PANAMA’S leading international carrier, Copa  Airlines, got worldwide recognition  last week  when  it was recognized  holding the second spot in punctuality ranking, surpassed only by Hawaiian Airlines.

According to the Official Airline Guide (OAG), which analyzed the registration of 54 million trips, the Panamanian company obtained a punctuality rating  of 88.75 percent, while Hawaiian Airlines surpassed it with a rating of 89.87 percent.

The airline subsidiary  of Copa Holdings, registered on the New York Stock Exchange since 2005, connects Panama to 70 destinations in 31 countries.

According to OAG calculations, after Hawaiian Airlines and Copa Airlines, the other three most punctual airlines during the past year were: KLM (87.89%); Qantas (87.56%) and Japan Airlines (86.74%).

Pedro Heilbron, CEO of Copa Airlines, said that the company always works to meet high  levels of punctuality,  one of its main characteristics within the airline industry.

Until last November,  Copa Holdings, reported passenger movement of 16 million passengers, a year­on ­year increase of 8.4 percent.