Nonstop flights to Panama take off Friday from Raleigh-Durham International Airport. It's RDU’s 10th international destination.
Flight 466 from Panama City — a Boeing 737 — is scheduled to land in Raleigh at around 2:30 p.m., according to FlightAware.
“We chose Raleigh-Durham, because there's a window of opportunities for us to increase commerce and tourism and cultural educational exchanges between the two regions,” according to Copa’s North America sales director Dave DeFossey.
He added that Copa’s connections to destinations in Central America and the Caribbean will help immigrant communities in Central North Carolina who want to visit loved ones.
From the airline’s Panama City hub, passengers can catch flights to more than 80 destinations in the Americas.
“Unlike other carriers in their hubs, there is no immigration and no customs to go through in Panama," DeFossey said. "So, anybody who has a connection, as little as 45 minutes to an hour can easily make their connection."
Copa’s arrival comes as RDU is working to add more international connections. German airline Lufthansa began serving the airport earlier this month, while AeroMexico will launch flights to Mexico City in July.
