlines impacted by the worldwide suspension of the Boeing MAX fleet operations. During the first quarter of 2021, the Company reached an agreement with Boeing regarding compensation related to the Boeing 737 MAX grounding. As part of the agreement, the Company will receive compensation in the form of certain credits concurrent with specified aircraft deliveries and other considerations, including a revised delivery stream. However, this compensation will only cover financial impact caused by the suspension of Boeing MAX operations. We cannot estimate any reputational and commercial impact that we may have suffered due to the grounding of Boeing MAX aircraft. Any technical issues with our aircraft would increase our maintenance expenses and could cause flight cancellations and other disruptions in our services.
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.
If there is objective evidence that an impairment loss on long-lived assets carried at amortized cost has been incurred, the amount of the impairment loss is measured as the difference between the asset’s carrying amount and the higher of its fair value less cost to sell and its value in use, defined as the present value of estimated future cash flows (excluding future expected credit losses that have not been incurred) discounted at the asset’s risk adjusted interest rate. The carrying amount of the asset is reduced and the loss is recorded in the consolidated statement of profit or loss. In addition to the fact that the value of our fleet declines as it ages, any potential excess capacity 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. When these impairments occur, we are required under IFRS to write down these assets 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.
For example, as a result of the Company’s continuing fleet optimization and efficiency efforts, we signed an aircraft sale and purchase agreement for the remaining Embraer 190 aircraft in 2020. The deliveries of these aircraft was completed by June 2021. This sale resulted in a
non-cash
loss of $89.3 million in 2019 related to the remaining aircraft as well as General Electric CF34 spare engines, and our Embraer 190 spare parts inventory. In 2020, we updated the fair value less cost to sell of the Embraer 190 fleet and related assets (spare engines, spare parts and a simulator) and recorded a non-cash
loss of $49.3 million. During 2020, we announced the sale of our
B737-700
fleet which resulted in a non-cash
impairment charge of $191.2 million. In 2021, we sold six B737-700
aircraft, and due to an increase in demand in the region, the Board of Directors approved continuing to operate the remaining eleven Boeing 737-700
aircraft for a period of three years. The Company reclassified these aircraft to property plant and equipment since the classification of assets held for sale is no longer met. This reclassification resulted in a reversal of impairment losses of $5.4 million. We may experience additional impairment as a result of the COVID-19
pandemic. See “--The
significant adverse effect that the COVID-19
pandemic has had on the airline industry is likely to cause impairment in our long-lived assets.” We rely on information and other aviation technology systems to operate our businesses and any failure or disruption of these systems may have an impact on our operational and financial results.
We rely upon information technology systems to operate our business and increase our efficiency. We are highly reliant on certain systems for flight operations, maintenance, reservations,
check-in
boarding, revenue management, baggage handling accounting and cargo distribution. Other systems are designed to decrease distribution costs through internet reservations and to maximize cargo distributions, crew utilization and flight scheduling. These systems may not deliver their anticipated benefits. In the ordinary course of business, we may upgrade or replace our systems or otherwise modify and refine our existing systems to address changing business requirements. In particular, our digital channels rely on advanced technology and, as this technology is updated, older technology may become obsolete. Our operations and competitive position could be adversely affected if we are unable to upgrade or replace our systems in a timely and effective manner once they become outdated, and any inability to upgrade or replace our systems could negatively impact our financial results.
11
Any transition to new systems may result in a loss of data or service interruption that could harm our business. Information systems could also suffer disruptions due to events beyond our control, including natural disasters, power failures, terrorist attacks, cyber-attacks, data theft, equipment or software failures, computer viruses or telecommunications failures. We cannot ensure that our security measures or disaster recovery plans are adequate to prevent failures or disruptions. Substantial or repeated website, reservations systems or telecommunication system failures or disruptions, including failures or disruptions related to our integration of technology systems, could reduce the attractiveness of our Company versus our competitors, materially impair our ability to market our services and operate flights, result in the unauthorized release of confidential or otherwise protected information, and result in increased costs, lost revenue, or the loss or compromise of important data.
Our reputation and business may be harmed and we may be subject to legal claims if there is a loss, unlawful disclosure or misappropriation of, or unsanctioned access to, our customers’, employees’, business partners’ or our own information, or any other breaches of our information security.
We make extensive use of online services and centralized data processing, including through third-party service providers. The secure maintenance and transmission of customer and employee information is a critical element of our operations. Our information technology and other systems, or those of service providers or business partners that maintain and transmit customer information, may be compromised by a malicious third-party penetration of our security measures or of a third-party service provider or business partner, or impacted by deliberate or inadvertent actions or inactions by our employees or those of a third-party service provider or business partner. As a result, personal information may be lost, disclosed, accessed or taken without consent.
We transmit confidential credit card information throughout secure private retail networks and rely on encryption and authentication technology licensed from third parties to provide the security and authentication necessary to effectively secure transmission and storage of confidential information, such as customer credit card information. The Company has made significant efforts to secure its data network. If our security or network were compromised in any way, it could have a material adverse effect on the reputation, business, operating results and financial condition of the Company and could result in a loss of customers. Additionally, any material failure by the Company to achieve or maintain compliance with the Payment Card Industry security requirements or rectify a security issue may result in fines and the imposition of restrictions on the Company’s ability to accept credit cards as a form of payment.
As a result of these types of risks, we regularly review and update procedures and processes to prevent and protect against unauthorized access to our systems and information and inadvertent misuse of data.
However, it is difficult or impossible to defend against every risk being posed by changing technologies as well as acts of cyber-crime. Increasing sophistication of cyber criminals and terrorists make keeping up with new threats difficult and controls employed by our information technology department and cloud vendors could prove inadequate. As a result, we cannot be certain that we will not be the target of attacks on our networks and intrusions into our data, particularly given continuous advances in the technical capabilities of potential attackers, and increased financial and political motivations to carry out cyber-attacks on physical systems, gain unauthorized access to information, make information unavailable for use through, for example, ransomware or attacks, and otherwise exploit new and existing vulnerabilities in our infrastructure. Such a cyber-attack could lead to significant costs or other material financing impacts, which may not be covered by or may exceed the coverage limits of, our cyber insurance, and such costs and impacts may have a material adverse effect on our business, reputation, financial condition, cash flows and operating results. The risk of a data security incident or disruption, particularly through cyber-attack or cyber intrusion, including by computer hackers, foreign governments, criminal organizations and cyber terrorists, has increased as the number, intensity and sophistication of attempted attacks and intrusions from around the world have increased. Also, the
denial-of-service
COVID-19
pandemic increased the reliance on employees working remotely, which has increased the risk of malicious actors exploiting vulnerabilities in their devices. Furthermore, in response to data security threats and to data privacy concerns, there has been heightened legislative and regulatory focus on attacks on critical infrastructures, including those in the transportation sector, and on data security and privacy in Panama, Brazil, the United States and other countries where we operate, including requirements for varying levels of data usage consent and data subject notification in the event of a data security incident.
Any such loss, disclosure or misappropriation of, or access to, customers’, employees’ or business partners’ information or other breach of our information security could result in legal claims or legal proceedings, including regulatory investigations and actions, may have a negative impact on our reputation and may materially adversely affect our business, operating results and financial condition. Furthermore, the loss, disclosure or misappropriation of our business information may materially adversely affect our business, operating results and financial condition.
12
Our liquidity could be adversely impacted in the event one or more of our credit card processors were to impose material reserve requirements for payments due to us from credit card transactions.
We currently have agreements with organizations that process credit card transactions arising from purchases of air travel tickets by our customers. Credit card processors have financial risk associated with tickets purchased for travel that can occur several weeks after the purchase. Our credit card processing agreements provide for reserves to be deposited with the processor in certain circumstances. We do not currently have reserves posted for our credit card processors. If circumstances were to occur requiring us to deposit reserves, the negative impact on our liquidity could be significant, which could materially adversely affect our business.
The Company has agreements with financial institutions that process customer credit card transactions for the sale of air travel and other services. Under certain of the Company’s credit card processing agreements, the financial institutions in certain circumstances have the right to require that the Company maintain a reserve equal to a portion of advance ticket sales that has been processed by that financial institution, but for which the Company has not yet provided the air transportation. Such financial institutions may require additional cash or other collateral reserves to be established or additional withholding of payments related to receivables collected if the Company does not maintain certain minimum levels of unrestricted cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments (collectively, “Unrestricted Liquidity”). In light of the effect
COVID-19
is having on demand, and in turn capacity, the Company has seen an increase in demand from passengers for refunds on their tickets, which could continue for the foreseeable future. Refunds lower our liquidity and put us at risk of triggering liquidity covenants in these credit card processing agreements and, in doing so, could force us to post cash collateral with the credit card companies for advance ticket sales. The Company provides additional credit to incentivize passengers to keep their purchased tickets for future dates, which helps to maintain healthy levels of Unrestricted Liquidity. Our quarterly results could fluctuate substantially, and the trading price of our Class A shares may be affected by such variations.
The airline industry is by nature cyclical and seasonal, and our operating results may vary from quarter to quarter. 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 tend to experience the highest levels of traffic and revenue in July and August, with a smaller peak in traffic in December and January. 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 disease outbreaks, economic conditions, capacity additions by competitors, war or the threat of war, fare levels and weather conditions. The
COVID-19
pandemic has materially affected demand for air travel and disrupted the normal business cycles in our industry. See “—The COVID-19
pandemic has had and is expected to continue to have a material adverse impact on our business.” Due to the factors described above and others described in this annual report, 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.
quarter-to-quarter
Our reputation and financial results could be harmed in the event of an accident or incident involving our aircraft or the type of aircraft that we operate.
