Wingo plans  more flights, destinations

Wingo  one of Panama’s two low-cost airlines plans to make charter flights from Colombia to the airport of Rio Hato, in Coclé province;

Carolina Cortizo, general manager of Wingo, a subsidiary of Copa Holdings, a group that includes  Copa Airlines, said they are negotiating with the operator that would set up the charter flights.

The Panama Tourism Promotion Fund is also participating and, will about $90,000 to promote the flights.

Cortizo, daughter of the president of Panama, with   8 years experience in Copa Airlines before taking over  Wingo operations, said that if the demand arises they would also establish charter flights to the city of David.

“At the end of the year we are going to base a plane in Panama, which will serve to offer more flights from the Panama Pacifico airport,” Cortizo said.

With this new aircraft, the company would have a fleet of 5 planes. The airline has its base of operations in Colombia, from where it offers internal flights in that country, and to Panama from the cities of Bogotá, Medellín, Calí and Cartagena. From the airport, in Panama Pacifico it already markets flights to Havana, Cuba and from April the Lima (Peru) -Panama route will begin to operate.

Pedro Heilbron, executive director of Copa Airlines, said that Wingo contributes 2% of the revenues of the airline group.

The route to the Peruvian capital will be served with two weekly flights from April 28, with a fare from $113 round trip.

“With this rate, we want to bring many Peruvian tourists to Panama and also that many Panamanians know this southern country,” Cortizo said.

Wingo and Air Panama are the two low-cost airlines that operate in the country after Viva Colombia closed its operations in Panama in 2018,

In its three years of operation, Wingo has transported more than 800,000 passengers to and from Panama.