Copa Holdings - 20-F annual report

In this annual report, we use the term “Copa Holdings” to refer to Copa Holdings, S.A., “Copa” or “Copa Airlines” to refer to Compañía Panameña de Aviación, S.A., a subsidiary of Copa Holdings, S.A., and “AeroRepública” to refer to AeroRepública, S.A., a subsidiary of Copa Holdings, S.A. The terms “we,” “us” and “our” refer to Copa Holdings, S.A. together with its subsidiaries, except where the context requires otherwise. References to “Class A shares” refer to Class A shares of Copa Holdings, S.A.

This annual report contains terms relating to operating performance that are commonly used within the airline industry and are defined as follows:

This annual report contains certain statistical data regarding our airline routes and our competitive position and market share in, and the market size of, the Latin American airline industry. This information has been derived from a variety of sources, including the International Air Transport Association, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration, the International Monetary Fund and other third-party sources, governmental agencies or industry or general publications. Information for which no source is cited has been prepared by us on the basis of our knowledge of Latin American airline markets and other information available to us. The methodology and terminology used by different sources are not always consistent, and data from different sources are not readily comparable. In addition, sources other than us use methodologies that are not identical to ours and may produce results that differ from our own estimates. Although we have not independently verified the information concerning our competitive position, market share, market size, market growth or other similar data provided by third-party sources or by industry or general publications, we believe these sources and publications are generally accurate and reliable.

Included elsewhere in this annual report are our audited consolidated balance sheets as of December 31, 2008 and 2009 and the audited consolidated statements of income, changes in shareholders’ equity and cash flows for the years ended December 31, 2007, 2008 and 2009. The consolidated financial information as of December 31, 2005, 2006 and 2007, and for the years ended December 31, 2005 and 2006 has been derived from our audited consolidated financial statements that were prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States, or U.S. GAAP and which have not been included in this annual report. Our audited consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP and are stated in U.S. dollars. We began consolidating the results of our AeroRepública operating subsidiary as of its acquisition date on April 22, 2005. Unless otherwise indicated, all references in the annual report to “$” or “dollars” refer to U.S. dollars, and all references to “Pesos” or “Ps.” refer to Colombian pesos, the local currency of Colombia.

Certain figures included in this annual report have been subject to rounding adjustments. Accordingly, figures shown as totals in certain tables may not be an arithmetic aggregation of the figures that precede them.

This annual report includes forward-looking statements, principally under the captions “Risk Factors,” “Business Overview” and “Operating and Financial Review and Prospects.” We have based these forward-looking statements largely on our current beliefs, expectations and projections about future events and financial trends affecting our business. Many important factors, in addition to those discussed elsewhere in this annual report, could cause our actual results to differ substantially from those anticipated in our forward-looking statements, including, among other things:

The words “believe,” “may,” “will,” “aim,” “estimate,” “continue,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “expect” and similar words are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements include information concerning our possible or assumed future results of operations, business strategies, financing plans, competitive position, industry environment, potential growth opportunities, the effects of future regulation and the effects of competition. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they were made, and we undertake no obligation to update publicly or to revise any forward-looking statements after the date of this annual report because of new information, future events or other factors. In light of the risks and uncertainties described above, the forward-looking events and circumstances discussed in this annual report might not occur and are not guarantees of future performance. Considering these limitations, you should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements contained in this annual report.

The following table presents summary consolidated financial and operating data for each of the periods indicated. Our consolidated financial statements are prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP and are stated in U.S. dollars. You should read this information in conjunction with our consolidated financial statements included in this annual report and the information under “Item 5. Operating and Financial Review and Prospects” appearing elsewhere in this annual report.

The summary consolidated financial information as of December 31, 2008 and 2009 and for the years ended December 31, 2007, 2008 and 2009 has been derived from our audited consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this annual report. The consolidated financial information as of December 31, 2005, 2006 and 2007, and for the years ended December 31, 2005 and 2006 has been derived from our audited consolidated financial statements that were prepared under U.S. GAAP and which have not been included in this annual report.

We have acquired 99.9% of the stock of AeroRepública, a Colombian air carrier, and began consolidating its results on April 22, 2005. As a result of this acquisition, our financial information prior to and after the acquisition is not comparable.

We have grown rapidly over the past nine years. During the next several years we intend to continue to grow our fleet, expand our service to new markets and increase the frequency of flights to the markets we currently serve. Achieving these goals is essential in order for our business to benefit from cost efficiencies resulting from economies of scale. We expect to have substantial cash needs as we expand, including cash required to fund aircraft purchases or aircraft deposits as we add to our fleet. We cannot assure you that we will have sufficient cash to fund such projects, and if we are unable to successfully expand our route system, our future revenue and earnings growth would be limited.

When we commence a new route, our load factors tend to be lower than those on our established routes and our advertising and other promotional costs tend to be higher, which may result in initial losses that could have a negative impact on our results of operations as well as require a substantial amount of cash to fund. We also periodically run special promotional fare campaigns, particularly in connection with the opening of new routes. Promotional fares may have the effect of increasing load factors while reducing our yield on such routes during the period that they are in effect. The number of markets we serve and our flight frequencies depend on our ability to identify the appropriate geographic markets upon which to focus and to gain suitable airport access and route approval in these markets. There can be no assurance that the new markets we enter will provide passenger traffic that is sufficient to make our operations in those new markets profitable. Any condition that would prevent or delay our access to key airports or routes, including limitations on the ability to process more passengers, the imposition of flight capacity restrictions, the inability to secure additional route rights under bilateral agreements or the inability to maintain our existing slots and obtain additional slots, could constrain the expansion of our operations.

The expansion of our business will also require additional skilled personnel, equipment and facilities. The inability to hire and retain skilled pilots and other personnel or secure the required equipment and facilities efficiently and cost-effectively may adversely affect our ability to execute our growth strategy. In recent years, the airline industry has experienced a pilot shortage that has disproportionately affected smaller and regional carriers, such as Copa. Expansion of our markets and flight frequencies may also strain our existing management resources and operational, financial and management information systems to the point where they may no longer be adequate to support our operations, requiring us to make significant expenditures in these areas. In light of these factors, we cannot assure you that we will be able to successfully establish new markets or expand our existing markets, and our failure to do so could harm our business and results of operations, as well as the value of our Class A shares.

Passenger demand is heavily cyclical and highly dependent on global and local economic growth, economic expectations and foreign exchange rate variations. In the past, we have been negatively impacted by poor economic performance in certain emerging market countries in which we operate. Any of the following developments in the countries in which we operate could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations:

Additionally, a significant portion of our revenues is derived from discretionary and leisure travel which are especially sensitive to economic downturns. A continued recessionary environment could result in a reduction in passenger traffic, and leisure travel in particular, as well as a reduction in our cargo business, and could also impact our ability to raise fares, which in turn would materially and negatively affect our financial condition and results of operations.

We currently finance our aircraft through bank loans and operating leases. In the past, we have been able to obtain lease or debt financing on terms attractive to us. We have obtained most of the financing for our Boeing aircraft purchases from commercial financial institutions utilizing guarantees provided by the Export-Import Bank of the United States. The Export-Import Bank provides guarantees to companies that purchase goods from U.S. companies for export, enabling them to obtain financing at substantially lower interest rates as compared to those that they could obtain without a guarantee. The Export-Import Bank does not provide similar guarantees in connection with financing for our aircraft purchases from Embraer since those aircraft are not exports from the United States. At December 31, 2009, we had $363.5 million of outstanding indebtedness that is owed to financial institutions under financing arrangements guaranteed by the Export-Import Bank. We cannot predict whether the Export-Import Bank’s credit support will continue to be available to us to fund future purchases of Boeing aircraft. The Export-Import Bank may in the future limit its exposure to Panama-based companies, to our airline or to airlines generally, or may encourage us to diversify our credit sources by limiting future guarantees.

Similarly, we cannot assure you that we will be able to continue to raise financing from past sources, or from other sources, on terms comparable to our existing financing or at all. The recent turmoil in the financial markets has tightened the availability of credit and has increased the cost of obtaining lease or debt financing. If the cost of such financing continues to increase or we are unable to obtain such financing, we may be forced to incur higher than anticipated financing costs, which could have an adverse impact on the execution of our growth strategy and business.

We maintain a broad commercial and marketing alliance with Continental Airlines, Inc., or Continental, that has allowed us to enhance our network and, in some cases, offer our customers services that we could not otherwise offer. If Continental were to experience severe financial difficulties or go bankrupt, our alliance and service agreements may be terminated or we may not realize the anticipated benefits from our relationship with Continental. While Continental recorded net income of $459 million, for 2007, it has also suffered significant losses in recent years and has indicated that several factors threaten its ability to sustain profitability, including high fuel cost, the troubled global capital markets, industry competition and terrorism or other international hostilities. We cannot assure you that Continental will be able to sustain its profitability, and as a result, we may be materially and adversely affected by a deterioration of Continental’s financial condition.

Since we began the alliance in 1998, we have benefited from Continental’s support in negotiations for aircraft purchases, insurance and fuel purchases, sharing of “best practices” and engineering support in our maintenance operations, and significant other intangible support. This support has assisted us in our growth strategy, while also improving our operational performance and the quality of our service. Our alliance relationship with Continental is the subject of a grant of antitrust immunity from the U.S. Department of Transportation, or DOT. If our relationship with Continental were to deteriorate, or our alliance relationship were no longer to benefit from a grant of antitrust immunity, or our alliance or services agreements were terminated, our business, financial condition and results of operations would likely be materially and adversely affected. The loss of Copa’s codesharing relationship with Continental would likely result in a significant decrease in our revenues. We also rely on Continental’s OnePass frequent flyer program that we participate in globally and on a co-branded basis in Latin America, and our business may be adversely affected if the OnePass program does not remain a competitive marketing program. In addition, our competitors may benefit from alliances with other airlines that are more extensive than our alliance with Continental. We cannot predict the extent to which we will be disadvantaged by competing alliances. Our relationship with suppliers depends in part on our alliance with Continental.

During 2008, Continental Airlines announced its intention to leave the SkyTeam Alliance and join the Star Alliance, effective the fourth quarter of 2009. Due to the long-standing alliance relationship with Continental, and in order to ensure we remain fully aligned with Continental on a number of important joint initiatives, we also exited the SkyTeam Alliance during the fourth quarter of 2009. We are currently studying our global alliance options, including potentially following Continental to Star Alliance or whether to remain independent of global alliances while forming strong bilateral partnerships with multiple carriers. The absence of, or entrance into, another airline alliance could involve significant risks because we may incur costs or a loss of revenue and anticipated benefits may not be realized. These risks include an inability to join or a delay in joining another alliance due to lack of applicable approvals or difficulty in satisfying entrance requirements, including the requirement that we enter into certain bilateral agreements with each member of another alliance and/or difficulties integrating our technology processes with the other airline members of a prospective alliance. If any of these risks or costs materializes, they could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

The structure of substantially all of our current flight operations (other than those of AeroRepública) generally follows what is known in the airline industry as a “hub-and-spoke” model. This model aggregates passengers by operating flights from a number of “spoke” origins to a central hub through which they are transported to their final destinations. In recent years, many traditional hub-and-spoke operators have faced significant and increasing competitive pressure from low-cost, point-to-point carriers on routes with sufficient demand to sustain point-to-point service. A point-to-point structure enables airlines to focus on the most profitable, high-demand routes and to offer greater convenience and, in many instances, lower fares. As demand for air travel in Latin America increases, some of our competitors have initiated non-stop service between destinations that we currently serve through our Panamanian hub. Non-stop service, which bypasses our hub in Panama is more convenient and possibly less expensive, than our connecting service and could significantly decrease demand for our service to those destinations. We believe that competition from point-to-point carriers will be directed towards the largest markets that we serve and such competition is likely to continue at this level or intensify in the future. As a result, the effect of such competition on us could be significant and could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Under Law No. 21 of January 29, 2003, which regulates the aviation industry in the Republic of Panama and which we refer to as the Aviation Act, “substantial ownership” and “effective control” of our airline must remain in the hands of Panamanian nationals. Under certain of the bilateral agreements between Panama and other countries pursuant to which we have the right to fly to those other countries and over their territory, we must continue to have substantial Panamanian ownership and effective control by Panamanian nationals to retain these rights. Neither “substantial ownership” nor “effective control” are defined in the Aviation Act or in the bilateral agreements, and it is unclear how a Panamanian court or, in the case of the bilateral agreements, foreign regulatory authorities might interpret these requirements. In addition, the manner in which these requirements are interpreted may change over time. We cannot predict whether these requirements would be satisfied through ownership and control by Panamanian record holders, or if these requirements would be satisfied only by direct and indirect ownership and control by Panamanian beneficial owners.

