Copa Airlines announced that it will resume air operations between Panama and Venezuela, but exclusively through La Chinita International Airport in Maracaibo, following a test flight that determined operations to that terminal are safe and reliable. Copa explained that Maracaibo Airport has approach systems that mitigate operational risks associated with potential interruptions in navigation signals. Flights between Panama and Maracaibo will commence with a daily frequency starting Saturday, December 20, 2025. Flight CM703 will depart from Tocumen International Airport at 12:14 p.m. (local time) and arrive at La Chinita International Airport at 2:58 p.m. The return flight, CM713, will depart from Maracaibo at 3:58 p.m. and land in Panama at 4:46 p.m. Additionally, the airline reported that it continues to increase flight frequencies between Panama and the city of Cúcuta, Colombia, a locality bordering the Táchira state in Venezuela. For passengers with flights scheduled to or from Caracas until the suspension date, Copa Airlines offers options such as changing the date or origin/destination within the same region—including Maracaibo or Cúcuta—without additional fees, canceling the trip while preserving the ticket value as credit, or refunding unused or partially used tickets, manageable through its website. The airline reiterated that the safety of its passengers and crews is a central criterion in its operational decisions and recommended verifying the status of flights through its official channels before traveling.