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. We are required by our creditors and the lessors of 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 an accident. Our insurance premiums may also increase, or we may lose our eligibility for insurance, 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. The Copa brand name and our corporate reputation are important and valuable assets. Adverse publicity (whether or not justified) could tarnish our reputation and reduce the value of our brand. Adverse perceptions of the types of aircraft that we operate arising from safety concerns or other problems, whether real or perceived, or in the event of an accident involving those types of aircraft, could significantly harm our business as the public may avoid flying on our aircraft. See “—If we fail to successfully operate new aircraft, in particular our new Boeing 737 MAX aircraft, our business could be harmed.”
13
Fluctuations in foreign exchange rates could negatively affect our net income.
In 2021, approximately 65.8% of revenues and 80.4% of expenses were denominated in U.S. dollars (for 2020, US dollar-denominated revenues and expenses were 65.7% and 86.0%, respectively). A significant part of our revenue is denominated in foreign currencies, including the Colombian peso, Brazilian real, Mexican peso and Argentinian peso, which represented 13.6%, 8.1%, 2.5% and 2.0%, respectively (for 2020, these foreign currencies-denominated revenues were 9.1%, 9.5%, 2.9% and 4.0%, respectively). 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 are also exposed to exchange rate losses, as well as gains, due to the fluctuation in the value of local currencies against the U.S. dollar between the times we are paid in local currencies and the time we are able to repatriate the revenues in U.S. dollars. Typically, this process takes between one and two weeks in most countries to which we fly.
Changes in accounting standards could adversely affect our financial results.
The IASB, or other regulatory authorities, periodically introduce modifications to financial accounting and reporting standards or issue new financial accounting and reporting standards under which we prepare our consolidated financial statements. These changes can materially affect the way we present our financial condition and results of operations. We may also be required to retroactively apply new or revised standards, which would require us to restate previous financial statements.
Our maintenance costs will increase as our fleet ages.
The average age of our fleet was approximately 9.1 years as of December 31, 2021. Historically, we have incurred low levels of maintenance expenses relative to the size of our fleet because most of the parts on our aircraft are covered under multi-year warranties. As our fleet ages, these warranties expire and the time flown by each aircraft increases, our maintenance costs will increase, both on an absolute basis and as a percentage of our operating expenses.
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 substantially increase the salaries or benefits of our employees, it may have an adverse impact on our operations and financial condition.
Approximately 65.8% of our 6,127 employees are unionized. There are currently five unions covering our employees based in Panama: the pilots’ union; the flight attendants’ union; the mechanics’ union; the passenger service agents’ union; and an industry union, which represents ground personnel, messengers, drivers, passenger service agents, counter agents and other
non-executive
administrative staff. Copa entered into collective bargaining agreements with the pilot’s union in July 2017, the industry union in December 2017, the mechanics’ union in June 2018 and the flight attendants’ union in October 2018. We do not have a collective bargain agreement with UGETRACAS, an aviation industry union in Panama, because they do not have the required number of employees. Collective bargaining agreements in Panama typically have four-year terms. In addition to unions in Panama, there are unions in Colombia, Brazil and Argentina that cover our employees in these countries. In Colombia there are three unions covering employees. In Brazil, all airline industry employees in the country are covered by the industry union agreements. In Argentina airport employees are affiliated with an industry union (UPADEP). A strike, work interruption, stoppage or any prolonged dispute with our employees who are represented by any of these unions could have an adverse impact on our operations. These risks are typically exacerbated during periods of renegotiation with the unions, which typically occurs every two to four years depending on the jurisdiction and the union. Any renegotiated collective bargaining agreement could feature significant wage increases and a consequent increase in our operating expenses. Any failure to reach an agreement during negotiations with unions may require us to enter into arbitration proceedings, use financial and management resources and potentially agree to terms that are less favorable to us than our existing agreements. Employees who are not currently members of unions may also form new unions that may seek further wage increases or benefits.
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Our business is labor-intensive. We expect salaries, wages, benefits and other employee expenses 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.
Our revenues depend on our relationship with travel agents and tour operators and we must manage the costs, rights and functionality of these third-party distribution channels effectively.
In 2021, a significant portion of our revenues were derived from tickets sold through third-party distribution channels, including those provided by conventional travel agents, online travel agents (“OTAs”) or tour operators. We cannot assure 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:
| • | the size of commissions offered by other airlines; |
| • | changes in our arrangements with other distributors of airline tickets; and |
| • | the introduction and growth of new methods of selling tickets. |
These third-party distribution channels, along with global distribution systems, or “GDSs,” that travel agents, OTAs and tour operators use to obtain airline travel information and issue airline tickets, are more expensive than those we operate ourselves, such as our website. Certain of these distribution channels also effectively restrict the manner in which we distribute our products generally. To remain competitive, we will need to successfully manage our distribution costs and rights, increase our distribution flexibility and improve the functionality of third-party distribution channels, while maintaining an industry-competitive cost structure. These initiatives may affect our relationships with our third-party distribution channels. Any inability to manage our third-party distribution costs, rights and functionality at a competitive level or any material diminishment or disruption in the distribution of our tickets could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.
We rely on third parties to provide our customers and us with services that are integral to our business.
We have several agreements with third-party contractors to provide certain services primarily outside of Panama. Maintenance services include aircraft heavy checks, engine maintenance, overhaul, component repairs and line maintenance activities. In addition to call center services, third-party contractors also provide us with airport services. At airports other than Tocumen International Airport, most of our aircraft services are performed by third-party contractors. 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 negatively impact our business and results of operations. Further, our reliance on third parties to provide reliable equipment or essential services on our behalf could lead us to have less control over the costs, efficiency, timeliness and quality of our service. A contractor’s 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.
We depend on a limited number of suppliers.
We are subject to the risks of having 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 fleet. Copa currently operates a fleet of Boeing
737-800/700
Next Generation aircraft powered by CFM 56-7B
engines from CFM International and Boeing 737MAX 9, powered by Leap 1B engines, from CFM International. If any of Boeing, CFM International or General Electric are 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, we would have to find another supplier for a similar type of aircraft or engine. If we have to lease or purchase aircraft from another supplier, we could lose the benefits we derive from our current fleet composition. We cannot ensure that any replacement aircraft would have the same operating advantages as the Boeing
737-800
Next Generation or Boeing 737-MAX
9 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 Leap 1B. We may also incur substantial transition costs, including costs associated with acquiring spare parts for different aircraft models, retraining our employees, replacing our manuals and adapting our facilities. Our operations could also be harmed by the failure or inability of Boeing, CFM International or General Electric to provide sufficient parts or related support services on a timely basis. 15
Our business would be impacted if a design defect or mechanical problem with any of the types of aircraft, engines or components that we operate were discovered that would ground any of our aircraft while the defect or problem was being addressed, 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 issues. Following the Ethiopian Airlines accident involving a Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft, we suspended operations of our six Boeing 737 MAX 9 aircraft, as regulatory authorities around the world grounded the aircraft, and on November 18, 2020 the FAA rescinded the order that grounded the Boeing
737-MAX
aircraft type and published an Airworthiness Directive and MAX training requirements, paving the way for a return to service. On January 2021, we resumed operations of our Boeing 737 MAX fleet after the authorization of the Autoridad Aeronáutica Civil de Panama. Our business would also be negatively impacted if the public began to avoid flying with us due to an adverse perception of the types of aircraft that we operate stemming from safety concerns or other problems, whether real or perceived, or in the event of an accident involving those types of aircraft or components. We also depend on a limited number of suppliers with respect to supplies obtained locally, such as our fuel. These local suppliers may not be able to maintain the pace of our growth and our requirements may exceed their capabilities, which may adversely affect our ability to execute our operations and our growth strategy.
day-to-day
Risks Relating to the Airline Industry
An outbreak of disease or similar public health threat, such as the
COVID-19
pandemic, could have a material adverse impact on the Company’s business, operating results and financial condition. An outbreak of disease or similar public health threat, or fear of such an event, that affects travel demand or travel behavior could have a material adverse impact on the Company’s business, financial condition and operating results. In addition, outbreaks of disease could result in travel bans or restrictions, increased government restrictions and regulation, including quarantines of our personnel or an inability to access facilities or our aircraft, which could adversely affect our operations. The global
COVID-19
pandemic has caused travel restrictions that have had a significant impact on the airline industry. See “Risks Relating to the COVID-19
Pandemic.” 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. Some of our competitors 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. In addition, 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 compete with a number of other airlines that currently serve some of the routes on which we operate, including Avianca, American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Aeromexico, and LATAM Group among others. Strategic alliances, bankruptcy restructurings and industry consolidations characterize the airline industry and tend to intensify competition. In the past, several air carriers have merged and/or reorganized, including certain of our competitors, such as
LAN-TAM,
Avianca-Taca, American-US
Airways and Delta-Northwest. Furthermore, some of our competitors have received, or may receive, government subsidies due to the COVID-19
pandemic, including from the U.S. government. As a result, they have benefited from lower operating costs and fare discounting in order to maintain cash flows and to enhance continued customer loyalty. It is uncertain how the implementation of Avianca’s restructuring plan following its emergence from Chapter 11 and the current Chapter 11 proceedings of LATAM and Aeromexico will affect future competition in our markets. Traditional carriers in the United States and Europe continue to face substantial and increasing competitive pressure from LCCs offering discounted fares. The LCC business model appears to be gaining acceptance in the Latin American aviation industry. The LCCs’ operations are typically characterized by route networks focusing on the highest demand city pairs, high aircraft utilization, single class service and fewer international leisure markets, to improve Copa’s position within Colombia and better compete with low unbundled prices from LCCs. Although we intend to compete vigorously and maintain our strong competitive position in the industry, Avianca, LATAM and Viva Air represent a significant portion of the domestic market in Colombia and have access to greater resources as a result of their larger size. Therefore, Copa faces stronger competition now than in recent years, and its prior results may not be indicative of its future performance.
hub-and-spoke
point-to-point
in-flight
amenities. As a result, we may face new and substantial competition from LCCs in the future, which could result in significant and lasting downward pressure on the fares we charge for flights on our routes. Current LCCs such as Volaris, Spirit, JetBlue, Azul and Gol are adding pressure to our fares and are also exploring new competitive routes overflying our Hub. We also expect more competition in the market from newer players such as JetSmart and Sky. In December 2016, Copa’s subsidiary in Colombia, AeroRepública, launched Wingo, a low-cost
business model to serve domestic destinations and some point-to-point
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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 tend to result 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. We cannot be certain that any of our competitors will not undercut our fares in the future or increase capacity on routes in an effort to increase their respective market share. 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 cannot be maintained. Due to our smaller size and lesser 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.