At the present time, Corporación de Inverstiones Aereas, S.A., or CIASA, a Panamanian entity, is the record owner of all of our Class B voting shares, representing approximately 29.1% of our total share capital and all of the voting power of our capital stock.

On November 25, 2005, the Executive Branch of the Government of Panama promulgated a decree stating that the “substantial ownership” and “effective control” requirements of the Aviation Act are met if a Panamanian citizen or a Panamanian company is the record holder of shares representing 51% or more of the voting power of the company. Although the decree has the force of law for so long as it remains in effect, it does not supersede the Aviation Act, and it can be modified or superseded at any time by a future Executive Branch decree. Additionally, the decree has no binding effect on regulatory authorities of other countries whose bilateral agreements impose Panamanian ownership and control limitations on us. We cannot assure you that the decree will not be challenged, modified or superseded in the future, that CIASA will continue to own a majority of the Class B shares, or that record ownership of a majority of our Class B shares by Panamanian entities will be sufficient to satisfy the “substantial ownership” requirement of the Aviation Act and the decree. A change in the ownership of the Class B shares or a determination by the Panamanian Civil Aviation Authority (the Autoridad de Aeronáutica Civil), which we refer to as the AAC, or a Panamanian court that “substantial” Panamanian ownership should be determined on the basis of our direct and indirect ownership, could cause us to lose our license to operate our airline in Panama. Likewise, if a foreign regulatory authority were to determine that our direct or indirect Panamanian ownership fails to satisfy the minimum Panamanian ownership requirements for a Panamanian carrier under the applicable bilateral agreement, we may lose the benefit of that agreement and be prohibited from flying to the relevant country or over its territory. Any such determination would have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations, as well as on the value of the Class A shares.

Our business, financial condition and results of operations could be adversely affected if we or certain aviation authorities in the countries to which we fly fail to maintain the required foreign and domestic governmental authorizations necessary for our operations. In order to maintain the necessary authorizations issued by the AAC, the Colombian Civil Aviation Administration (theUnidad Administrativa Especial de Aeronáutica Civil or UAEAC), and other corresponding foreign authorities, we must continue to comply with applicable statutes, rules and regulations pertaining to the airline industry, including any rules and regulations that may be adopted in the future. We cannot predict or control any actions that the AAC, the UAEAC, or foreign aviation regulators may take in the future, which could include restricting our operations or imposing new and costly regulations. Also, our fares are technically subject to review by the AAC, the UAEAC, and the regulators of certain other countries to which we fly, any of which may in the future impose restrictions on our fares.

We are also subject to international bilateral air transport agreements that provide for the exchange of air traffic rights between each of Panama and Colombia, and various other countries, and we must obtain permission from the applicable foreign governments to provide service to foreign destinations. There can be no assurance that existing bilateral agreements between the countries in which our airline operating companies are based and foreign governments will continue, or that we will be able to obtain more route rights under those agreements to accommodate our future expansion plans. A modification, suspension or revocation of one or more bilateral agreements could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. The suspension of our permits to operate to certain airports or destinations, the cancellation of any of our provisional routes or the imposition of other sanctions could also have a material adverse effect. Due to the nature of bilateral agreements, we can fly to many destinations only from Panama, and to certain destinations only from Colombia. We cannot assure you that a change in a foreign government’s administration of current laws and regulations or the adoption of new laws and regulations will not have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We plan to continue to increase the scale of our operations and revenues by expanding our presence on new and existing routes. Our ability to successfully implement this strategy will depend upon many factors, several of which are outside our control or subject to change. These factors include the permanence of a suitable political, economic and regulatory environment in the Latin American countries in which we operate or intend to operate and our ability to identify strategic local partners.

The most active government regulator among the countries to which we fly is the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration, or FAA. The FAA from time to time issues directives and other regulations relating to the maintenance and operation of aircraft that require significant expenditures. FAA requirements cover, among other things, security measures, collision avoidance systems, airborne windshear avoidance systems, noise abatement and other environmental issues, and increased inspections and maintenance procedures to be conducted on older aircraft. We expect to continue incurring expenses to comply with the FAA’s regulations, and any increase in the cost of compliance could have an adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations. Additional new regulations continue to be regularly implemented by the U.S. Transportation Security Administration, or TSA, as well.

The FAA periodically audits the aviation regulatory authorities of other countries. As a result of its investigation, each country is given an International Aviation Safety Assessment, or IASA, rating. Since April 2004, IASA has rated Panama as a Category 1 jurisdiction. We cannot assure you that the government of Panama, and the AAC in particular, will continue to meet international safety standards, and we have no direct control over their compliance with IASA guidelines. If Panama’s IASA rating were to be downgraded in the future, it could prohibit us from increasing service to the United States and Continental would have to suspend the placing of its code on our flights, causing us to lose direct revenue from codesharing as well as reducing flight options to our customers.

Our business is heavily dependent on our operations at our hub at Panama City’s Tocumen International Airport. Substantially all of our Copa flights either depart from or arrive at our hub. The hub-and-spoke structure of our operations is particularly dependent on the on-time arrival of tightly coordinated groupings of flights to ensure that passengers can make timely connections to continuing flights. Like other airlines, we are subject to delays caused by factors beyond our control, including air traffic congestion at airports, adverse weather conditions and increased security measures. Delays inconvenience passengers, reduce aircraft utilization and increase costs, all of which in turn negatively affect our profitability. In addition, at its current utilization level, Tocumen International Airport only has fuel storage capacity for three days worth of fuel. In the event there is a disruption in the transport of fuel to the airport, we may be forced to suspend flights until the fuel tanks can be refueled. A significant interruption or disruption in service or fuel at Tocumen International Airport could have a serious impact on our business, financial condition and operating results. Also, Tocumen International Airport provides international service to the Republic of Panama’s population of approximately 3.5 million, whereas the hub markets of our current competitors tend to be much larger, providing those competitors with a larger base of customers at their hub.

Tocumen International Airport is operated by a corporation that is owned and controlled by the government of the Republic of Panama. We depend on our good working relationship with the quasi-governmental corporation that operates the airport to ensure that we have adequate access to aircraft parking positions, landing rights and gate assignments for our aircraft to accommodate our current operations and future plans for expansion. The corporation that operates Tocumen International Airport does not enter into any formal, written leases or other agreements with airlines that govern rights to use the airport’s jetways or aircraft parking spaces. Therefore, we do not have contractual recourse in the event the airport authority assigns new capacity to competing airlines, reassigns our resources to other aircraft operators, raises fees or discontinues investments in the airport’s maintenance and expansion. Any of these events could result in significant new competition for our routes or could otherwise have a material adverse effect on our current operations or ability for future growth.

We must pay fees to airport operators for the use of their facilities. Any substantial increase in airport charges could have a material adverse impact on our results of operations. Passenger taxes and airport charges have also increased in recent years, sometimes substantially. Certain important airports that we use may be privatized in the near future which is likely to result in significant cost increases to the airlines that use these airports. We cannot assure you that the airports used by us will not impose, or further increase, passenger taxes and airport charges in the future, and any such increases could have an adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.

Certain airports that we serve (or that we plan to serve in the future) are subject to capacity constraints and impose slot restrictions during certain periods of the day. We cannot assure you that we will be able to obtain a sufficient number of slots, gates and other facilities at airports to expand our services as we are proposing to do. It is also possible that airports not currently subject to capacity constraints may become so in the future. In addition, an airline must use its slots on a regular and timely basis or risk having those slots re-allocated to others. Where slots or other airport resources are not available or their availability is restricted in some way, we may have to amend our schedules, change routes or reduce aircraft utilization. Any of these alternatives could have an adverse financial impact on us.

Some of the airports to which we fly impose various restrictions, including limits on aircraft noise levels, limits on the number of average daily departures and curfews on runway use. In addition, we cannot assure you that airports at which there are no such restrictions may not implement restrictions in the future or that, where such restrictions exist, they may not become more onerous. Such restrictions may limit our ability to continue to provide or to increase services at such airports.

The airline business is characterized by high leverage, and we have a high level of indebtedness. We also have significant expenditures in connection with our operating leases and facility rental costs, and substantially all of our property and equipment is pledged to secure indebtedness. For the year ended December 31, 2009, our interest expense and aircraft and facility rental expense under operating leases aggregated $94.0 million. At December 31, 2009, approximately 49% of our total indebtedness bore interest at fixed rates, and a small portion of our lease obligations was determined with reference to LIBOR. Accordingly, our financing and rent expense will not decrease significantly if market interest rates decline.

As of December 31, 2009, we had firm commitments to purchase 29 Boeing 737-Next Generation, with an aggregate manufacturer’s list price of approximately $2.3 billion. We will require substantial capital from external sources to meet our future financial commitments. The credit crisis and the related recessionary environment has increased and may continue to increase the costs of such financing. In addition, the acquisition and financing of these aircraft will likely result in a substantial increase in our leverage and fixed financing costs. A high degree of leverage and fixed payment obligations could:

Any one of these could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Our aircraft financing loans and operating leases and the instruments governing our other indebtedness contain a number of significant covenants and restrictions that limit our ability and our subsidiaries’ ability to:

In addition, several of our aircraft financing agreements require us to maintain compliance with specified financial ratios and other financial and operating tests. For example, our access to certain borrowings under our aircraft financing arrangements is conditioned upon our maintenance of minimum debt service coverage and capitalization ratios. See “Item 5. Operating and Financial Review and Prospects—Liquidity and Capital Resources.” Complying with these covenants may cause us to take actions that make it more difficult to execute successfully our business strategy, and we may face competition from companies not subject to such restrictions. Moreover, our failure to comply with these covenants could result in an event of default or refusal by our creditors to extend certain of our loans.

