The temporary suspension of operations of Copa Airlines' 21 Boeing 737 MAX 9 aircraft has led to the suspension of at least 80 daily flights, which represents 20% of operations.

The airline’s president  Pedro Heilbron, said that the immobilization of the aircraft has been done following safety instructions that are beyond the control of the airline, which was triggered after the incident of a 737 MAX 9 plane of Alaska Airlines on January 5, with which the Federal Aviation Administration suspended these aircraft models.

“This measure taken as a precaution to safeguard the safety of passengers and crews implied for Copa the temporary suspension of the operation of 21 of our aircraft, which has forced us to cancel around 80 daily flights or more than 20% of our operation, affecting thousands of passengers who have been left without the possibility of reaching their destination or returning home according to their original itinerary the return of these aircraft to operation,” Heilbron said.

He maintained that the airline hopes that the United States Federal Aviation Administration will approve the necessary technical documentation to begin the inspection process of these aircraft.

Heilbron reported that the FAA inspections are scheduled even though the aforementioned review by the FA is scheduled to take place this week, but there is no certainty about its duration or when the operation of the affected aircraft would be authorized again.

He assured that the technical operations team has carried out a preliminary inspection on the 21 Max 9 and are prepared to comply with FAA guidelines and return to operations as soon as possible.

Customer service
Diana Misrachi, director of customer experience at Copa said that they are relocating those affected to new flights, on the dates closest to the original ones on their itinerary.

Flight change charges have been eliminated, offering flexibility for those passengers who decide to choose another travel date without charges.

“Additionally, they have the possibility of canceling the trip and leaving the ticket open for use at a later date without additional charges. Lastly, if they decide to cancel the trip, people have the possibility of requesting a refund for the ticket.”