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 28.1% of operating expenses in 2021, 13.2% of operating expenses in 2020 and 29.5% in 2019. Jet fuel costs have been subject to wide fluctuations as a result of fluctuations 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, political, weather, environmental and other 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. For example, the recent conflict between Russia and Ukraine beginning in February 2022 has lead to an increase in fuel costs. Due to the evolving nature of the conflict, we can neither predict the duration of the increasing fuel costs nor the extent of its impact on our business operations. Any future fuel supply shortage (for example, 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, the continued unrest in the Middle East or otherwise could result in higher fuel prices or further reductions in scheduled airline services). We cannot ensure that we would be able to offset any increases in the price of fuel by increasing our fares. As of December 31, 2021, the Company was not a party to any outstanding fuel hedge contracts, and has adopted a new strategy of remaining unhedged, while regularly reviewing its policies based on market conditions and other factors. For 2022, although we have not hedged any part of our anticipated fuel needs, we continue to evaluate various hedging strategies and may enter into additional hedging agreements in the future, as any substantial and prolonged increase in the price of jet fuel will likely materially and negatively affect our business, financial condition and results of operation.
We may experience difficulty recruiting, training and retaining pilots and other employees.
The airline industry is a labor-intensive business. We employ a large number of flight attendants, maintenance technicians and other operating and administrative personnel. The airline industry has, from time to time, experienced a shortage of qualified personnel. As is common with most of our competitors, considerable turnover of employees may occur and may not always be predictable. When we experience higher turnover, our training costs may be higher due to the significant amount of time required to train each new employee and, in particular, each new pilot. If our pilots terminate their contracts earlier than anticipated, we may be unable to successfully recoup the costs spent to train those pilots. We cannot be certain that we will be able to recruit, train and retain the qualified employees that we need to continue our current operations to replace departing employees. A failure to hire, train and retain qualified employees at a reasonable cost could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Under Panamanian law, there is a limit on the maximum number of
non-Panamanian
employees that we may employ. Our need for qualified pilots has at times exceeded the domestic supply and as such, we have had to hire a substantial number of non-Panamanian
national pilots. However, we cannot ensure that we will continue to attract Panamanian and foreign pilots. The inability to attract and retain pilots, or a change in Panamanian regulations, may adversely affect our growth strategy by limiting our ability to add new routes or increase the frequency of existing routes. 17
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.
In connection with the reduction in demand and revenues caused by the
COVID-19
pandemic, during 2020 and 2021, we reduced the number of flights, suspended capital expenditures (other than necessary aircraft maintenance capital expenditures and any aircraft that is delivered to us under existing contractual arrangements) and reduced fixed and variable expenses. However, this reduction in fixed and variable expenses was gradual and was outpaced by the sudden decrease in revenues. The benefits of these negotiations are reflected on the Company’s CASM ex-Fuel,
as operations grew to levels similar to 2019. Our business may be adversely affected by downturns in the airline industry caused by terrorist attacks, political unrest, war or outbreak of disease, which may alter travel behavior or increase costs.
Demand for air transportation may be adversely affected by terrorist attacks, war or political and social instability, an outbreak of a disease or similar public health threat, natural disasters, cyber security threats and other events. Any of these events could cause governmental authorities to impose travel restrictions or otherwise cause a reduction in travel demand or changes in travel behavior in the markets in which we operate. Any of these events in our markets could have a material impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations. Furthermore, these types of situations could have a prolonged effect on air transportation demand and on certain cost items, such as security and insurance costs.
The terrorist attacks in the United States on September 11, 2001, for example, had a severe and lasting adverse impact on the airline industry, in particular, a decrease in airline traffic in the United States and, to a lesser extent, in 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, including an escalation of military involvement in the Middle East, 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.
Increases in insurance costs and/or significant reductions in coverage would harm our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Following the 2001 terrorist attacks, 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 higher fares, which could result in a decreased demand and materially and negatively affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. Failure to comply with applicable environmental regulations could adversely affect our business.
Our operations are covered by various local, national and international environmental regulations. These regulations cover, among other things, emissions to the atmosphere, disposal of solid waste and aqueous effluents, aircraft noise and other activities that result from the operation of aircraft. Future operations and financial results may vary as a result of such regulations. Compliance with these regulations and new or existing regulations that may be applicable to us in the future could increase our cost base and adversely affect our operations and financial results.
Combatting climate change has been the focus of regulators from regional to international governing bodies. For example, the ICAO has issued the first edition of the Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (“CORSIA”) to address the increase in total CO2 emissions from international aviation. As Colombia and Panama are member states of ICAO, the Civil Aviation Authorities (“CAAs”) of Panama and Colombia have developed new regulations to implement CORSIA. Under CORSIA, airplane operators must annually report the fuel consumption
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of their international commercial operations and the corresponding CO2 emissions (domestic operations are excluded from these requirements). Although, the impact of CORSIA cannot be fully predicted, it is still expected to result in increased operating costs for airlines that operate internationally, including COPA. The first annual emissions reports corresponding to Copa Airlines and AeroRepública’s 2019 operations were presented in October 2020 and the 2020 emissions report was presented in May 2021. Copa Airlines and AeroRepública have already presented to their respective CAAs the Emission Monitoring Plan (“EMP”) required by CORSIA.
Carbon emissions by the airline industry and their impact on climate change have become a particular focus in the international community, including in the jurisdictions where we operate. There are various regulations currently in place in the jurisdictions where we operate, and we would expect additional regulations in this area in the future. Other than as described in this annual report, to date those regulations have neither applied to nor had a material effect on our operations. However, our operations may become subject to additional regulation in any of the jurisdictions where we operate, which could lead to an impact on our operations and result in increased costs, which could be material. We expect to continue to monitor and evaluate the potential impact of any additional regulation regarding climate change.
In addition to encouraging CO2 emissions reductions, CORSIA will require airline operators to offset CO2 emissions through payments to authorized carbon banks, which will invest in environmental projects to reduce the global carbon footprint. Copa Airlines and AeroRepública will not be subject to the emissions offsetting requirements until 2027, because Panama and Colombia are not participating in the voluntary first phase of CORSIA. It is possible. However, that various national and regional regulators will enforce their own varying emission restrictions due to concerns over climate change, and even individual airports could adopt climate-related goals around greenhouse gas emission.
In January 2021, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) adopted greenhouse gas emission standards for new aircraft engines designed to implement the ICAO standard, aligned with the 2017 ICAO airplane engine GHG emission standards. The final EPA standards would not apply to engines on
in-service
aircraft. States and environmental groups have challenged the standards. The outcome of the legal challenge cannot be predicted. On September 9, 2021, the U.S. Department of Energy, the U.S. Department of Transportation, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture launched the Sustainable Aviation Fuel Grand Challenge to scale up the production of sustainable aviation fuel, reduce greenhouse gas emissions from aviation, and replace all traditional aviation fuel with sustainable aviation fuel by 2050. We are subject to risks associated with climate change, including increased regulation of our carbon emissions, changing consumer preferences and the potential increased impacts of severe weather events on our operations and infrastructure.
As customers become more aware of the risks of climate change, their preferences around flying may also change, which can pose a risk to our results of operations. For example, customers may choose to fly less in order to decrease their negative impact to the environment and climate. Customers may also decide to choose airlines they perceive to be operating and conducting business in a more environmentally sustainable manner based on the airline’s reputation. Additionally, customers may opt to take a high speed rail instead of a flight or opt out of traveling entirely by engaging in virtual meetings instead. Debt and equity investors may also make investment decisions based on environmental, social and governance considerations, which could increase our cost of capital, to the extent we do not comply with certain criteria.
In addition, climate change may cause severe weather such as increased storms and flooding, rising sea level, and excessive heat. These conditions could negatively impact our operations and infrastructure. The operational impact can include flight cancelations, flight delays, increased fuel prices, among others. Climate change may even make destinations less attractive for visitors if the destination becomes more prone to extreme weather events. All of these factors could result in loss of revenue. We are not able to predict accurately the materiality of any potential losses or costs associated with the physical effects of climate change.