In 2010, we expect to take delivery of eight Boeing 737-800 and we expect to continue to incorporate new aircraft into our fleet. The decision to incorporate new aircraft is based on a variety of factors, including the implementation of our growth strategy. Acquisition of new aircraft involves a variety of risks relating to its ability to be successfully placed into service including:

We perform impairment reviews when there are particular risks of impairment or other indicators described in Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 144, Accounting for the Impairment or Disposal of Long-Lived Assets, in order to determine whether we need to reduce the carrying value of our aircraft and related assets with a related charge to our earnings. In addition to the fact that the value of our fleet declines as it ages, any potential excess capacity in the airline industry, airline bankruptcies and other factors beyond our control may further contribute to the decline of the fair market value of our aircraft and related rotable parts and inventory. If such impairment does occur, we would be required under U.S. GAAP to write down these assets to their estimated fair market value through a charge to earnings. A significant charge to earnings would adversely affect our financial condition and operating results. In addition, the interest rates on and the availability of certain of our aircraft financing loans are tied to the value of the aircraft securing the loans. If those values were to decrease substantially, our interest rates may rise or the lenders under those loans may cease extending credit to us, either of which could have an adverse impact on our financial condition and results of operations.

We rely upon information technology systems to operate our business and increase our efficiency. We are highly reliant on certain systems for maintenance, reservations, check-in, revenue management, accounting and cargo distribution. Other systems are designed to decrease distribution costs through Internet reservations and to maximize cargo distributions. These systems may not deliver their anticipated benefits. Also, in transitioning to new systems we may lose data or experience interruptions in service, which could harm our business.

The airline industry is by nature cyclical and seasonal, and our operating results may vary from quarter to quarter. We tend to experience the highest levels of traffic and revenue in July and August, with a smaller peak in traffic in December and January. In general, demand for air travel is higher in the third and fourth quarters, particularly in international markets, because of the increase in vacation travel during these periods relative to the remainder of the year. We generally experience our lowest levels of passenger traffic in April and May. Given our high proportion of fixed costs, seasonality can affect our profitability from quarter to quarter. Demand for air travel is also affected by factors such as economic conditions, war or the threat of war, fare levels and weather conditions.

Due to the factors described above and others described in this annual report, quarter-to-quarter comparisons of our operating results may not be good indicators of our future performance. In addition, it is possible that in any quarter our operating results could be below the expectations of investors and any published reports or analyses regarding our company. In that event, the price of our Class A shares could decline, perhaps substantially.

An accident or incident involving one of our aircraft could involve significant claims by injured passengers and others, as well as significant costs related to the repair or replacement of a damaged aircraft and its temporary or permanent loss from service. We are required by our creditors and the lessors of our aircraft under our operating lease agreements to carry liability insurance, but the amount of such liability insurance coverage may not be adequate and we may be forced to bear substantial losses in the event of an accident. Our insurance premiums may also increase due to an accident or incident affecting one of our aircraft. Substantial claims resulting from an accident in excess of our related insurance coverage or increased premiums would harm our business and financial results. Moreover, any aircraft accident or incident, even if fully insured, could cause the public to perceive us as less safe or reliable than other airlines which could harm our business and results of operations. Our business would also be significantly harmed if the public avoids flying our aircraft due to an adverse perception of the types of aircraft that we operate arising from safety concerns or other problems, whether real or perceived, or in the event of an accident involving those types of aircraft.

In 2009, approximately 71.0% of our expenses and 43.4% of our revenues were denominated in U.S. dollars. The remainder of our expenses and revenues were denominated in the currencies of the various countries to which we fly, with the largest non-dollar amount denominated in Colombian Pesos due to our acquisition of AeroRepública in April 2005. If any of these currencies decline in value against the U.S. dollar, our revenues, expressed in U.S. dollars, and our operating margin would be adversely affected. We may not be able to adjust our fares denominated in other currencies to offset any increases in U.S. dollar-denominated expenses, increases in interest expense or exchange losses on fixed obligations or indebtedness denominated in foreign currency. We currently have hedges in place with respect to some of our U.S. dollar / Colombian Peso exposure.

We are also exposed to exchange rate losses, as well as gains, due to the fluctuation in the value of local currencies vis-à-vis the U.S. dollar during the period of time between the time we are paid in local currencies and the time we are able to repatriate the revenues in U.S. dollars. Although in most countries to which we fly this period is typically between one and two weeks, in Venezuela, foreign companies, including airlines, have experienced increasing delays for approvals by the Venezuelan government to repatriate funds. We have significant cash balances in Bolivars subject to Venezuelan exchange controls. In recent periods, we have experienced up to a nine month delay in repatriating funds. On January 8, 2010, the Venezuelan government announced its decision to implement new fixed exchange rates effective January 11, 2010, which resulted in a significant devaluation of the Bolivar against the U.S. dollar. As a result, we incurred losses of approximately $21 million, which will be recorded in the first quarter of 2010 in accordance with US GAAP. Given the uncertainty with respect to the exchange control regime in Venezuela, we continue to be exposed in respect of our cash balance in Venezuelan Bolivares should there be a further devaluation of the Bolivar.

The average age of our fleet was approximately 4.6 years as of December 31, 2009. In recent years, our fleet average age has decreased significantly, mainly as a result of AeroRepública’s fleet renewal program which has replaced older MD-80 aircraft with new Embraer-190 aircraft. In past years we have incurred a low level of maintenance expenses because most of the parts on our aircraft were still covered under multi-year warranties. As our fleet ages and these warranties expire, we expect that our maintenance costs will increase significantly, both on an absolute basis and as a percentage of our operating expenses.

Approximately 49% of the Company’s employees belong to a labor union. There are currently five unions covering our Copa employees based in Panama: the pilots’ union; the flight attendants’ union; the mechanics’ union; the traffic attendants’ union; and a generalized union, which represents baggage handlers, aircraft cleaners, counter agents, and other non-executive administrative staff. Copa entered into collective bargaining agreements with its mechanics union in April 2009, its general union in July 2008, its pilot union in November 2007 and its flight attendants union in March 2010. Collective bargaining agreements in Panama are typically between three and four year terms. We also have union contracts with our Copa employees in Brazil and Mexico. AeroRepública is a party to collective bargaining agreements that cover all of AeroRepública’s pilots, co-pilots, and flight attendants. A strike, work interruption or stoppage or any prolonged dispute with our employees who are represented by any of these unions could have an adverse impact on our operations. These risks are typically exacerbated during periods of renegotiation with the unions. Any renegotiated collective bargaining agreement could feature significant wage increases and a consequent increase in our operating expenses. Employees outside of Panama that are not currently members of unions may also form new unions that may seek further wage increases or benefits.

Our business is labor intensive. We expect salaries, wages and benefits to increase on a gross basis, and these costs could increase as a percentage of our overall costs. If we are unable to hire, train and retain qualified pilots and other employees at a reasonable cost, our business could be harmed and we may be unable to complete our expansion plans.

In 2009, approximately 52% of our revenues were derived from tickets sold by travel agents or tour operators. We cannot assure you that we will be able to maintain favorable relationships with these ticket sellers. Our revenues could be adversely impacted if travel agents or tour operators elect to favor other airlines or to disfavor us. Our relationship with travel agents and tour operators may be affected by:

We have entered into agreements with third-party contractors to provide certain facilities and services required for our operations, such as heavy aircraft and engine maintenance; call center services; and catering, ground handling, cargo and baggage handling, or “below the wing” aircraft services. For example, at airports other than Tocumen International Airport, most of our “below the wing” aircraft services are performed by third party contractors. Overhaul maintenance and “C-checks” are handled by contractors in the United States, Panama and Costa Rica, and some line maintenance is handled at certain airports by contract workers rather than our employees. Substantially all of our agreements with third-party contractors are subject to termination on short notice. The loss or expiration of these agreements or our inability to renew these agreements or to negotiate new agreements with other providers at comparable rates could harm our business and results of operations. Further, our reliance on third parties to provide essential services on our behalf gives us less control over the costs, efficiency, timeliness and quality of those services. A contractor’s negligence could compromise our aircraft or endanger passengers and crew. This could also have a material adverse effect on our business. We expect to be dependent on such agreements for the foreseeable future and if we enter any new market, we will need to have similar agreements in place.

We are subject to the risks of having a limited number of suppliers for our aircraft and engines. One of the elements of our business strategy is to save costs by operating a simplified aircraft fleet. Copa currently operates the Boeing 737-700/800 Next Generation aircraft powered by CFM 56-7B engines from CFM International and the Embraer 190, powered by General Electric CF 34-10 engines. AeroRepública currently operates the Embraer 190, powered by General Electric CF 34-10 engines . We currently intend to continue to rely exclusively on these aircraft for the foreseeable future. If any of Boeing, Embraer, CFM International or GE Engines were unable to perform their contractual obligations, or if we are unable to acquire or lease new aircraft or engines from aircraft or engine manufacturers or lessors on acceptable terms, we would have to find another supplier for a similar type of aircraft or engine.

If we have to lease or purchase aircraft from another supplier, we could lose the benefits we derive from our current fleet composition. We cannot assure you that any replacement aircraft would have the same operating advantages as the Boeing 737-700/800 Next Generation or Embraer 190 aircraft that would be replaced or that Copa could lease or purchase engines that would be as reliable and efficient as the CFM 56-7B and GE CF34-10. We may also incur substantial transition costs, including costs associated with retraining our employees, replacing our manuals and adapting our facilities. Our operations could also be harmed by the failure or inability of Boeing, Embraer, CFM International or GE Engines to provide sufficient parts or related support services on a timely basis.

Our business would be significantly harmed if a design defect or mechanical problem with any of the types of aircraft or components that we operate were discovered that would ground any of our aircraft while the defect or problem was corrected, assuming it could be corrected at all. The use of our aircraft could be suspended or restricted by regulatory authorities in the event of any actual or perceived mechanical or design problems. Our business would also be significantly harmed if the public began to avoid flying with us due to an adverse perception of the types of aircraft that we operate stemming from safety concerns or other problems, whether real or perceived, or in the event of an accident involving those types of aircraft or components.

We also depend on limited suppliers with respect to supplies obtained locally, such as our fuel supply. These local suppliers may not be able to maintain the pace of our growth and our requirements may exceed their capabilities, which may adversely affect our ability to execute our growth strategy

Our success depends to a significant extent upon the efforts and abilities of our senior management team and key financial, commercial, operating and maintenance personnel. In particular, we depend on the services of our senior management team, including Pedro Heilbron, our Chief Executive Officer, Victor Vial, our Chief Financial Officer, Daniel Gunn, our Chief Operating Officer, and Joe Mohan our Vice-President of Commercial and Planning. Competition for highly qualified personnel is intense, and the loss of any executive officer, senior manager or other key employee without adequate replacement or the inability to attract new qualified personnel could have a material adverse effect upon our business, operating results and financial condition.

We currently operate approximately eight daily departures to and from Cuba which provide passenger, cargo and mail transportation service. For the year ended December 31, 2009, our transported passengers to and from Cuba represented approximately 5.4% of our total passengers carried. Our operating revenues from Cuban operations during the year ended December 31, 2009 represented approximately 7.1% of our total consolidated operating revenues for such year. Our assets located in Cuba are insignificant.

Cuba has been identified by the United States government as a state sponsor of terrorism, and the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) administers and enforces economic and trade sanctions based on U.S. foreign policy against Cuba and certain other targeted foreign countries. You should understand that our overall business reputation may suffer as a result of our activities in Cuba, particularly if such activities grow in the future. Certain U.S. states have recently enacted legislation regarding investments by pension funds and other retirement systems in companies, such as ours, that have business activities with Cuba and other countries that have been identified as terrorist-sponsoring states. Similar legislation may be pending in other states. As a result, pension funds and other retirement systems may be subject to new reporting requirements and other burdensome restrictions with respect to investments in companies such as ours. Pension funds and similar institutions represent an important source of demand for our shares, and if their willingness to invest in and hold our shares were to diminish as a result of any such requirements or restrictions, or for any other reason, it would likely have a material adverse effect on the liquidity and value of our Class A shares.

