Cooperation with Continental Has Helped Panama's Copa Grow

"It's unlikely Copa would have had either the expertise or the willingness to do a deal like what we did in Colombia had we not had such a successful relationship with Continental," Gunn said. "The model we are applying is very, very similar."

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TIMELINE

1947

Copa Airlines is launched as a joint venture with Pan Am, offering service between three Panamanian cities.

1992

Hub operations at Panama's Tocumen Airport begin.

1998

Copa Airlines and Continental Airlines create a strategic alliance, with the Houston-based carrier buying a 49 percent stake in the Panamanian carrier.

2005

Copa Holdings acquires Colombia's second-largest airline, AeroRepública; Copa begins trading on the New York Stock Exchange, and Continental reduces its share of Copa.

2006

Continental sells more of its shares in Copa, decreasing its stake to 10 percent.

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