Combatting climate change has been the focus of regulators from regional to international governing bodies. We are subject to various environmental regulations and may become subject to further regulation in the future. See Even though future requirements resulting from climate change-related regulation are unknown, it is likely that they will adversely affect the business resulting in emission reduction requirements, the need to purchase new equipment or technologies, and other increases to operating costs.
“—Failure to comply with applicable environmental regulations could adversely affect our business.”
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Risks Relating to Panama and our Region
We are highly dependent on conditions in Panama and, to a lesser extent, in Colombia.
A substantial portion of our assets are located in the Republic of Panama and a significant proportion of our passengers’ trips either originate or end in Panama. Furthermore, substantially all of Copa’s 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. Panama’s 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. Political events in Panama may significantly affect our operations.
Wingo’s results of operations are also highly sensitive to macroeconomic and political conditions prevailing in Colombia and any political unrest and instability in Colombia could adversely affect Wingo’s financial condition and results of operations.
Panama and Colombia have experienced significant economic growth over the last several years. However, like other countries in the region and around the world, the economies of Panama and Colombia have been adversely affected by the
COVID-19
pandemic. See “—The COVID-19
pandemic is having a significant negative impact on the economies of the countries in which we operate, which is reducing demand for travel”. According to International Monetary Fund estimates, during 2022 the Panamanian and Colombian economies are expected to grow 5.0% and 3.8% respectively, as measured by their GDP at constant prices, even with preliminary figures indicating that real GDP increased by 12.0% in Panama and by 7.6% in Colombia in 2021. However, if either economy experiences a sustained recession, or significant political disruptions, our business, financial condition or results of operations could be materially and negatively affected. Any increase in the taxes we or our shareholders pay in Panama or the other countries where we do business could adversely affect our financial performance and results of operations.
We cannot ensure that our current tax rates will not increase. Our income tax expenses (credit) were ($10.5 million), $23.7 million and $46.4 million in the years ended December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019, respectively, which represented an effective income tax rate of (19.3%), 3.8% and 15.8%, respectively. 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 some of the countries to which we fly, we are not subject to income taxes, either because those countries 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 rates ranging from 7% to 34% 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 certain 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 revenues and expenses 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. If taxes were to increase, our financial performance and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected. Due to the competitive revenue environment, many increases in fees and taxes have been absorbed by the airline industry rather than being passed on to the passenger. If we were to pass any of these increases in fees and taxes onto passengers, we may no longer compete effectively as those increases may result in reduced customer demand for air travel with us, thereby reducing our revenues. If we were to absorb any increases in fees and taxes, the additional costs could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations. The Panamanian tax code for the airline industry states that tax is based on net income earned for passenger and cargo traffic with an origin or final destination in the Republic of Panama. The applicable tax rate is currently 25%. Dividends from our Panamanian subsidiaries, including Copa, are separately subject to a 10% percent withholding tax on the portion attributable to Panamanian-sourced income and a 5% withholding tax on the portion attributable to foreign-sourced income. Additionally, a 7% value added tax is levied on tickets issued in Panama for travel commencing in Panama and going abroad, irrespective of where such tickets were ordered. If such taxes were to increase, our financial performance and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected. In February 2020, the Company received two notifications from the tax authority in Panama related to a tax audit process that began in 2019. The notifications include adjustments to the reported dividend tax for the years 2012 to 2016 and income tax 2016. The Company has filed an administrative appeal, which is the first legal stage under Panamanian laws. The Company, along with its tax advisors, has concluded that it is not probable that an outflow of resources embodying economic benefits will be required to settle these notices. According to Panamanian laws, the statute of limitations is 3 and 15 years for income tax and dividend tax, respectively. If our tax position does not prevail after going through the appeal process, we could have to issue a significant disbursement to the tax authorities.
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Political unrest and instability in Latin American countries in which we operate may adversely affect our business and the market price of our Class A shares.
While geographic diversity helps reduce our exposure to risks in any one country, we operate primarily within Latin America and are thus subject to a full range of risks associated with our operations in these regions. These risks may include unstable political or economic conditions, lack of well-established or reliable legal systems, exchange controls and other limits on our ability to repatriate earnings and changeable legal and regulatory requirements. In Venezuela, for example, we and other airlines and foreign companies may only repatriate cash through specific governmental programs, which may effectively preclude us from repatriating cash for periods of time. In addition, Venezuela has experienced difficult political conditions and declines in the rate of economic growth in recent periods as well as governmental actions that have adversely impacted businesses that operate there. For the year ended December 31, 2021, revenue from the Company’s flights to Venezuela, including connecting traffic, represented about 5.8% of consolidated revenues and direct flights between Panama and Venezuela. Inflation, any decline in GDP or other future economic, social and political developments in Latin America may adversely affect our financial condition or results of operations.
Although conditions throughout Latin America vary from country to country, our customers’ reactions to developments in Latin America generally may result in a reduction in passenger traffic, which could materially and negatively affect our financial condition, results of operations and the market price of our Class A shares.
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 () 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
Pacto Social
non-Panamanian
nationals does not reach a level that 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 director’s 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 “Item 10B. Memorandum and Articles of Association—Description of Capital Stock.” 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 be certain 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 those of other shareholders.
All of our Class B shares, representing approximately 26.1% of the economic interest in Copa Holdings and 100% of the voting power of our capital stock, are owned by
Corporación de Inversiones Aéreas, S.A
., or “CIASA,” a Panamanian entity. 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, 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 director’s committee). Even if 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
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Corporate Governance Committee. As the controlling shareholder, CIASA may direct us to take actions that could be contrary to other shareholders’ 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 an opportunity to dispose of or realize a premium on investments 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 delisting 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 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 director’s committee). See “Item 10B. Memorandum and Articles of Association—Description of Capital Stock.” We cannot assure that the Class A shares will ever carry full voting rights.
Substantial future sales of our Class A shares by CIASA could cause the price of the Class A shares to decrease.
CIASA owns all of our Class B shares, and those Class B shares will be converted into Class A shares if they are sold to
non-Panamanian
investors. In connection with our initial public offering in December 2005, Continental and CIASA reduced their ownership of our total capital stock from 49.0% to approximately 27.3% and from 51.0% to approximately 25.1%, respectively. In a follow-on
offering in June 2006, Continental further reduced its ownership of our total capital stock from 27.3% to 10.0%. In May 2008, we and CIASA released Continental from its standstill obligations and they sold down their remaining shares in the public market. CIASA holds registration rights with respect to a significant portion of its shares pursuant to a registration rights agreement entered into in connection with our initial public offering. In March 2010, CIASA converted a portion of its Class B shares into 1.6 million non-voting
Class A shares and sold such Class A shares in an SEC-registered
public offering. In the event CIASA seeks to reduce its ownership below 10% of our total share capital, our independent directors may decide to issue special voting shares solely to Panamanian nationals to maintain the ownership requirements mandated by the Panamanian Aviation Act. As a result, the market price of our Class A shares could drop significantly if CIASA further reduces its investment in us, other significant holders of our shares sell a significant number of shares or if the market perceives that CIASA or other significant holders intend to sell their shares. As of December 31, 2021 CIASA owned 26.1% of Copa Holdings’ total capital stock. Holders of our common stock are not entitled to preemptive rights, and as a result, shareholders may experience substantial dilution upon future issuances of stock by us.
Under Panamanian corporate 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 are free to issue new shares of stock to other parties without first offering them to our existing Class A 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 already sold, and as a result, shareholders may experience substantial dilution of their interest in us.
Shareholders may not be able to sell our Class A shares at the price or at the time desired because an active or liquid mark et for the Class A shares may not continue.
Our Class A shares are listed on the NYSE. During the three months ended December 31, 2021, the average daily trading volume for our Class A shares as reported by the NYSE was approximately 454,728 shares. Active, liquid trading markets generally result in lower price volatility and more efficient execution of buy and sell orders for our investors. The liquidity of a securities market is often affected by the volume of shares publicly held by unrelated parties. We cannot predict whether an active liquid public trading market for our Class A shares will be sustained.
Our operations in Cuba may adversely affect the market price of our Class A shares
We currently offer passenger, cargo and mail transportation services to and from Cuba. For the year ended December 31, 2021, our transported passengers to and from Cuba represented approximately 0.7% of our total passengers. Our operating revenues from Cuban operations during the year ended December 31, 2021 represented approximately 0.4% of our total consolidated operating revenues for the year. Our assets located in Cuba are not significant.
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The United States administers and enforces broad economic and trade sanctions and restrictions against Cuba, and groups opposed to the Cuban regime may seek to exert pressure on companies doing business in Cuba. U.S. policy towards Cuba has been in flux in recent years and uncertainty remains over the future of U.S. economic sanctions against Cuba and the impact such sanctions will have on our operations, particularly if the United States imposes additional relevant sanctions. While we believe our operations in Cuba are in compliance with all applicable laws, any violations of U.S. sanctions could result in the imposition of civil and/or criminal penalties and have an adverse effect on our business and reputation. Additionally, Title III of the Cuban Liberty and Democratic Solidarity (Libertad) Act of 1996 (the Helms-Burton Act) provides a cause of action for U.S. nationals to bring claims against any person who traffics in property expropriated by the Cuban Government. The scope of any potential claims under the Helms-Burton Act are uncertain and companies with commercial dealings in Cuba have faced claims for damages; we could face such claims in the future.
Certain U.S. states have enacted or may enact legislation regarding investments by state-owned investors, such as public employee pension funds and state university endowments, in companies that have business activities with Cuba. As a result, such state-owned institutional investors may be subject to restrictions with respect to investments in companies such as ours, which could adversely affect the market for our shares.