We face intense competition throughout our route network. Overall airline industry profit margins are low and industry earnings are volatile. Airlines compete in the areas of pricing, scheduling (frequency and flight times), on-time performance, frequent flyer programs and other services. Some of our competitors, such as American Airlines, have larger customer bases and greater brand recognition in the markets we serve outside Panama, and some of our competitors have significantly greater financial and marketing resources than we have. Airlines based in other countries may also receive subsidies, tax incentives or other state aid from their respective governments, which are not provided by the Panamanian government. The commencement of, or increase in, service on the routes we serve by existing or new carriers could negatively impact our operating results. Likewise, competitors’ service on routes that we are targeting for expansion may make those expansion plans less attractive.

We compete with a number of other airlines that currently serve some of the routes on which we operate, including American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Mexicana and Avianca-Taca Limited (“Avianca-Taca”), the entity created by the recent merger of two of our competitors, Aerovías del Continente Americano S.A. (“Avianca”) and Grupo Taca. AeroRepública’s results of operations, in particular, are highly sensitive to competitive conditions in the Colombian domestic air travel market. AeroRepública’s rapid growth in recent years occurred during a period in which the domestic market leader, Avianca, experienced severe financial difficulties that resulted in its bankruptcy and the exit from the market of several other competitors. Avianca emerged from bankruptcy with new management and an improved financial condition and recently consummated a merger with Grupo Taca. In addition, Aerovías de Integración Regional, or Aires, a low-cost carrier based in Bogotá, Colombia, has recently captured a significant portion of the domestic market in Colombia. It is therefore likely that AeroRepública will face stronger competition in the future than it has in recent years, and its prior results may not be indicative of its future performance.

We must constantly react to changes in prices and services offered by our competitors to remain competitive. The airline industry is highly susceptible to price discounting, particularly because airlines incur very low marginal costs for providing service to passengers occupying otherwise unsold seats. Carriers use discount fares to stimulate traffic during periods of lower demand to generate cash flow and to increase market share. Any lower fares offered by one airline are often matched by competing airlines, which often results in lower industry yields with little or no increase in traffic levels. Price competition among airlines in the future could lead to lower fares or passenger traffic on some or all of our routes, which could negatively impact our profitability. We cannot assure you that any of our competitors will not undercut our fares in the future or increase capacity on routes in an effort to increase their respective market share. Although we intend to compete vigorously and to assert our rights against any predatory conduct, such activity by other airlines could reduce the level of fares or passenger traffic on our routes to the point where profitable levels of operations could not be maintained. Due to our smaller size and financial resources compared to several of our competitors, we may be less able to withstand aggressive marketing tactics or fare wars engaged in by our competitors should such events occur.

Traditional hub-and-spoke carriers in the United States and Europe continue to face substantial and increasing competitive pressure from low-cost carriers offering discounted fares. The low-cost carriers’ operations are typically characterized by point-to-point route networks focusing on the highest demand city pairs, high aircraft utilization, single class service and fewer in-flight amenities. As evidenced by the operations of Gol Intelligent Airlines or Gol, which continues to grow both in Brazil as well as in other South American countries, Spirit, which serves Latin America from Fort Lauderdale, JetBlue, which flies from Orlando to Bogota, Aires, which recently has expanded aggressively in the domestic Colombian market and introduced flights between Bogota and Fort Lauderdale, and a number of low-cost carriers which operate within Mexico, among others, the low-cost carrier business model appears to be gaining acceptance in the Latin American aviation industry. As a result, we may face new and substantial competition from low-cost carriers in the future which could result in significant and lasting downward pressure on the fares we charge for flights on our routes.

Fuel costs constitute a significant portion of our total operating expenses, representing approximately 32.0% of our operating expenses in 2007, 38.0% in 2008 and 29.2% in 2009. Fuel prices reached record levels during the middle of 2008, but decreased substantially in the second half of 2008. Jet fuel costs have been subject to wide fluctuations as a result of increases in demand, sudden disruptions in and other concerns about global supply, as well as market speculation. Both the cost and availability of fuel are subject to many economic, political, weather, environmental and other factors and events occurring throughout the world that we can neither control nor accurately predict, including international political and economic circumstances such as the political instability in major oil-exporting countries in Latin America, Africa and Asia. If a future fuel supply shortage were to arise as a result of production curtailments by the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, or OPEC, a disruption of oil imports, supply disruptions resulting from severe weather or natural disasters, the continued unrest in Iraq, other conflicts in the Middle East or otherwise, higher fuel prices or further reductions of scheduled airline services could result. We cannot assure you that we would be able to offset any increases in the price of fuel by increasing our fares.

We routinely enter into derivative contracts for a portion of our fuel needs to protect against rising fuel costs, although in recent periods, we have entered into such arrangements on a much more selective basis. These agreements provide only limited protection against increases in the price of fuel or our counterparties’ inability to perform under the agreement, can be less effective during volatile market conditions and may be unavailable to us in the event of a deterioration in our financial condition. Because of the large volume of jet fuel that we consume in our business, entering into derivative contracts for any substantial portion of our future projected fuel requirements is costly. Fuel prices are likely to increase above their current levels and may do so in the near future, which could materially and negatively affect our operating results. Conversely, declines in fuel prices (such as those experienced in the last six months of 2008) may increase the costs associated with our fuel hedging arrangements to the extent we have entered into swaps or collars. Swaps and put options sold as part of a collar obligate us to make payments to the counterparty upon settlement of the contracts if the price of the commodity hedged falls below the agreed upon amount. Historically, declining crude oil prices have resulted in our being required to post significant amounts of collateral to cover potential amounts owed with respect to swap and collar contracts that have not yet settled. Additionally, lower fuel prices may result in lower fares through the reduction or elimination of fuel surcharges.

In previous years, the airline industry has experienced a sustained pilot shortage caused by extraordinary air traffic growth in the Persian Gulf, China and India; the rise of lucrative low-cost carriers in Europe and Asia; and the sustained recovery of the U.S. airlines from the industry recession caused by the September 11 terrorist attacks. This worldwide shortage of pilots disproportionately affects smaller and regional carriers. Our need for qualified pilots has caused us to hire a substantial number of non-Panamanian national pilots. We cannot assure you that we will continue to attract or obtain government approvals for such pilots. Although the current recessionary environment has provided some relief to the pilot shortage, as economies improve, the inability to attract and retain pilots may adversely affect our growth strategy by limiting our ability to add new routes or increase the frequency of existing routes.

The airline industry is a labor-intensive business. We employ a large number of flight attendants, maintenance technicians and other operating and administrative personnel. The airline industry has, from time to time, experienced a shortage of qualified personnel. In addition, as is common with most of our competitors, we may, from time to time, face considerable turnover of our employees. Should the turnover of employees sharply increase, our training costs will be significantly higher. We cannot assure you that we will be able to recruit, train and retain the qualified employees that we need to continue our current operations or replace departing employees. A failure to hire and retain qualified employees at a reasonable cost could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

The airline industry is characterized by low gross profit margins, high fixed costs and revenues that generally exhibit substantially greater elasticity than costs. The operating costs of each flight do not vary significantly with the number of passengers flown and, therefore, a relatively small change in the number of passengers, fare pricing or traffic mix could have a significant effect on operating and financial results. These fixed costs cannot be adjusted quickly to respond to changes in revenues and a shortfall from expected revenue levels could have a material adverse effect on our net income.

In recent years, several air carriers have sought to reorganize under Chapter 11 of the United States Bankruptcy Code, including some of our competitors such as Avianca and Delta. Successful completion of such reorganizations could present us with competitors with significantly lower operating costs derived from labor, supply and financing contracts renegotiated under the protection of the Bankruptcy Code. In addition, air carriers involved in reorganizations have historically undertaken substantial fare discounting in order to maintain cash flows and to enhance continued customer loyalty. Such fare discounting could further lower yields for all carriers, including us. Further, the market value of aircraft would likely be negatively impacted if a number of air carriers seek to reduce capacity by eliminating aircraft from their fleets.

Demand for air transportation may be adversely affected by terrorist attacks, war or political and social instability, epidemics, natural disasters and other events. Any of these events in the markets in which we operate could have a material impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations. Furthermore, these types of situations could have a prolonged effect on air transportation demand and on certain cost items.

The terrorist attacks in the United States on September 11, 2001, for example, have had a severe and lasting adverse impact on the airline industry. Airline traffic in the United States fell dramatically after the attacks and decreased less severely throughout Latin America. The repercussions of September 11th, including increases in security, insurance and fear of similar attacks, continue to affect us and the airline industry. Our revenues depend on the number of passengers traveling on our flights. Therefore, any future terrorist attacks or threat of attacks, whether or not involving commercial aircraft, any increase in hostilities relating to reprisals against terrorist organizations, including an escalation of military involvement in the Middle East, or otherwise and any related economic impact could result in decreased passenger traffic and materially and negatively affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Public health threats, such as the H1N1 flu virus, the bird flu, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARs) and other highly communicable diseases, affect travel behavior and could have a material adverse effect on the industry. During the second quarter of 2009, passenger traffic was negatively affected as a result of the H1N1 flu crisis, which resulted in lower overall demand for intra-Latin America travel, especially to and from Mexico. Although we quickly responded to the crisis by reducing capacities to Mexico and the H1NI flu situation normalized by July 2009, we cannot assure you that the adverse effects of future outbreaks of H1NI or other such health threats will be able to be similarly contained. It is impossible to determine if and when such health threats, or perceived health threats, will occur, when the resulting adverse effects will abate and the extent to which they will further decrease demand for air travel, which could materially and negatively affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Following the 2001 terrorist attacks, premiums for insurance against aircraft damage and liability to third parties increased substantially, and insurers could reduce their coverage or increase their premiums even further in the event of additional terrorist attacks, hijackings, airline crashes or other events adversely affecting the airline industry abroad or in Latin America. In the future, certain aviation insurance could become unaffordable, unavailable or available only for reduced amounts of coverage that are insufficient to comply with the levels of insurance coverage required by aircraft lenders and lessors or applicable government regulations. While governments in other countries have agreed to indemnify airlines for liabilities that they might incur from terrorist attacks or provide low-cost insurance for terrorism risks, the Panamanian government has not indicated an intention to provide similar benefits to us. Increases in the cost of insurance may result in both higher fares and a decreased demand for air travel generally, which could materially and negatively affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Our operations are covered by various local, national and international environmental regulations. These regulations cover, among other things, emissions to the atmosphere, disposal of solid waste and aqueous effluents, aircraft noise and other activities that result from the operation of aircraft. Future operations and financial results may vary as a result of such regulations. Compliance with these regulations and new or existing regulations that may be applicable to us in the future could increase our cost base and adversely affect our operations and financial results.

A substantial portion of our assets are located in the Republic of Panama, a significant proportion of our customers are Panamanian, and substantially all of Copa’s flights operate through our hub at Tocumen International Airport. As a result, we depend on economic and political conditions prevailing from time to time in Panama. Panama’s economic conditions in turn highly depend on the continued profitability and economic impact of the Panama Canal. Control of the Panama Canal and many other assets were transferred from the United States to Panama in 1999 after nearly a century of U.S. control. Political events in Panama may significantly affect our operations. Although the Panamanian government is democratically elected and the Panamanian political climate is currently stable, Panamanian elections were held in 2009, we cannot assure you that current conditions will continue under the new administration.

