Copa Launches Wingo as Discount Airline in Colombia

Copa Holdings has officially launched a discount airline in Colombia with flights beginning on December 1. Tickets are already available for purchase on Wingo.com, and the Panama City-based company said that Wingo is “designed for passengers who prefer a simple, no-frills, and reliable travel option.”

The airline plans to start its operations in the country with 70 flights per week, mostly to Colombia’s Caribbean island of San Andres from Bogotá, Medellín, Cartagena, Cali, and Barranquilla. A Bogotá-to-Catagena flight will also be available, and international routes will include Bogotá to Cancun, Havana, Aruba, Punta Cana, Mexico City, Panama City, and Quito. Medellín and Cali will also have flights to Panama City. (Copa notes that most these flights already existed under its coverage in the nation.)

In time, this new service should add more choice for passengers, with Wingo operating as another lower-cost airline in the country in addition to VivaColombia, Easy Fly, and Satena, the state-controlled carrier that specializes in flights to remote areas of the country. Each will put some price pressure on the dominant players Avianca, LATAM (formerly LAN Colombia), and Copa Airlines.

“Copa Holdings’ economies of scale and business culture will allow Wingo to control costs better,” said Pedro Heilbron, CEO of Copa Holdings. “We are confident this will be a winning formula.”