Our Board of Directors may, in its discretion, amend or repeal our dividend policy. Shareholders may not receive the level of dividends provided for in the dividend policy or any dividends at all.
In February 2016, the Board of Directors approved a change to the dividend policy to limit aggregate annual dividends to an amount equal to 40% of the previous year’s annual consolidated adjusted net income, to be distributed in equal quarterly installments subject to board ratification each quarter. Our Board of Directors may, in its sole discretion and for any reason, amend or repeal any aspect of 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 “Item 8A. Consolidated Statements and Other Financial Information—Dividend Policy.” On April 26, 2020, given the challenges presented by the
COVID-19
pandemic, the Board decided to postpone payment of dividends for the remainder of 2020. No dividends were paid in 2021. 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 reserved the right to amend the dividend policy or pay dividends in excess of the level circumscribed in the dividend policy. The aviation industry has cyclical characteristics, and many international airlines are currently experiencing difficulties meeting their liquidity needs. Also, our business strategy contemplates 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, or in excess of, our dividend policy, 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 that ensure that Panamanian nationals will continue to control us and 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 Law No. 21 of January 29, 2003, as amended and interpreted to date, or the “Aviation Act”, which regulates the aviation industry in the Republic of Panama, Panamanian nationals must exercise “effective control” over the operations of the airline and must maintain “substantial ownership”. 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 territories, we must also continue to have substantial Panamanian ownership and effective control by Panamanian nationals to retain these rights. 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 could 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. These phrases are not defined in the Aviation Act itself or in the bilateral agreements to which Panama is a party, and it is unclear how a Panamanian court or, in the case of the bilateral agreements, foreign regulatory authorities, would interpret them.
23
The share ownership requirements and transfer restrictions contained in our Articles of 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 “Item 10B. Memorandum and Articles of Association—Description of Capital Stock”. At the present time, CIASA is the record owner of 100% of our Class B voting shares, representing approximately 26.1% of our total share capital and all of the voting power of our capital stock. These provisions of our Articles of Incorporation may prevent change of control transactions that might otherwise provide an opportunity to realize a premium on investments 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.
Item 4. Information on the Company
A. History and Development of the Company
General
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 TACA’s network of Central American airline carriers. In 1997, together with Grupo TACA, Copa entered into a strategic alliance with American Airlines. After a year our alliance with American Airlines was terminated by mutual consent.
On May 6, 1998, Copa Holdings, S.A., the holding company for Copa and related companies was incorporated as a under the laws of Panama to facilitate the sale by CIASA of a 49% stake in Copa Holdings to Continental. In connection with Continental’s investment, we entered into an extensive alliance agreement with Continental providing for code-sharing, joint marketing, technical exchanges and other cooperative initiatives between the airlines. At the time of our initial public offering in December 2005, Continental reduced its ownership of our total capital stock from 49% to approximately 27.3%. In a
sociedad
anónima
follow-on
offering in June 2006, Continental further reduced its ownership of our total capital stock from 27.3% to 10.0%. In May 2008, Continental sold its remaining shares in the public market. In March 2010, CIASA sold 4.2% of its interest and as of December 31, 2021 held 26.1% of our total capital stock. Since 1998, we have grown and modernized our fleet while improving customer service and reliability. Our operational fleet has grown from 13 aircraft in 1998 to 91 aircraft as of December 31, 2021. In 1999, we received our first Boeing
737-700s,
followed by our first Boeing 737-800
in 2003 and our first Embraer 190 in 2005. We discontinued the use of our last Boeing 737-200
in 2005. In 2018, we took delivery of our first four Boeing 737 MAX 9 aircraft. In addition, continuing our fleet optimization and efficiency efforts, in 2020, we signed an aircraft sale and purchase agreement for the remaining Embraer 190 fleet. In 2021, we sold three B737-700
aircraft. We intend to restore capacity to pre-pandemic
levels during 2022 and expand our network with new frequencies and routes in the mid-term.
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On April 22, 2005, we acquired an initial 85.6% equity ownership interest in AeroRepública, which was one of the largest domestic carriers in Colombia in terms of passengers carried. Through subsequent acquisitions, we increased our total ownership interest in AeroRepública to 99.9% by the end of that year. In December 2016, we launched a
low-cost
business model, Wingo, to diversify our offerings and to better compete with other low-
cost carriers in the markets. We believe that Copa Airlines creates additional passenger traffic in our existing route network by providing Colombian passengers more convenient access to the international destinations served through our Panama hub and by offering direct domestic and international service through our low-cost
business model, Wingo. In July 2015, we elected to cease
co-branding
the MileagePlus frequent flyer program in Latin America and launched our own frequent flyer program, ConnectMiles. We believe that establishing our own direct relationship with our customers is essential to better serve them. Copa and UAL will remain strong loyalty partners through our participation in Star Alliance. In addition, on November 30, 2018, we disclosed that we have entered into a
three-way
joint business agreement (“JBA”) with UAL and Avianca that is intended to cover our combined network between the United States and Latin America (except Brazil). We, UAL and Avianca intend to apply for regulatory approval of the JBA and an accompanying grant of antitrust immunity from the U.S. Department of Transportation and other relevant agencies. However, there can be no assurance as to what the impact will be of the recent COVID-19
pandemic or Avianca’s Chapter 11 proceedings. Our registered office is located at 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
304-2774.
The website of Copa Airlines is www.copaair.com. Information contained on, or accessible through, this website is not incorporated by reference herein and shall not be considered part of this annual report. Our agent for service of process in the United States is Puglisi & Associates, 850 Library Avenue, Suite 204, Newark, Delaware 19715, and its telephone number is +(302) 738-6680.
Also, the SEC maintains an internet site (www.sec.gov) that contains reports, proxy and information statements and other information about the Company that the Company has filed electronically with the SEC. Capital Expenditures
During 2021, our capital expenditures were $412.9 million, which consisted of advance payments and reimbursements on aircraft purchase contracts and acquisition of property and equipment, that correspond mainly to the 7 aircraft that arrived during 2021, compared to capital expenditures of $44.1 million in 2020 and $89.6 million in 2019.
B. Business Overview
We are a leading Latin American provider of airline passenger and cargo service through our two principal operating subsidiaries, Copa Airlines and AeroRepública. Copa Airlines operates from its strategically located position in the Republic of Panama, and AeroRepública operates a
low-cost
business model, Wingo, within Colombia and various cities in the region. As of December 31, 2021, we operate a fleet of 91 aircraft, 77 Boeing 737-Next
Generation aircraft and 14 Boeing 737 MAX 9 aircraft to meet our current capacity requirements. The Company had one purchase contract with Boeing, which entails 66 firm orders of Boeing 737 MAX aircraft, agreed to be delivered between 2022 and 2028. Copa currently offers approximately 204 daily scheduled flights among 69 destinations in 29 countries in North, Central and South America and the Caribbean from its Panama City hub. Copa provides passengers with access to flights to more than 150 other destinations through code-share arrangements with UAL and other airlines pursuant to which each airline places its name and flight designation code on the other’s flights. Through its Panama City hub, Copa is able to consolidate passenger traffic from multiple points to serve each destination effectively.
Copa has a strategic alliance with United Airlines, or “UAL” or “United,” that encompass joint marketing strategies and code-sharing arrangements, among other things. We have been a member of Star Alliance since June 2012.
25
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. point-to-point on-time performance. Tocumen International Airport’s sea-level altitude allows our aircraft to operate without the performance restrictions they would be subject to in higher altitude airports. We believe that Copa’s hub in Panama allows us to benefit from Panama City’s status as a center for financial services, shipping and commerce and from Panama’s stable, dollar-based economy, free-trade zone and growing tourism. |
| • | We focus on keeping our operating costs low. ex-fuel below 6.0 cents at approximately 90% of pre-COVID-19 COVID-19 pandemic has had and is expected to continue to have a material adverse impact on our business.” |
| • | We operate a modern fleet. 737-MAX and Boeing 737 -Next Generation aircraft equipped with winglets and other modern cost-saving and safety features. Over the next several years, we intend to enhance our modern fleet through the addition of 66 Boeing 737 MAX aircraft to be delivered between 2022 and 2028. We believe that our modern fleet contributes to our on-time performance and high completion factor (percentage of scheduled flights not cancelled). |
| • | We believe Copa has a strong brand and a reputation for quality service on-time performance, according to DOT standard methodology of arrivals within 14 minutes of scheduled arrival time, was and its completion factor was 90.3%. We believe our focus on customer service has helped to build passenger loyalty. In addition, the excellent response to our new loyalty program, ConnectMiles, demonstrates the strong affinity Copa customers have for the brand. In January 2022, we were recognized by The Cirium 2021 On Time Performance (OTP) Review as the most on-time airline in Latin America for the eighth consecutive year. |
| • | Our management fosters a culture of teamwork and continuous improvement one-time awards, special events and, in the case of our senior management, grants of restricted stock and stock options. 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. |
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:
| • | Expand our network by increasing frequencies and adding new destinations. non-stop or one-stop connecting service to over 2,000 city pairs, and we intend to focus on providing new or increased service to destinations that we believe best enhance the overall connectivity and profitability of our network. |
26
| • | Continue to focus on keeping our costs low |
| • | Emphasize superior service and value to our customers. on-time airline in Latin America for the eighth consecutive year. 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. We will continue to reward our customer loyalty with, ConnectMiles awards, upgrades and access to our Copa Club lounges. |
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 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 6.8% of international worldwide passengers flown in 2020 or 124 million passengers.