During the second quarter of 2005, we completed our acquisition of AeroRepública. Most of AeroRepública’s scheduled operations are conducted within Colombia. As a result, AeroRepública’s results of operations are highly sensitive to macroeconomic and political conditions prevailing in Colombia, which have been highly volatile and unstable in recent decades. Although the state of affairs in Colombia has been steadily improving since 2002, continuing guerrilla activity, among other factors, could cause a renewal of political unrest and instability in Colombia, which could adversely affect AeroRepública’s financial condition and results of operations. The threat of terrorist attacks could impose additional costs on us, including enhanced security to protect our aircraft, facilities and personnel against possible attacks as well as increased insurance premiums. As a result, we may encounter significant unanticipated problems at AeroRepública, which could have a material adverse effect on our consolidated financial condition and results of operations.

Although the economies of Panama and Colombia fared comparatively well during 2009, many of the countries we serve are experiencing either economic slowdowns or recessions, which have translated into a weakening of demand and may have an adverse effect on our business in the future. According to International Monetary Fund estimates, both the Panamanian and Colombian economies are expected to grow in 2010, however, if either economy experiences a sustained recession, or significant political disruptions, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be materially and negatively affected.

We cannot assure you that we will continue to pay taxes at the current rate. Our provision for income taxes was $17.1 million, $17.5 million and $19.6 million in the years ended December 31, 2007, 2008 and 2009, which represented an effective income tax rate of 9.6%, 12.8% and 7.5% for the respective periods. We are subject to local tax regulations in each of the jurisdictions where we operate, the great majority of which are related to the taxation of income. In some of the countries to which we fly, we do not pay any income taxes, because we do not generate income under the laws of those countries either because they do not have income tax or because of treaties or other arrangements those countries have with Panama. In the remaining countries, we pay income tax at a rate ranging from 25% to 34% of income. Different countries calculate income in different ways, but they are typically derived from sales in the applicable country multiplied by our net margin or by a presumed net margin set by the relevant tax legislation. The determination of our taxable income in certain countries is based on a combination of revenues sourced to each particular country and the allocation of expenses of our operations to that particular country. The methodology for multinational transportation company sourcing of revenue and expense is not always specifically prescribed in the relevant tax regulations, and therefore is subject to interpretation by both us and the respective taxing authorities. Additionally, in some countries, the applicability of certain regulations governing non-income taxes and the determination of our filing status are also subject to interpretation. We cannot estimate the amount, if any, of potential tax liabilities that might result if the allocations, interpretations and filing positions used by us in our tax returns were challenged by the taxing authorities of one or more countries. If taxes were to increase, our financial performance and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected. Due to the competitive revenue environment, many increases in fees and taxes have been absorbed by the airline industry rather than being passed on to the passenger. Any such increases in our fees and taxes may reduce demand for air travel and thus our revenues.

We have elected to calculate our Panamanian income tax with the gross tax method based on Article 121 of the Panamanian Fiscal Code (as defined in “Item 5A. Operating Results – Subsequent Events”), under which income for international transportation companies is calculated based on a territoriality method that determines gross revenues earned in Panama by applying the percentage of miles flown within the Panamanian territory against total revenues. Under this method, loss carry-forwards cannot be applied to offset tax liability. If the Panamanian tax authorities do not agree with our methods of allocating revenues, we may be subject to additional tax liability. Dividends from our Panamanian subsidiaries, including Copa, are separately subject to a 10% percent withholding tax on the portion attributable to Panamanian sourced income and a 5% withholding tax on the portion attributable to foreign sourced income. Airlines in Panama are currently not subject to any taxes relating specifically to the airline industry other than the 4% tax collected from passengers on tickets sold in Panama for the benefit of the Panamanian Tourism Bureau.

In addition, Law 8 of 2010 (the “Tax Reform”), which modifies material sections of the Panamanian Fiscal Code was approved and became effective on March 15, 2010. As a result of this reform package, the airline industry will be subject to higher tax rates than it has paid in the past. We estimate, however, that we will benefit from certain tax credits in respect to taxes paid in foreign jurisdictions in 2010 and on a going-forward basis. We, therefore, anticipate that our effective tax rate for the immediate future will remain within the historical range of the past five years. As a result, we do not believe this tax reform is likely to have a material adverse effect on our financial position, results of operations and cash flows. Any future change in the Panamanian tax law increasing the taxes payable by us could have materially adverse effects on our business, financial condition and result of operations.

While geographic diversity helps to reduce our exposure to risks in any one country, we operate primarily within Latin America and are subject to a full range of risks associated with our international operations. These risks may include unstable political or economic conditions, lack of well-established or reliable legal systems, exchange controls and other limits on our ability to repatriate earnings and changeable legal and regulatory requirements. Although conditions throughout Latin America vary from country to country, our customers’ reactions to developments in Latin America generally may result in a reduction in passenger traffic, which could materially and negatively affect our financial condition, results of operations and the market price of our Class A shares.

Pursuant to the Panamanian Aviation Act, as amended and interpreted to date, and certain of the bilateral treaties affording us the right to fly to other countries, we are required to be “substantially owned” and “effectively controlled” by Panamanian nationals. Our failure to comply with such requirements could result in the loss of our Panamanian operating license and/or our right to fly to certain important countries. Our Articles of Incorporation (Pacto Social) give special powers to our independent directors to take certain significant actions to attempt to ensure that the amount of shares held in us by non-Panamanian nationals does not reach a level which could jeopardize our compliance with Panamanian and bilateral ownership and control requirements. If our independent directors determine it is reasonably likely that we will be in violation of these ownership and control requirements and our Class B shares represent less than 10% of our total outstanding capital stock (excluding newly issued shares sold with the approval of our independent directors committee), our independent directors will have the power to issue additional Class B shares or Class C shares with special voting rights solely to Panamanian nationals. See “10B. Memorandum and Articles of Association—Description of Capital Stock.”

If any of these remedial actions are taken, the trading price of the Class A shares may be materially and adversely affected. An issuance of Class C shares could have the effect of discouraging certain changes of control of Copa Holdings or may reduce any voting power that the Class A shares enjoy prior to the Class C share issuance. There can be no assurance that we would be able to complete an issuance of Class B shares to Panamanian nationals. We cannot assure you that restrictions on ownership by non-Panamanian nationals will not impede the development of an active public trading market for the Class A shares, adversely affect the market price of the Class A shares or materially limit our ability to raise capital in markets outside of Panama in the future.

All of our Class B shares, representing approximately 29.1% of the economic interest in Copa Holdings and all of the voting power of our capital stock, are owned by CIASA. CIASA is in turn controlled by a group of Panamanian investors. In order to comply with the Panamanian Aviation Act, as amended and interpreted to date, we have amended our organizational documents to modify our share capital so that CIASA will continue to exercise voting control of Copa Holdings. CIASA will not be able to transfer its voting control unless control of our company will remain with Panamanian nationals. CIASA will maintain voting control of the company so long as CIASA continues to own a majority of our Class B shares and the Class B shares continue to represent more than 10% of our total share capital (excluding newly issued shares sold with the approval of our independent directors committee). Even after CIASA ceases to own the majority of the voting power of our capital stock, CIASA may continue to control our Board of Directors indirectly through its control of our Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee. As the controlling shareholder, CIASA may direct us to take actions that could be contrary to your interests and under certain circumstances CIASA will be able to prevent other shareholders, including you, from blocking these actions. Also, CIASA may prevent change of control transactions that might otherwise provide you with an opportunity to dispose of or realize a premium on your investment in our Class A shares.

The holders of Class A shares have no right to vote at our shareholders’ meetings except with respect to corporate transformations of Copa Holdings, mergers, consolidations or spin-offs of Copa Holdings, changes of corporate purpose, voluntary delistings of the Class A shares from the NYSE, the approval of nominations of our independent directors and amendments to the foregoing provisions that adversely affect the rights and privileges of any Class A shares. The holders of Class B shares have the power, subject to our supplemental agreement with Continental, to elect the Board of Directors and to determine the outcome of all other matters to be decided by a vote of shareholders. Class A shares will not have full voting rights unless the Class B shares represent less than 10% of our total capital stock (excluding newly issued shares sold with the approval of our independent directors committee). See “Item 10B. Memorandum and Articles of Association—Description of Capital Stock.” We cannot assure you that the Class A shares will ever carry full voting rights.

CIASA owns all of our Class B shares, and those Class B shares will be converted into Class A shares if they are sold to non-Panamanian investors. In connection with our initial public offering in December 2005, Continental and CIASA reduced their ownership of our total capital stock from 49% to approximately 27.3% and from 51% to approximately 29.2%, respectively. In a follow-on offering in June 2006, Continental further reduced its ownership of our total capital stock from 27.3% to 10.0%. In May 2008, we, and CIASA, released Continental from its standstill obligations and they sold down their remaining shares in the public market. CIASA holds registration rights with respect to a significant portion of its shares pursuant to a registration rights agreement entered into in connection with our initial public offering. The market price of our Class A shares could drop significantly if CIASA further reduces its investment in us, other significant holders of our shares sell a significant number of shares or if the market perceives CIASA or other significant holders intend to sell them.

Under Panamanian law and our organizational documents, holders of our Class A shares are not entitled to any preemptive rights with respect to future issuances of capital stock by us. Therefore, unlike companies organized under the laws of many other Latin American jurisdictions, we will be free to issue new shares of stock to other parties without first offering them to our existing shareholders. In the future we may sell Class A or other shares to persons other than our existing shareholders at a lower price than the shares already sold, and as a result you may experience substantial dilution of your interest in us.

Our Class A shares are listed on the NYSE. During the three months ended December 31, 2009, the average daily trading volume for our Class A shares as reported by the NYSE was approximately 252,084 shares. We cannot predict whether an active liquid public trading market for our Class A shares will be sustained. Active, liquid trading markets generally result in lower price volatility and more efficient execution of buy and sell orders for our investors. The liquidity of a securities market is often affected by the volume of shares publicly held by unrelated parties.

Our Board of Directors has adopted a dividend policy that provides for the payment of dividends to shareholders in an amount ranging from 10% to 20% of our annual consolidated net income. Our Board of Directors may, in its sole discretion and for any reason, amend or repeal this dividend policy. On February 10, 2010, for example, our Board of Directors amended the dividend policy to increase the level of dividends to its current range. Our Board of Directors may decrease the level of dividends provided for in this dividend policy or entirely discontinue the payment of dividends. Future dividends with respect to shares of our common stock, if any, will depend on, among other things, our results of operations, cash requirements, financial condition, contractual restrictions, business opportunities, provisions of applicable law and other factors that our Board of Directors may deem relevant. See “Item 8A. Consolidated Financial Statements and Other Financial Information—Dividend Policy.”

Our Board of Directors has adopted a dividend policy that provides for the payment of dividends to shareholders in amounts ranging from 10% to 20% of our annual consolidated net income. Our Board of Directors has also reserved the right to amend the dividend policy, or pay dividends in excess of the level circumscribed in the dividend policy. The aviation industry has cyclical characteristics, and many international airlines are currently experiencing difficulties meeting their liquidity needs. Also, our business strategy contemplates substantial growth over the next several years, and we expect such growth will require a great deal of liquidity. To the extent that we pay dividends in accordance with, or in excess of, our dividend policy, the money that we distribute to shareholders will not be available to us to fund future growth and meet our other liquidity needs.

