Panama, August 28, 2008 — The Panamanian Environmental Protection Agency (ANAM) and Copa Airlines have signed a partnership agreement through which Copa agrees to voluntarily comply with environmental regulations and reduce the impact of its operations on the environment. The agreement focuses on development of a Copa Environmental Management and Mitigation Program, which encompasses a companywide culture of environmental awareness focused on sustainability.  Components of the program include development of a recycling plan throughout the airline’s daily operations, as well as the voluntary reduction and offsetting of greenhouse gas emissions. In addition, studies will be conducted to promote cleaner production and sustainable resource use.  Minister of Environmental Conservation and Related Affairs and general administrator for ANAM, Ligia Castro de Doens congratulated Copa Airlines on the initiative, calling the public-private organization alliance a model for the aviation industry. 

Pedro Heilbron, CEO of Copa Airlines, highlighted the importance of promoting environmental conservation programs in Panama through initiatives that reduce pollution and benefit the social and economic wellbeing of the country and the region. 

“We are pleased to formalize this agreement with the Panamanian Environmental Protection Agency,” Heilbron said.  “The agreement is a comprehensive strategy that includes actions to measure, reduce and offset the environmental impact of all aspects of our daily operations.”

The ANAM promotes programs that result in overall reductions of emissions into the atmosphere of pollutant compounds from all economic and social sectors, with special emphasis on air and land transportation, which are among the principal causes of increased atmospheric emissions.

Copa Airlines is committed to environmental protection. Over the past several years, Copa has significantly reduced pollutants such as gas emissions and noise by installing high-efficiency engines and winglets in its entire fleet. Copa also has implemented more direct departure and arrival routes using RNAV (satellite navigation) to reduce impact on the environment, as well as other measures to improve the energy efficiency of their operations.

Minister Castro de Doens and Copa CEO Heilbron signed the agreement.

“Conservation for sustainable development”

About Copa Holdings
Copa Holdings, through its Copa Airlines and Aero República operating subsidiaries, is a leading Latin American provider of passenger and cargo service.  Copa Airlines currently offers approximately 136 daily scheduled flights to 42 destinations in 22 countries in North, Central and South America and the Caribbean through its Hub of the Americas based in Panama City, Panama.  In addition, Copa Airlines provides passengers with access to flights to more than 120 other international destinations through codeshare agreements with Continental Airlines and other airlines.  Copa is an associate member of the Global SkyTeam alliance, giving its passengers access to more than 15,200 daily flights to more than 790 cities in 162 countries.  Aero República, the second-largest carrier in Colombia, provides service to 12 cities in Colombia as well as international connectivity with Copa Airlines’ Hub of the Americas through daily flights from Bogotá, Bucaramanga, Cali and Medellin.

Source: Copa Airlines
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