The Central American aviation market is dominated by international traffic. According to data from IATA, international revenue passenger kilometers, or “RPKs”, are concentrated between North America and Central America. This segment represented 82% of international RPKs flown to and from Central America in 2019, compared to 13.3% RPKs flown between Central America and South America and 4.6% for RPKs flown between Central American countries. Total RPKs flown on international flights to and from Central America decreased 63.8%, and load factors on international flights to and from Central America were 70% on average.
The chart below details passenger traffic between regions in 2020:
2020 IATA Traffic Results |
||||||||||||||||||||||||
Passenger Kms Flown |
Available Seat Kms |
Passenger Load Factor |
||||||||||||||||||||||
(Million) |
Change (%) |
(Million) |
Change (%) |
Load Factor |
Change (%) |
|||||||||||||||||||
| North America - Central America / Caribbean |
63,324 | (60.4 | ) | 91,976 | (52.2 | ) | 68.8 | % | (14.3 p.p. | ) | ||||||||||||||
| North America - South America |
36,453 | (68.8 | ) | 52,663 | (61.5 | ) | 69.2 | % | (16.4 p.p. | ) | ||||||||||||||
| Within South America |
9,583 | (76.2 | ) | 12,716 | (74.6 | ) | 75.4 | % | (5.1 p.p. | ) | ||||||||||||||
| Central America/Caribbean - South America |
10,255 | (72.1 | ) | 13,515 | (69.7 | ) | 75.9 | % | (6.7 p.p. | ) | ||||||||||||||
| Within Central America |
3,570 | (73.4 | ) | 4,900 | (71.6 | ) | 72.9 | % | (4.9 p.p. | ) | ||||||||||||||
For 2020, due to the COVID pandemic, some countries in Latin America declared a suspension of operations for several months. Operations were restarted for most airlines in Latin America in the fourth quarter, and capacity is being gradually restored during 2021 and 2022.
Panama serves as a hub for connecting passenger traffic between major markets in North, South, and Central America and the Caribbean. Accordingly, passenger traffic to and from Panama is significantly influenced by economic growth in surrounding regions.
27
Preliminary figures indicate that real GDP increased by 12% in Panama and by 7.6% in Colombia, according to data of the World Economic and Financial Survey conducted by the International Monetary Fund or “IMF”.
GDP (in US$ billions) |
GDP per Capita |
|||||||||||
2021 |
2021 |
2021 |
||||||||||
Current Prices |
Real GDP |
Current Prices |
||||||||||
(US$) |
(% Growth) |
(US$) |
||||||||||
| Argentina |
455 | 7.5 | 9,929 | |||||||||
| Brazil |
1,646 | 5.2 | 7,741 | |||||||||
| Chile |
331 | 11.0 | 16,799 | |||||||||
| Colombia |
301 | 7.6 | 5,892 | |||||||||
| Mexico |
1,286 | 6.2 | 9,967 | |||||||||
| Panama |
60 | 12.0 | 13,861 | |||||||||
| USA |
22,940 | 6.0 | 69,375 | |||||||||
Source: International Monetary Fund, World Economic Outlook Database, October 2021.
Prior to the
COVID-19
pandemic, Panama had benefited from a stable economy with moderate inflation and steady GDP growth. According to IMF estimates, from 2014 to 2021, Panama’s real GDP grew at an average annual rate of 2.7%, while inflation averaged 0.6% per year. The IMF currently estimates Panama’s population to be approximately 4.3 million in 2021, 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. Domestic travel within Panama primarily consists of individuals visiting families as well as domestic and foreign tourists 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 tourists. Since January 2015, Copa has operated daily flights to the second-largest city in Panama, David in the province of Chiriqui. The remaining market is served primarily by one local airline, Air Panama, which operates a fleet consisting of mainly turbo prop aircraft generally with less than 50 seats. This airline offers limited international service and operates in the secondary Marcos Gelabert airport 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 51.0 million in 2021 according to the IMF and has a land area of approximately 440,000 square miles. Colombia’s GDP is estimated to be $300.8 billion for 2021, and per capita income was approximately $5.9 thousand (current prices) according to the IMF. Colombia’s 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 December 31, 2021, Copa provided regularly scheduled flights to 69 cities in North, Central and South America and the Caribbean. These destinations represent 90% the number of cities served in 2019. The reduction in the number of cities served is due to the effects of the
COVID-19
pandemic on the economies in the region. The majority of Copa flights operate through our hub in Panama City which allows us to transport passengers and cargo among a large number of destinations with service that is more frequent than if each route were served directly. We believe our model is the most efficient way for us to operate our business since most of the origination/destination city pairs we serve do not generate sufficient traffic to justify service. Also, since we serve many countries, it would be very difficult to obtain the bilateral route rights necessary to operate a competitive network-wide system.
hub-and-spoke
point-to-point
point-to-point
28
Copa schedules its hub flights using a “connecting bank” structure, where flights arrive at the hub at approximately the same time and depart a short time later. In June 2011, we increased our banks of flights from four to six a day. This allowed us to increase efficiency in the use of hub infrastructure in addition to providing more choices to passengers.
time-of-day
As a part of our strategic relationship with UAL, Copa provides flights through code-sharing arrangements to over 150 other destinations. In addition to codeshares provided with our Star Alliance partners, Copa also has code-sharing arrangements in place with several other carriers, including Air France, KLM, Iberia, Air Europa, Emirates, Gol, Azul and Cubana.
In addition to increasing the frequencies to destinations we already serve, Copa’s 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 for intra-American traffic. We currently plan to introduce new destinations and to increase frequencies to many of the destinations that Copa currently serves. Our fleet allows us to improve our service by increasing frequencies and service to new destinations with the
right-sized
aircraft. In December 2016, we launched a
low-cost
business model, Wingo, to diversify our offerings and to better compete with other low-cost
carriers in the markets. Wingo serves domestic flights in Colombia and some international cities to and from Colombia. In 2021 we incorporated a new Wingo operator, La Nueva Aerolínea S.A., based in Panama and it is expected to start operating one 737-800
aircraft during 2022. Revenue by Region
The following table shows our revenue generated in each of our major operating regions.
Year Ended December 31, |
||||||||||||||||
| Region |
2021 |
2020 |
2019 |
2018 |
||||||||||||
| North America (1) |
28.9 | % | 29.8 | % | 32.0 | % | 31.2 | % | ||||||||
| South America |
37.6 | % | 36.0 | % | 36.5 | % | 40.6 | % | ||||||||
| Central America (2) |
32.0 | % | 31.6 | % | 27.7 | % | 24.5 | % | ||||||||
| Caribbean (3) |
1.5 | % | 2.7 | % | 3.8 | % | 3.7 | % | ||||||||
| (1) | Includes USA, Canada and Mexico |
| (2) | Includes Panama |
| (3) | Includes Cuba, Dominican Republic, Haiti, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, Aruba, Curaçao, St. Maarten, Bahamas, Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago |
Airline Operations
Passenger Operations
Passenger revenue accounted for approximately $1.4 billion in 2021, $760.6 million in 2020, and $2.6 billion in 2019, representing 93.5%, 95.0%, and 96.5%, respectively, of Copa’s total revenues. Leisure traffic, which makes up close to half of Copa’s total traffic, tends to coincide with holidays, school vacations and cultural events and peaks in July and August, and again in December and January. Approximately one third of Copa’s 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.
Cargo Operations
In addition to our passenger service, we make efficient use of extra capacity in the belly of our aircraft by carrying cargo. Our cargo operations consist principally of freight service. Copa’s cargo business generated revenues of approximately in 2021, $21.0 million in 2020, and $62.5 million in 2019, representing 4.7%, 2.6%, and 2.3% respectively, of Copa’s operating revenues. We primarily move our cargo in the belly of our aircraft; however, we also
$71.6
million
wet-lease
and charter freighter capacity when necessary to meet our cargo customers’ needs. In 2021, we converted a Boeing 737-800
passenger aircraft into a cargo aircraft, which we expect will begin its operations later in 2022. 29
Pricing and Revenue Management
Copa has designed its fare structure to balance its load factors and yields in a way that it believes will maximize profits on its flights. Copa also maintains revenue management policies and procedures that are intended to maximize total revenues, while remaining generally competitive with those of our major competitors. In 2020, Copa implemented the PROS Revenue Management system, replacing the system formerly used by the company.
Copa charges higher fares for tickets sold 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 Copa’s business customers, who need more flexibility with their flight plans. The number of seats Copa offers 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 Copa’s forecasting model to arrive at optimal seat allocations for its fares on specific routes. Copa uses 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.
Relationship with UAL
In May 1998, Copa Airlines and Continental entered into a comprehensive alliance agreement to offer a more complete and seamless travel experience to passengers. The agreement encompasses a broad array of activities, including Copa’s participation in Continental’s frequent flyer programs and VIP lounges, as well as trademark agreements merged to permit joint marketing activities. Continental became a subsidiary of UAL after its merger with United Airlines in 2010, and UAL has recognized all benefits of our original alliance with Continental.