Under the Panamanian Aviation Act, as amended and interpreted to date, Panamanian nationals must exercise “effective control” over the operations of the airline and must maintain “substantial ownership.” These phrases are not defined in the Aviation Act itself and it is unclear how a Panamanian court would interpret them. The share ownership requirements and transfer restrictions contained in our Articles of Incorporation, as well as the dual-class structure of our voting capital stock are designed to ensure compliance with these ownership and control restrictions. See “Item 10B. Memorandum and Articles of Association—Description of Capital Stock.” These provisions of our Articles of Incorporation may prevent change of control transactions that might otherwise provide you with an opportunity to realize a premium on your investment in our Class A shares. They also ensure that Panamanians will continue to control all the decisions of our company for the foreseeable future.

Under Panamanian law, the protections afforded to minority shareholders are different from, and much more limited than, those in the United States and some other Latin American countries. For example, the legal framework with respect to shareholder disputes is less developed under Panamanian law than under U.S. law and there are different procedural requirements for bringing shareholder lawsuits, including shareholder derivative suits. As a result, it may be more difficult for our minority shareholders to enforce their rights against us or our directors or controlling shareholder than it would be for shareholders of a U.S. company. In addition, Panamanian law does not afford minority shareholders as many protections for investors through corporate governance mechanisms as in the United States and provides no mandatory tender offer or similar protective mechanisms for minority shareholders in the event of a change in control. While our Articles of Incorporation provide limited rights to holders of our Class A shares to sell their shares at the same price as CIASA in the event that a sale of Class B shares by CIASA results in the purchaser having the right to elect a majority of our board, there are other change of control transactions in which holders of our Class A shares would not have the right to participate, including the sale of interests by a party that had previously acquired Class B shares from CIASA, the sale of interests by another party in conjunction with a sale by CIASA, the sale by CIASA of control to more than one party, or the sale of controlling interests in CIASA itself.

The market value of securities issued by Panamanian companies may be affected to varying degrees by economic and market conditions in other countries, including other Latin American and emerging market countries. Although economic conditions in emerging market countries outside Latin America may differ significantly from economic conditions in Panama and Colombia or elsewhere in Latin America, investors’ reactions to developments in these other countries may have an adverse effect on the market value of securities of Panamanian issuers or issuers with significant operations in Latin America. As a result of economic problems in various emerging market countries in the past (such as the Asian financial crisis of 1997, the Russian financial crisis of 1998 and the Argentine financial crisis in 2001), investors have viewed investments in emerging markets with heightened caution. Crises in other emerging market countries may hamper investor enthusiasm for securities of Panamanian issuers, including our shares, which could adversely affect the market price of our Class A shares.

Copa was established in 1947 by a group of Panamanian investors and Pan American World Airways, which provided technical and economic assistance as well as capital. Initially, Copa served three domestic destinations in Panama with a fleet of three Douglas C-47 aircraft. In the 1960s, Copa began its international service with three weekly flights to cities in Costa Rica, Jamaica and Colombia using a small fleet of Avro 748s and Electra 188s. In 1971, Pan American World Airways sold its stake in Copa to a group of Panamanian investors who retained control of the airline until 1986. During the 1980s, Copa suspended its domestic service to focus on international flights.

In 1986, CIASA purchased 99% of Copa, which was controlled by the group of Panamanian shareholders who currently control CIASA. From 1992 until 1998, Copa was a part of a commercial alliance with Grupo TACA’s network of Central American airline carriers. In 1997, together with Grupo TACA, Copa entered into a strategic alliance with American Airlines. After a year our alliance with American Airlines was terminated by mutual consent.

On May 6, 1998, Copa Holdings, the holding company for Copa and related companies was incorporated as a sociedad anónima under the laws of Panama to facilitate the sale by CIASA of a 49% stake in Copa Holdings to Continental. In connection with Continental’s investment, we entered into an extensive alliance agreement with Continental providing for code-sharing, joint marketing, technical exchanges and other cooperative initiatives between the airlines. At the time of our initial public offering in December 2005, Continental reduced its ownership of our total capital stock from 49% to approximately 27.3%. In a follow-on offering in June 2006, Continental further reduced its ownership of our total capital stock from 27.3% to 10.0%. In May 2008, Continental sold its remaining shares in the public market.

Since 1998, we have grown and modernized our fleet while improving customer service and reliability. Copa has expanded its fleet from 13 aircraft to 44 aircraft. In 1999, we received our first Boeing 737-700s, in 2003 we received our first Boeing 737-800s, and in 2005 we received our first Embraer 190. In the first quarter of 2005, we completed our fleet renovation program and discontinued use of our last Boeing 737-200s. During the second quarter of 2005, we purchased AeroRepública, the second-largest domestic air carrier in Colombia in terms of number of passengers carried each year since 2005. During this same period, we have expanded from 24 destinations in 18 countries to 45 destinations in 24 countries. We plan to continue our expansion, which includes increasing our fleet, over the next several years.

Our principal executive offices are located at Boulevard Costa del Este, Avenida Principal y Avenida de la Rotonda, Urbanización Costa del Este, Complejo Business Park, Torre Norte, Parque Lefevre, Panama City, Panama and our telephone number is +507 304-2677. The website of Copa is www.copaair.com. AeroRepública maintains a website at www.aerorepublica.com.co. Information contained on, or accessible through, these websites is not incorporated by reference herein and shall not be considered part of this annual report. Our agent for service in the United States is Puglisi & Associates, 850 Library Avenue, Suite 204, Newark, Delaware 19715, and its telephone number is (302) 738-6680.

During 2009, our capital expenditures were $202.7 million, which consisted primarily of expenditures related to our purchase of one Boeing 737-800 aircraft, as well as to expenditures related to advance payments on aircraft purchase contracts. During 2008, our capital expenditures were $215.9 million, which consisted primarily of expenditures related to our purchase of four Embraer 190 aircraft and one Boeing 737-800 aircraft, as well as to expenditures related to advance payments on aircraft purchase contracts. During 2007, our capital expenditures were $366.1 million, which consisted primarily of expenditures related to our purchase of nine Embraer 190 aircraft and two Boeing 737-800 aircraft, as well as to expenditures related to advance payments on aircraft purchase contracts.

We are a leading Latin American provider of airline passenger and cargo service through our two principal operating subsidiaries, Copa and AeroRepública. Copa operates from its strategically located position in the Republic of Panama, and AeroRepública provides service primarily within Colombia complemented by international flights from various cities in Colombia to Panama, Venezuela and Ecuador. We currently operate a fleet of 58 aircraft, 32 Boeing 737-Next Generation aircraft and 26 Embraer 190 aircraft. We currently have firm orders, including purchase and lease commitments, for 26 Boeing 737-Next Generation, and purchase rights and options for up to eight additional Boeing 737-Next Generation and 11 additional Embraer 190s.

Copa currently offers approximately 152 daily scheduled flights among 45 destinations in 24 countries in North, Central and South America and the Caribbean from its Panama City hub. Copa provides passengers with access to flights to more than 120 other destinations through codeshare arrangements with Continental pursuant to which each airline places its name and flight designation code on the other’s flights. Through its Panama City hub, Copa is able to consolidate passenger traffic from multiple points to serve each destination effectively.

Copa operates a modern fleet of 32 Boeing 737-Next Generation aircraft and 13 Embraer 190 aircraft. To meet its growing capacity requirements, Copa has firm orders, including purchase and lease commitments, to accept delivery of 26 additional aircraft through 2015 and has purchase rights and options that, if exercised, would allow it to accept delivery of up to 14 additional aircraft through 2017. Copa’s firm orders, including purchase and lease commitments, are for 26 additional Boeing 737-Next Generation aircraft, and its purchase rights and options are for up to eight Boeing 737-Next Generation aircraft and up to six Embraer 190s.

Copa started its strategic alliance with Continental in 1998. Since then, it has conducted joint marketing and code-sharing arrangements, and participated in the award-winning OnePass frequent flyer loyalty program globally and on a co-branded basis in Latin America. We believe that Copa’s co-branding and joint marketing activities with Continental have enhanced its brand in Latin America, and that the relationship with Continental has afforded it cost-related benefits, such as improving purchasing power in negotiations with aircraft vendors and insurers. Copa’s alliance and related services agreements with Continental are in effect until 2015.

In 2007, Copa joined the SkyTeam global alliance as an Associate Member, in part due to the support and sponsorship of Continental. Continental Airlines left the SkyTeam Alliance and joined the Star Alliance effective the fourth quarter of 2009. Due to the long-standing alliance relationship with Continental, and in order to ensure Copa remains fully aligned with Continental on a number of important joint initiatives, Copa also exited the SkyTeam Alliance during the fourth quarter of 2009. Copa is considering various new alliance options to compliment its current portfolio of alliance partnerships.

During the second quarter of 2005, we purchased AeroRepública, the second-largest domestic carrier in Colombia in terms of number of passengers carried in 2005, which at the time provided point-to-point service among 11 cities in Colombia. AeroRepública currently operates a fleet of 13 Embraer 190. As part of its fleet expansion plan, AeroRepública has options to purchase up to five additional Embraer 190 aircraft through 2013.

Since January 2001, we have grown significantly and have established a track record of consistent profitability. Our total operating revenues have increased from $290.4 million in 2001 to $1.3 billion in 2009, while our operating margins have also increased from 8.6% to 17.8% over the same period.

We believe our primary business strengths that have allowed us to compete successfully in the airline industry include the following:

Our goal is to continue to grow profitably and enhance our position as a leader in Latin American aviation by providing a combination of superior customer service, convenient schedules and competitive fares, while maintaining competitive costs. The key elements of our business strategy include the following:

On April 22, 2005, we acquired an initial 85.6% equity ownership interest in AeroRepública which was followed by subsequent acquisitions increasing our total ownership interest in AeroRepública to 99.9% as of December 31, 2009. AeroRepública is the second largest passenger air carrier in Colombia in terms of revenue, with a market share of approximately 17% of the domestic traffic on principal routes in 2009 and approximately 1,430 employees.

Our goal is to achieve growth at AeroRepública, particularly in the business travelers segment. We believe that Copa’s operational coordination with AeroRepública may create additional passenger traffic in our existing route network by providing Colombian passengers more convenient access to the international destinations served through our Panama hub.

We have centralized certain administrative functions common to Copa and AeroRepública. We have also implemented e-ticketing at AeroRepública, and since the first quarter of 2006, AeroRepública participates in the OnePass frequent flyer loyalty program.

In Latin America, the scheduled passenger service market consists of three principal groups of travelers: strictly leisure, business and travelers visiting friends and family. Leisure passengers and passengers visiting friends and family typically place a higher emphasis on lower fares, whereas business passengers typically place a higher emphasis on flight frequency, on-time performance, breadth of network and service enhancements, including loyalty programs and airport lounges.

According to data from the International Air Transport Association, or IATA, Latin America comprised approximately 7.6% of worldwide passengers flown in 2008, or 108 million passengers.

The Central American aviation market is dominated by international traffic. According to data from IATA, international traffic represented more than 81% of passengers carried and 90% of passenger miles flown in Central America in 2008. International passenger traffic is concentrated between North America and Central America. This segment represented 89% of international passengers flown in Central America in 2008, compared to 4% for passengers flown between Central America and South America and 7% for passengers flown between Central American countries. Total passengers flown on international flights in Central America grew by 3.2% in 2008, and load factors on international flights to and from Central America were 71% on average.

