airline safety

Copa Airlines safety record

Copa Airlines has had one fatal accident in its history, in 1992, and none in the more than thirty years since. Across all the world's airlines, the chance of a passenger dying in an accident is about 1 in 13.7 million per flight.

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No one on board has died in an accident since 1992
Chance of dying in an accident, per flight1 in 13.7 million

Worldwide average for airline flights, 2018–2022 (MIT study).

Put another way: if you took a flight every single day, you would, on average, fly for about 37,500 years before a fatal accident happened to you.

the record

One fatal accident, in 1992 — and none since

Copa's only fatal accident was on 6 June 1992, when flight 201 broke up in bad weather over the Darién region of Panama and all 47 on board died. Investigators found a wiring fault fed false attitude information to the captain's instruments, and the crew did not use the working standby instrument.

No one has died in an accident on a Copa flight since. Copa flies Boeing 737s from its hub in Panama City and is registered with IATA's operational safety audit (IOSA).

since 1970

Every fatal accident, on one line

Solid dots are its own flights; hollow ones were flown by a partner or subsidiary under its name; grey rings are hijackings and attacks. Deaths that investigators don't class as accidents (such as trespassers) aren't shown.

197019801990200020102020
Its own flights
  1. Jun 1992 CM201 · Boeing 737-200 · Darién, PanamaBroke up in bad weather; investigators found a wiring fault fed false attitude data to the captain's instruments and the crew did not use the working standby instrument.
your flight

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The day you fly, in the departure airport's own calendar.

at a glance

Copa Airlines in numbers

Founded
1947
Country
Panama
Alliance
Star Alliance
Main hubs
Panama City Tocumen
IATA safety audit (IOSA)
Registered
the fleet

What Copa Airlines flies

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on the day

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  • ✓The turbulence forecast for your exact flight, refreshed as new weather comes in
  • ✓Delays and gate changes on your Lock Screen, before the departure board
  • ✓Where you are in the flight, and how long until the bumpy stretch is behind you
An iPhone Lock Screen showing the FlyBud Live Activity: Barcelona to Istanbul, gate B23, boarding, with the same flight in the Dynamic Island at the top of the screen.

Copa Airlines safety questions

How safe is Copa Airlines?

Copa Airlines has had one fatal accident in its history, in 1992, and none in the more than thirty years since. Across all the world's airlines, the chance of a passenger dying in an accident is about 1 in 13.7 million per flight. Every fact on this page is sourced — the list is at the bottom.

What is Copa Airlines' safety rating?

FlyBud doesn't give airlines a made-up score. What can be checked is the record on this page and whether the airline passes IATA's operational safety audit (IOSA), which Copa Airlines does.

Has Copa Airlines ever crashed?

Once. Flight 201 crashed in Panama in 1992, killing all 47 on board. It is Copa's only fatal accident.

sources

Where these facts come from

Every fact on this page is from the airline's own filings, the official accident investigation or the published accident record.

Flying Copa Airlines soon?

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