As a result of our alliance, we have benefited from Continental’s and UAL’s expertise and experience over the years. For example, prior to July 2015 when we launched our own frequent flyer program, ConnectMiles, we adopted Continental’s OnePass (now UAL’s MileagePlus) frequent flyer program and rolled out a
co-branded
joint product in most of Latin America, which enabled Copa to develop brand loyalty among travelers. The co-branding
of the OnePass (now MileagePlus) loyalty program helped Copa to leverage the brand recognition that Continental already enjoyed across Latin America and has enabled Copa to compete more effectively against regional airlines. We also have adopted several important information technology systems, such as the SHARES computer reservation system in an effort to maintain commonality with UAL. Our alliance relationship with UAL enjoys a grant of antitrust immunity from the U.S. Department of Transportation, or “DOT”. The alliance agreement expires in 2026, and is terminable by either airline in cases of, among other things, uncured material breaches of the alliance agreement, bankruptcy, termination of the services agreement for breach, termination of the frequent flyer participation agreement without entering into a successor agreement, certain competitive activities, certain changes of control of either of the parties and certain significant operational service failures.
Trademark License Agreement
Joint Business Agreement
In November 2018, Copa Airlines announced it has reached an agreement with UAL and Avianca for a JBA that, pending government approval, is expected to provide substantial benefits for customers, communities and the marketplace for air travel between the United States and 19 countries in Central and South America. The parties to JBA recently agreed to an amendment to the JBA that provides, among other terms, that they will negotiate mutually accepted amendments to the JBA for a period of up to two years after the confirmation of a plan of reorganization in Avianca’s Chapter 11 case.
Sales, Marketing and Distribution
Sales and Distribution
back-end
incentive programs have been implemented to reward selected travel agencies that exceed their sales targets. 30
Travel agents obtain airline travel information and issue airline tickets through a direct connection program that we launched in
mid-2021
using the New Distribution Capability (NDC) Level 4 standard and through the traditional 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. Copa participates actively in all major international GDSs, including SABRE, Amadeus and Travelport. In return for access to these GDS systems, Copa pays transaction fees that are generally based on the number of segments booked through each system. Copa has a sales and marketing network consisting of 32 ticket offices, including city ticket offices located in Panama and Colombia, in addition to the airports where we operate.
Advertising and Promotional Activities
Competition
We face considerable competition throughout our route network. Overall airline industry profit margins are relatively 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. Strategic alliances, bankruptcy restructurings and industry consolidations characterize the airline industry and tend to intensify competition. Copa competes with a number of other airlines that currently serve the routes on which we operate, including Avianca, American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Spirit, JetBlue, Azul, Aeromexico, Gol, Volaris, Viva Air and LATAM, among others. In order to remain competitive, we must constantly react to changes in prices and services offered by our competitors.
The airline industry continues to experience increased consolidation and changes in international alliances, both of which have altered and will continue to alter the competitive landscape in the industry by resulting in the formation of airlines and alliances with increased financial resources, more extensive global networks and altered cost structures. Moreover, the
COVID-19
pandemic and consequent economic effects has created significant uncertainty about the competitive landscape in the coming years. 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 frequently results in lower industry yields with little or no increase in traffic levels. Price competition among airlines could lead to lower fares or passenger traffic on some or all of our routes, which could negatively impact our profitability.
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 carriers in the United States and Europe have in recent years faced substantial and increasing competitive pressure from route networks focusing on the highest demand city pairs, high aircraft utilization, single class service and fewer
hub-and-spoke
low-cost
carriers offering discounted fares. The low-cost
carriers’ operations are typically characterized by point-to-point
in-flight
amenities. As evidenced by the operations of competitors in South and Central American countries it is clear that low-cost
carriers are gaining acceptance in the Latin American aviation industry. 31
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 cargo hub operation at Tocumen International Airport.
Aircraft
As of December 31, 2021, Copa operated a fleet consisting of 91 aircraftAs of December 31, 2021, Copa had firm orders to purchase 66 Boeing 737 MAX aircraft to be delivered between 2022 and 2028. In October 2018 Copa signed an aircraft sale and purchase agreement with Azorra Aviation for the sale of five Embraer 190 aircraft in 2019. In 2020, we signed an aircraft sale and purchase agreement for the remaining Embraer 190 aircraft. The deliveries of these aircraft were completed by June 2021.
.
The current composition of the Copa fleet as of December 31, 2021 is fully described below:
Average Term of Lease
Number of Aircraft |
Remaining |
Average Age |
Seating |
|||||||||||||||||||||
Total |
Owned |
Leased |
(Years) |
(Years) |
Capacity |
|||||||||||||||||||
| Boeing 737 MAX |
14 | 14 | 0 | 0.0 | 1.8 | 166 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Boeing 737-700 |
9 | 9 | 0 | 0.0 | 18.2 | 124 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Boeing 737-800 |
68 | 41 | 27 | 2.4 | 9.4 | 154/160/186 | ||||||||||||||||||
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||||
| Total |
91 | 64 | 27 | 2.4 | 9.1 | — | ||||||||||||||||||
The table below describes the expected size of our fleet at the end of each year set forth below, assuming delivery of all aircraft for which we currently have firm orders but not taking into account any aircraft for which we have purchase rights and options:
| Aircraft Type |
2022 |
2023 |
2024 |
2025 |
2026 |
2027 |
2028 |
|||||||||||||||||||||
| 737-700 |
9 | 9 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 737-800 |
68 | 59 | 48 | 41 | 41 | 41 | 39 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 737-MAX (1) |
22 | 32 | 46 | 55 | 64 | 73 | 80 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||||||
| Total Fleet |
99 | 100 | 97 | 96 | 105 | 114 | 119 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| (1) | We have the flexibility to choose between the different members of the 737 MAX family. The delivery schedule above reflects contractual commitments. |
The Boeing 737 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. Following our strategy, by December 31, 2021 we had an order for 66 Boeing 737 MAX aircraft. The 737 MAX provides additional benefits to the current fleet such as fuel efficiency, longer range and additional capacity compared to the current Copa seat configuration. Following the Ethiopian Airlines accident involving a Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft, we suspended operations of our six Boeing 737 MAX 9 aircraft as regulatory authorities around the world grounded the aircraft. On November 18, 2020 the FAA rescinded its grounding order, issued an airworthiness directive, and published training requirements enabling the Company to begin modifying certain operating procedures, implementing enhanced pilot training requirements, installing
FAA-approved
flight control software updates, and completing other required maintenance tasks specific to the MAX aircraft. On January 2021, we resumed operations of our Boeing 737 MAX fleet after the authorization of the Autoridad Aeronáutica Civil de Panama.
Through several special purpose vehicles, we currently have beneficial ownership of 64 of our aircraft. In addition, we lease 27 of our Boeing
737-800s
under long-term lease agreements that have an average remaining term of 2.4 years. 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 we are not required to make termination payments at the end of the lease. 32
Currently, we do not have purchase options under any of our operating lease agreements. Under our operating lease agreements, we are required to make supplemental rent payments at the end of the lease that are calculated with reference to the aircraft’s 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 better serve our business travelers, we offer a business class () configuration in our fleet. Our business class service features upgraded meal service, special
Clase Ejecutiva
check-in
desks, bonus mileage for full-fare business class passengers and access to VIP lounges. Our Boeing 737-800
aircraft currently have two different configurations, one with 16 business class seats with 38-inch
pitch; and a second, with 48-inch
pitch seats, which is currently being used in 36 of our 737-800s.
In order to accommodate these seats, a row from economy class was removed, decreasing the total number of seats in those aircraft from 160 to 154. The Boeing 737 MAX 9 aircraft feature two configurations: one with 16 full lie-flat
seats in business class (Dreams) and a total of 166 seats and another configuration with 12 full lie-flat
seats in business class (Dreams) and a total of 174 seats. Also, within the Copa Holdings fleet, there are eight
737-800s
dedicated to the operations of Wingo. These aircraft are equipped with 186 economy class seats. Each of our Boeing
737-Next
Generation aircraft is powered by two CFM International Model CFM 56-7B
engines. Our Boeing 737 MAX 9 aircraft are powered by two CFM International Leap 1B engines. We currently have nine spare engines for service replacements and for periodic rotation through our fleet. 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,
service visits, “A-checks”
and any diagnostics and routine repairs. Copa’s line maintenance is performed by Copa’s own technicians at our main base in Panama and/or at the out stations by Copa Airlines and/or AeroRepública 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 intermittently as determined by the aircraft manufacturer through Copa Airlines AAC approved maintenance program. These checks are based on the number of hours, departures or calendar months flown. Historically we had contracted with certified outside maintenance providers, such as COOPESA. In October of 2010, Copa decided to begin performing a portion of the heavy maintenance work in-house.
The hiring, training, facility and tooling setup, as well as enhancing certain support shops, were completed during a ten-month
period. Ultimately, Copa acquired the required certifications by the local authorities to perform the first in-house
C-Check
in August 2011, followed by its second C-check
in October of the same year. Today we are performing a continuous line of C-Checks
in-house
for the entire year, and on January 20, 2017 we held the ground-breaking of our new maintenance facility at Tocumen International Airport which allows us to perform up to three complete continuous lines of C-checks,
as required. The new facility commenced operations in January 2019. In 2021, 22 heavy maintenance checks were successfully performed in-house.