Domestic traffic and traffic within Central American countries represented approximately 19% of passengers carried and 10% of passenger miles flown in 2008. Average load factors on domestic flights and flights within Central America were 70% in 2008. The chart below details passenger traffic in 2008.

Panama serves as a hub for connecting passenger traffic between major markets in North, South, and Central America and the Caribbean. Accordingly, passenger traffic to and from Panama is significantly influenced by economic growth in surrounding regions. Major passenger traffic markets in North, South and Central America experienced either decline or weak growth in their GDP in 2009 on both an absolute and per capita basis, after strong growth years in 2007 and 2008. In 2009, real GDP increased by 1.8% in Panama and declined by 0.2% in Colombia, according to the International Monetary Fund’s estimates.

Panama has benefited from a stable economy with moderate inflation and steady GDP growth. According to International Monetary Fund estimates, from 2000 to 2009 Panama’s real GDP grew at an average annual rate of 5.6% while inflation averaged 2.4% per year. The service sector represents approximately 75% of total real GDP in Panama, a higher percentage of GDP than the service sector represents in most other Latin American countries. The International Monetary Fund currently estimates Panama’s population to be approximately 3.5 million in 2009, with the majority of the population concentrated in Panama City, where our hub at Tocumen International Airport is located. We believe the combination of a stable, service-oriented economy and steady population growth has helped drive our domestic origin and destination passenger traffic.

Domestic travel within Panama primarily consists of individuals visiting families as well as domestic and foreign tourist visiting the countryside. Most of this travel is done via ground transportation, and its main flow is to and from Panama City, where most of the economic activity and population is concentrated. Demand for domestic air travel is growing and relates primarily to leisure travel from foreign and local tourist. The market is served primarily by two local airlines, Air Panama and Aeroperlas, which operate turbo prop aircraft generally with less than 50 seats. These airlines offer limited international service and operate in the domestic terminal of Panama City, which is located 30 minutes by car from Tocumen International Airport.

Colombia is the third largest country in Latin America in terms of population, with a population of approximately 49.0 million in 2009 according to the International Monetary Fund, and has a land area of approximately 440,000 square miles. Colombia’s GDP was approximately $229 billion in 2009, and per capita income was approximately $4.7 thousand (current prices) according to the International Monetary Fund. Colombia’s geography is marked by the Andean mountains and an inadequate road and rail infrastructure, making air travel a convenient and attractive transportation alternative. Colombia shares a border with Panama, and for historic, cultural and business reasons it represents a significant market for many Panamanian businesses.

As of December 31, 2009, Copa provided regularly scheduled flights to 45 cities in North, Central and South America and the Caribbean. Substantially all of our Copa flights operate through our hub in Panama which allows us to transport passengers and cargo among a large number of destinations with service that is more frequent than if each route were served directly.

We believe our hub-and-spoke model is the most efficient way for us to operate our business since most of the origination/destination city pairs we serve do not generate sufficient traffic to justify a point-to-point service. Also, since we serve many countries, it would be very difficult to obtain the bilateral route rights necessary to operate a competitive point-to-point system.

We schedule four banks of flights during the day, with flights timed to arrive at the hub at approximately the same time and to depart a short time later.

As a part of our strategic relationship with Continental, Copa provides flights through code-sharing arrangements to over 120 other destinations. Copa also provides flights through its tactical and regional code-sharing arrangements with AeroRepública, KLM, Gol, Aeroméxico and Gulfstream International Airlines.

In 2007, Copa joined the SkyTeam global alliance as an Associate Member, in part due to the support and sponsorship of Continental. Continental Airlines left the SkyTeam Alliance and joined the Star Alliance effective the fourth quarter of 2009. Due to the long-standing alliance relationship with Continental, and in order to ensure Copa remains fully aligned with Continental on a number of important joint initiatives, Copa also exited the SkyTeam Alliance during the fourth quarter of 2009. Copa is considering various new alliance options to compliment its current portfolio of alliance partnerships.

In addition to increasing the frequencies to destinations we already serve, Copa’s business strategy is also focused on adding new destinations across Latin America, the Caribbean and North America in order to increase the attractiveness of our Hub of the Americas at Tocumen International Airport hub for intra-American traffic. We currently plan to introduce new destinations and to increase frequencies to many of the destinations that Copa currently serves. Our Embraer 190 aircraft, together with the Boeing 737-Next Generation aircraft, allows us to improve our service by increasing frequencies and service to new destinations with the right-sized aircraft.

Our plans to introduce new destinations and increase frequencies depend on the allocation of route rights, a process over which we do not have direct influence. Route rights are allocated through negotiations between the government of Panama and the governments of countries to which we intend to increase flights. If we are unable to obtain route rights, we will exercise the flexibility within our route network to re-allocate capacity as appropriate.

We do not currently provide any domestic service in the Republic of Panama, choosing instead to focus entirely on international traffic. The following table shows our revenue generated in each of our major operating regions.

AeroRepública currently provides scheduled service to the following cities in Colombia, Panama, Venezuela and Ecuador:

In addition to the destinations described above, AeroRepública has periodically operated charter flights to Margarita Island, Venezuela; Havana, Cuba; Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, and Aruba.

Since its acquisition, AeroRepública has been granted the authorization to fly regular services to Panama City from Bogota, Cali, Medellín, Bucaramanga, Pereira, Barranquilla and Cartagena, Colombia. As a result, AeroRepública has added daily flights to Panama City from Bogota, Medellin, and Cali; four frequencies per week from Bucaramanga and Pereira, as well as, three frequencies per week from Cartagena and Barranquilla. In March 2007, AeroRepública was granted authorization to operate a second frequency from Bogotá to Panama City. AeroRepública was also granted the authorization to fly four frequencies per week from Medellín to Caracas and four frequencies per week from Cartagena to Caracas.

During 2009, AeroRepública launched its third international destination, Quito, Ecuador. AeroRepública was also granted the authorization to fly to Guayaquil, Ecuador and San Jose, Costa Rica.

In addition to code-sharing with Copa, AeroRepública is leveraging Copa’s technology and relationships to increase international traffic with other international carriers. Colombia has open-skies agreements with the Andean Pact (Comunidad Andina) nations of Bolivia, Ecuador and Peru.

Passenger revenue accounted for approximately $756.4 million in 2007, $973.2 million in 2008, and $964.3 million in 2009 representing 93.8%, 93.9% and 94.1%, respectively, of Copa’s total revenues, all earned from international routes. Leisure traffic, which makes up close to half of Copa’s total traffic, tends to coincide with holidays, school vacations and cultural events and peaks in July and August and again in December and January. Despite these seasonal variations, Copa’s overall traffic pattern is relatively stable due to the constant influx of business travelers. Approximately half of Copa passengers regard Panama City as their destination or origination point, and most of the remaining passengers pass through Panama City in transit to other points on our route network.

Passenger revenue accounted for approximately $210.6 million in 2007, $244.1 million in 2008, and $222.4 million in 2009 representing 93.2%, 92.1% and 92.5%, respectively, of AeroRepublica’s total revenues. The majority of AeroRepública’s customers are leisure travelers and travelers visiting friends and family, and traffic is heaviest during the vacation months of July, August and the holiday season in December.

In addition to our passenger service, we make efficient use of extra capacity in the belly of our aircraft by carrying cargo. Copa’s cargo business generated revenues of approximately $34.7 million in 2007, $41.5 million in 2008 and $35.6 million in 2009, representing 4.3%, 4.0% and 3.5%, respectively, of Copa’s operating revenues. We primarily move our cargo in the belly of our aircraft, however, we also wet-lease and charter freighter capacity when necessary to meet our cargo customers’ needs. In 2009, our cargo business consisted of approximately 81.0% in freight; 15.6% in courier; and 3.4% in mail service.

Copa has designed its fare structure to balance its load factors and yields in a way that it believes will maximize profits on its flights. Copa also maintains revenue management policies and procedures that are intended to maximize total revenues, while remaining generally competitive with those of our major competitors.

Copa charges slightly more for tickets on higher-demand routes, tickets purchased on short notice and other itineraries suggesting a passenger would be willing to pay a premium. This represents strong value to Copa’s business customers, who can count on competitive rates when flying with Copa. The number of seats Copa offers at each fare level in each market results from a continual process of analysis and forecasting. Past booking history, seasonality, the effects of competition and current booking trends are used to forecast demand. Current fares and knowledge of upcoming events at destinations that will affect traffic volumes are included in Copa’s forecasting model to arrive at optimal seat allocations for its fares on specific routes. Copa uses a combination of approaches, taking into account yields, flight load factors and effects on load factors of continuing traffic, depending on the characteristics of the markets served, to arrive at a strategy for achieving the best possible revenue per available seat mile, balancing the average fare charged against the corresponding effect on our load factors. In 2005, Copa replaced its revenue management software with Airmax, a more sophisticated revenue management system designed by Sabre.

Various improvements have been made to AeroRepública’s revenue management, pricing capabilities and systems since its acquisition in 2005. During the fourth quarter of 2007, for example, we completed the implementation of the Airmax revenue management system at AeroRepública.

It is common practice in the commercial aviation industry for airlines to develop marketing and commercial alliances with other carriers in order to offer a more complete and seamless travel experience to passengers. These alliances typically yield certain conveniences such as code-sharing, frequent flyer reciprocity, and, where permitted, coordinated scheduling of flights as well as additional joint marketing activities.

In May 1998, Copa Airlines and Continental Airlines entered into a comprehensive alliance agreement, encompassing a broad array of activities such as Copa’s participation in Continental’s frequent flyer programs and VIP lounge; as well as agreements in other areas, such as trademarks. These agreements were initially signed for a period of ten years. In November 2005, Copa and Continental amended and restated these agreements and extended their term through the year 2015.

As a result of the Copa —Continental alliance, we have benefited from Continental’s expertise and experience over the past decade. Copa has, for example, fully adopted Continental’s OnePass frequent flyer program and rolled out a co-branded joint product in much of Latin America, enabling us to develop brand loyalty among our travelers. The co-branding of the OnePass loyalty programs has helped to leverage the brand recognition that Continental already enjoyed across Latin America and enables the two airlines to compete more effectively against regional competitors such as the recently merged Avianca-Taca and the oneworld alliance represented by American Airlines and LAN Airlines. We also share Continental’s Sceptre inventory management software, which allows Copa to pool spare parts with the larger airline and to rely on Continental to provide engineering support for maintenance projects. We have also been able to take advantage of Continental’s purchasing power and negotiate more competitive rates for spare parts and third-party maintenance work. In addition to the Sceptre system, we have implemented several important information technology systems, such as the “SHARES” computer reservation system in an effort to maintain commonality with Continental.

Building on the existing track-record of successful alliance accomplishments, Copa and Continental have integrated, where appropriate, AeroRepública in aspects of the existing alliance cooperation, beginning with AeroRepública’s participation in the OnePass frequent flyer loyalty program.

The Copa — Continental alliance enjoys antitrust immunity in the United States which allows the carriers to coordinate pricing, scheduling and joint marketing initiatives.

In 2007, Copa joined the SkyTeam global alliance as an Associate Member, in part due to the support and sponsorship of Continental. Continental Airlines left the SkyTeam Alliance and joined the Star Alliance effective the fourth quarter of 2009. Due to the long-standing alliance relationship with Continental, and in order to ensure Copa remains fully aligned with Continental on a number of important joint initiatives, Copa also exited the SkyTeam Alliance during the fourth quarter of 2009. Copa is considering various new alliance options to compliment its current portfolio of alliance partnerships.