When possible, Copa attempts to schedule heavy maintenance during its lower-demand seasons in order to maximize productive use of its aircraft. Additionally, as of the December 31, 2021, three of our Boeing 737-700/800
are still in CAVU Aerospace at Roswell International Air Center in New Mexico for storage due to the COVID-19
pandemic impact on the economies we serve and our operations. Copa has exclusive long-term contracts with GE Engines whereby they perform maintenance on all of our
CFM-56
engines. In October of 2014, Copa Airlines established its own maintenance technician training academy. Through this program, we recruit and train technicians through training and formal classes. These future technicians stay in the program for four years total. After the first two years, each trainee receives their airframe license and becomes a mechanic. After the next two years, each trainee receives their power plant license and is released as a mechanic into our work force.
on-the-job
Copa Airlines and AeroRepública employ, system-wide, around 477 maintenance professionals, who perform maintenance in accordance with maintenance programs that are established by the manufacturers 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 24 of our mechanics are also licensed by the FAA. Our safety and maintenance procedures are reviewed and periodically audited by the AAC (Panama), UAEAC (Colombia), the FAA (United States), IATA (IOSA) and, to a lesser extent, every foreign country to which we fly. Copa Airlines’ maintenance facility at Tocumen International Airport has been certified by the FAA as an approved repair station, under FAR Part 145, and once a year the FAA inspects this facility to validate and renew the certification. Copa’s aircraft are initially covered by warranties that have a term of four years, resulting in lower maintenance expenses during the period of coverage. All of Copa Airlines’ and AeroRepública’s mechanics are trained to perform line maintenance on each of the Boeing 737-Next
Generation and Boeing 737 MAX. 33
All of AeroRepública’s’s maintenance and safety procedures are certified by the of Colombia and Bureau Veritas Quality International (“BVQI”), the institute that issues International Organization for Standardization, or “ISO,” quality certificates. All of AeroRepública’s maintenance personnel are licensed by the of Colombia. In December 2017, AeroRepública received its IATA Operational Safety Audit, or “IOSA,” compliance certification, which will remain valid until December 2021.
Aeronáutica Civil
Aeronáutica Civil
Safety
We place a high priority on providing safe and reliable air service. We are focused on continuously improving our safety performance by implementing internationally recognized best practices such as Safety Management System, or “SMS,” Flight Data Analysis (FDA), internal and external operational safety audits, and associated programs.
Our SMS provides operational leaders with reactive, proactive, and predictive data analyses that are delivered on a frequent and recurring basis. This program also uses a three-tiered meeting structure to ensure the safety risk of all identified hazards are assessed and corrective actions (if required) are implemented. At the lowest meeting level, the Operational Leaders review the risk assessments, assign actions, and monitor progress. At the middle meeting level, the Chief Operations Officer meets with the Operational Leaders to ensure all cross-divisional issues are properly addressed and funded. At the highest meeting level, the Chief Executive Officer monitors the performance of the SMS program and ensures the safety risk is being properly managed.
The SMS is supported by safety investigations and a comprehensive audit program. Investigations are initiated either by operational events or analyses of relevant trend information, such as via our Flight Data Analysis program. These investigations are conducted by properly qualified and trained internal safety professionals. Our audit program consists of three major components. The first serves as the aircraft maintenance quality assurance program and is supported by six dedicated maintenance professionals. The second team consists of an internal team dedicated to conducting standardized audits of airport, flight operations, and associated functions. The third component of our audit program is a biennial audit of all operational components by the internationally recognized standard IOSA (IATA Operational Safety Audit). In 2021 Copa Airlines and AeroRepública successfully completed IOSA audits by external providers.
Airport Facilities
We believe that our hub at Panama City’s Tocumen International Airport (PTY) is an excellent base of operations for the following reasons:
| • | Panama’s consistently temperate climate is ideal for airport operations. |
| • | Tocumen International Airport is the only airport in Central America with two operational runways. Also, unlike some other regional airports, consistent modernization and growth of our hub has kept pace with our needs. In 2012, Tocumen International Airport completed Phase II of an expansion project of the existing terminal. In 2013, Tocumen International Airport awarded the bid for the construction of a new terminal (“Terminal 2” or “T2”), with an additional 20 gates and eight remote positions. Terminal 2 started operating a few gates during the early part of 2019. In 2021, Tocumen International Airport terminated the contract with Odebrecht due to their non-compliance in the construction of the new passenger terminal. As of February 28, 2022, the contract is still in dispute, and no other company has been selected to continue with the construction of Terminal 2. |
| • | Panama’s central and sea level location provides a very efficient base to operate our narrow body fleet, efficiently serving short and long-haul destinations in Central, North and South America, as well as the Caribbean. |
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. The law that created this entity also provided for a significant portion of revenues generated at Tocumen International Airport to be used for airport expansion and improvements. None of the airlines operating at Tocumen International Airport have any formal, written agreements with the airport management to govern access fees, landing rights or allocation of terminal gates. We rely upon our good working relationship with the airport’s management and the Panamanian government to ensure that we have access to the airport resources we need at prices that are reasonable.
34
We provide most of our own ground services and handling of passengers and cargo at Tocumen International Airport. In addition, we provide services to several of the main foreign airlines that operate at Tocumen International Airport. In most of the other airports where we operate, airport support services are provided by external third parties.
We use a variety of facilities at Tocumen International Airport, including our maintenance hangars and our operations facilities in the airport terminal. In January 2019, we opened a new hangar next to our existing maintenance facility. This new hangar has an area of approximately 90,000 square feet and can accommodate up to three narrow body aircraft simultaneously.
Our Gold and higher PreferMember passengers have access to a Copa Club at the Tocumen International Airport in Panama. These passengers also have access to other Copa Clubs in the region, which are strategically located in San José, Guatemala City, Santo Domingo and Bogota.
Fuel
Fuel costs are extremely volatile, as they are subject to many global economic, geopolitical, weather, environmental and other factors that we can neither control nor accurately predict. Due to its inherent volatility, aircraft fuel has historically been our most unpredictable unit cost. In the past, rapid increases in prices have come from increased demand for oil coupled with limited refinery capacity and instability in
oil-exporting
countries. Aircraft Fuel Data
2021 |
2020 |
2019 |
||||||||||
| Average price per gallon of jet fuel into plane (excluding hedge) (in U.S. dollars) |
$ | 2.14 | $ | 1.81 | $ | 2.16 | ||||||
| Gallons consumed (in millions) |
177.4 | 92.8 | 321.4 | |||||||||
| Available seat miles (in millions) |
14,934 | 7,301 | 25,113 | |||||||||
| Gallons per ASM (in hundredths) |
1.19 | 1.27 | 1.28 | |||||||||
In 2021, the average price of West Texas Intermediate or “WTI” crude oil, a benchmark widely used for crude oil prices that is measured in barrels and quoted in U.S. dollars, increased by 73.3% from $39.2 per barrel to $68.0 per barrel. In 2021, we did not hedge any of our fuel needs, and we have not hedged any part of our fuel needs for 2022. Although we have not added hedge positions since August of 2015, we continue to evaluate various hedging strategies and may enter into additional hedging agreements in the future, as any substantial and prolonged increase in the price of jet fuel will likely materially and negatively affect our business, financial condition and results of operation. In the past, we have managed to offset some of the increases in fuel prices with higher load factors, fuel surcharges and fare increases. In addition, our relatively young, winglet-equipped fleet and robust fuel conservation measures also help us mitigate the impact of higher fuel prices.
Additionally, global geopolitical events, such as the conflict between Russia and Ukraine beginning in February 2022, have led to an increase in fuel costs which may negatively impact our business operations. Due to the evolving nature of such events, we are unable to predict the duration of the conflict or the extent of the impact on our business.
Insurance
We maintain passenger liability insurance in an amount consistent with industry practice, and we insure our aircraft against losses and damages on an “all risks” basis. We have obtained all insurance coverage required by the terms of our leases. We believe our insurance coverage is consistent with airline industry standards and appropriate to protect us from material losses in light of the activities we conduct. No assurance can be given, however, that the amount of insurance we carry will be sufficient to protect us from material losses. By leveraging the purchasing power of our alliance partner, UAL, we have been able to negotiate lower premiums than those we would get if we were to purchase a standalone Hull and Airline Liability Insurance policy.
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Environmental
Our operations are covered by various local, national, and international environmental regulations. These regulations cover, among other things, gas emissions into the atmosphere, disposal of solid waste and aqueous effluents, aircraft noise, and other activities that result from the operation of aircraft and our aircraft comply with all environmental standards applicable to their operations as described in this annual report. Currently, we maintain an Environmental Management and Adequacy Program (“PAMA”), in all our facilities located in Panama, including our maintenance hangar and support facilities at the Tocumen International Airport, Administrative Offices in Costa del Este and Training Center in Clayton. This program was approved by the Panamanian National Environmental Authority (“ANAM”) in 2013, a governmental entity now named the Ministry of Environment (“MiAmbiente”), and includes actions such as a recycling program, better use of natural resources and final disposition of the unfiltered water used for aircraft maintenance, among many others. Currently, the Copa Tocumen International Airport’s PAMA final report is presented to MiAmbiente on an annual basis to monitor and report our environmental
follow-up
assessments. Copa Airlines is an active signatory company of the Global Compact of the United Nations with its local chapter of the Global Compact Network Panama, and have, thus, published our Communication on Progress (“COP”) since October 2001. This Global Compact agreement requires us to implement measures like maintaining a young fleet, incorporating new navigation technologies such as RNAV to reduce fuel consumption, installing latest generation winglets and scimitars in our planes to reduce fuel consumption and recycling, among many others. Starting in 2019, Copa is reporting the fuel consumption burned during its annual flight operations and its gas emissions to the AAC. As a result, Copa is in line with the global aviation effort led by ICAO, Colombia, and Panama Civil Aviation Authorities with the implementation of the Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA). The first gas emissions report corresponding to 2019 operations was successfully delivered to the AAC on October 2020, after passing the audit by our external Verification Body of greenhouse gas emissions accredited by ICAO. The Gas Emissions Report (ER) corresponding to 2020 operations was delivered to the AAC on May 2021.