Sales and Distribution. Approximately 69% of sales during 2009 were completed through travel agents and other airlines while approximately 31% were direct sales via our city ticket offices (CTOs), call centers, airport counters or website. Travel agents receive base commissions, not including back-end incentive payments, ranging from 0% to 6% depending on the country. The weighted average rate for these commissions during 2009 was 2.98%. In recent years, base commissions have decreased significantly in most markets as more efficient back-end incentive programs have been implemented to reward selected travel agencies that exceed their sales targets.

Travel agents obtain airline travel information and issue airline tickets through global distribution systems, or GDSs, that enable them to make reservations on flights from a large number of airlines. GDSs are also used by travel agents to make hotel and car rental reservations. Copa participates actively in all major international GDSs, including SABRE, Amadeus, Galileo and Worldspan. In return for access to these systems, Copa pays transaction fees that are generally based on the number of reservations booked through each system.

Copa has a sales and marketing network consisting of 89 domestic and international ticket offices, including airport and city ticket offices. Copa has 33 CTOs co-branded with Continental and 29 CTOs co-branded with AeroRepublica. During the year ended December 31, 2009, approximately 17% and 5% of its sales were booked through its ticket counters and call center, respectively.

The call center that operates Copa’s reservations and sales services handles calls from Panama as well as most other countries to which Copa flies. Such centralization has resulted in a significant increase in telephone sales as it efficiently allowed for improvements in service levels such as 24-hour-a-day, 7-days-a-week service, in three different languages.

We encourage the use of direct Internet bookings by our customers because it is our most efficient distribution channel. In the third quarter of 2009, Copa introduced a new booking engine in order to offer more functionality to customers and further reduce distribution costs; 10% of its 2009 sales were made via the website. Copa’s goal is to channel more of its total sales through the website.

Advertising and Promotional Activities. Our advertising and promotional activities include the use of television, print, radio and billboards, as well as targeted public relation events in the cities where we fly. We believe that the corporate traveler is an important part of our business, and we particularly promote our service to these customers by conveying the reliability, convenience and consistency of our service and offering value-added services such as convention and conference travel arrangements, as well as our Business Rewards loyalty program for our frequent corporate travelers. We also promote package deals among the destinations where we fly through combined efforts with selected hotels and travel agencies.

AeroRepública successfully implemented the OnePass frequent flyer program in March 2006. AeroRepública also implemented e-ticket in January 2006 and e-ticket interline with Copa and Amadeus during the second quarter of 2006, complementing its call center, 24 city ticket offices and 12 airport ticket offices. In February 2007, AeroRepublica was brought into Copa’s SHARES reservations and check-in platform providing significant benefits in terms of costs and functionality.

We face intense competition throughout our route network. Overall airline industry profit margins are low and industry earnings are volatile. Airlines compete in the areas of pricing, scheduling (frequency and flight times), on-time performance, frequent flyer programs and other services. Copa competes with a number of other airlines that currently serve the routes on which we operate, including American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Mexicana, and the newly combined Avianca-Taca. Some of our competitors, such as American Airlines, have larger customer bases and greater brand recognition in the markets we serve outside Panama, and some of our competitors have significantly greater financial and marketing resources than we have. Airlines based in other countries may also receive subsidies, tax incentives or other state aid from their respective governments, which are not provided by the Panamanian government. The commencement of, or increase in, service on the routes we serve by existing or new carriers could negatively impact our operating results. Likewise, competitors’ service on routes that we are targeting for expansion may make those expansion plans less attractive. We must constantly react to changes in prices and services offered by our competitors to remain competitive.

Traditional hub-and-spoke carriers in the United States and Europe have in recent years faced substantial and increasing competitive pressure from low-cost carriers offering discounted fares. The low-cost carriers’ operations are typically characterized by point-to-point route networks focusing on the highest demand city pairs, high aircraft utilization, single class service and fewer in-flight amenities. As evidenced by the operations of Gol in Brazil and other South American countries and several new low-cost carriers which have recently launched service, the “low-cost carrier” business model appears to be gaining acceptance in the Latin American aviation industry, and we may face new and substantial competition from low-cost carriers in the future.

The main sources of competition to Copa, and our alliance with Continental, come from the newly combined Avianca-Taca and American Airlines, the U.S. airline with the largest Latin American route network.

Avianca-Taca is the resulting entity from a merger consummated on February 2, 2010 between two of our competitors, Avianca and Grupo Taca. Avianca-Taca will be the fourth largest airline group in Latin America in terms of annual revenues. We cannot predict whether this newly combined entity will prove successful or its impact on our financial results or operations.

Taca’s, part of newly combined Avianca-Taca, strategy has been to develop hubs at San Jose, Costa Rica, San Salvador, El Salvador and Lima, Peru, each of which competes with Copa’s hub at Tocumen International Airport. Taca primarily operates a fleet of Airbus A320 family aircraft. We have routes to several of the Central American and Caribbean countries where Taca has established service, including Guatemala City, Havana, Managua, San Jose, San Salvador, San Pedro Sula, Santo Domingo and Tegucigalpa.

American Airlines also offers significant competition. American Airlines attracts strong brand recognition throughout the Americas and is able to attract brand loyalty through its “AAdvantage” frequent flyer program. American Airlines competes with us through its hubs at Miami and San Juan, Puerto Rico. American Airlines was a founding member of the Oneworld global marketing alliance.

LAN Airlines is another Oneworld alliance member that offers service to approximately 60 destinations, primarily in Latin America. LAN Airlines is comprised of LAN Chile, LAN Peru, LAN Ecuador, LAN Argentina, LAN Cargo and LAN Express. While we do not compete directly with LAN Airlines on many of our current routes, LAN Airlines has grown rapidly over the past several years and may become a significant competitor in the future.

Copa has significant presence in destinations where local airlines are less viable and competitive, such as the Dominican Republic (Santo Domingo, Santiago de los Caballeros and Punta Cana), Ecuador (Quito and Guayaquil) and Venezuela (Caracas, Maracaibo and Valencia). Copa has also established itself as a significant player on traffic to and from Colombia, with strong market share on routes to and from Barranquilla, Bogotá, Cali, Cartagena, Medellin and San Andres.

AeroRepública competes more directly with Avianca, part of the newly combined Avianca-Taca, and other Colombian carriers in the Colombian domestic market. Avianca emerged from U.S. bankruptcy protection in 2004, after being purchased by Brazil’s Synergy Group. Avianca has announced its intention to transform Bogotá into a major international aviation hub which, if successful, will compete directly with our hub at Tocumen International Airport. Avianca recently commenced a fleet renovation project which includes the incorporation of the Boeing 787 and the Airbus A330 wide body aircraft, as well as Airbus A320 and A319 narrow body aircraft.

We cannot predict whether Avianca will become more competitive in the future, if its increased operations from Bogotá will prove successful or the impact of the merger on our financial results of operations. We also experience competition from other Colombian carriers such as Aerolineas de Antioquia, the state-owned airline Satena, Easy Fly and Aires, which has recent expanded aggressively. Airlines that seek to compete in the Colombian air transportation market face substantial barriers to entry, as the Colombian government requires an airline to operate at least five aircraft and comply with extensive filing and certification requirements before it becomes eligible to receive domestic route rights on certain Colombian routes between major cities. In addition, the number of air carriers offering service on any route is currently regulated by the Colombian Aviation Authority.

With respect to our cargo operations, we will continue to face competition from all of the major airfreight companies, most notably DHL, which has a cargo hub operation at Tocumen International Airport.

As of December 31, 2009, Copa operated a fleet consisting of 42 aircraft, including 20 Boeing 737-700 Next Generation aircraft, nine Boeing 737-800 Next Generation aircraft and 13 Embraer 190 aircraft. As of December 31, 2009, Copa had firm orders, including purchase and lease commitments, for 28 additional Boeing 737-Next Generation aircraft. Copa also has options for an additional six Embraer 190s and purchase rights and options for an additional eight Boeing 737-Next Generation aircraft.

The current composition of the Copa fleet as of December 31, 2009 is more fully described below:

We expect our Copa fleet to continue to center on the Boeing 737-700 model, although we expect to continue to add Boeing 737-800s to our fleet to cover high-demand routes and Embraer 190s to serve underserved markets as well as fly additional frequencies where we believe excess demand exists. The table below describes the expected size of our Copa fleet at the end of each year set forth below, assuming delivery of all aircraft for which we currently have firm orders but not taking into account any aircraft for which we have purchase rights and options:

The Boeing 737-Next Generation aircraft currently in our Copa fleet are fuel-efficient and suit our operations well for the following reasons:

Our focus on profitable operations means that we periodically review our fleet composition. As a result, our fleet composition changes over time when we conclude that adding other types of aircraft will help us achieve this goal. The introduction of any new type of aircraft to our fleet is only done if, after careful consideration, we determine that such a step will improve our profitability. In line with this philosophy, after conducting a careful cost-benefit analysis, we added the Embraer 190 aircraft because its combination of smaller size and highly efficient operating characteristics made it the ideal aircraft to serve new mid-sized markets and to increase frequency to existing destinations. The Embraer 190 incorporates advanced design features, such as integrated avionics, fly-by-wire flight controls, and efficient CF34-10 engines made by General Electric. The Embraer E190 has a range of approximately 2,000 nautical miles enabling it to fly to a wide range of destinations from short-haul to certain medium-haul destinations. We have configured Copa’s Embraer aircraft with a business class section similar to the business class section we have on our Boeing 737-Next Generation aircraft.

Through several special purpose vehicles, we currently have beneficial ownership of 40 of our aircraft, including 19 Embraer 190s. In addition, we lease six of our Boeing 737-700s and two of our Boeing 737-800s under long-term operating lease agreements that have an average remaining term of 3.0 years. Leasing some of our aircraft provides us with flexibility to change our fleet composition if we consider it to be in our best interests to do so. We make monthly rental payments, some of which are based on floating rates, but are not required to make termination payments at the end of the lease. Currently, we do not have purchase options in any of our lease agreements. Under our operating lease agreements, we are required in some cases to maintain maintenance reserve accounts and in other cases to make supplemental rent payments at the end of the lease that are calculated with reference to the aircrafts’ maintenance schedule. In either case, we must return the aircraft in the agreed upon condition at the end of the lease term. Title to the aircraft remains with the lessor. We are responsible for the maintenance, servicing, insurance, repair and overhaul of the aircraft during the term of the lease.

To better serve the growing number of business travelers, we introduced business class (Clase Ejecutiva) in November of 1998. Our business class service features twelve luxury seats in the Boeing 737-700s with a 38-inch pitch, upgraded meal service, special check-in desks, bonus mileage for full-fare business class passengers and access to VIP lounges. Our Boeing 737-800s are currently configured with 14 business class seats. In 2010, we plan to reconfigure our Boeing 737-800 aircraft by adding two additional business class seats and three additional economy seats, increasing the total number of seats from 155 to 160. Our Embraer 190s have 10 business class seats in a three abreast configuration and 38-inch pitch.

Each of our Boeing 737-Next Generation aircraft is powered by two CFM International Model CFM 56-7B engines. Each of our Embraer 190 aircraft is powered by two CF34-10 engines made by General Electric. We currently have seven spare engines for service replacements and for periodic rotation through our fleet.

As of December 31, 2009, AeroRepública’s operated a fleet of one MD-83, six owned Embraer 190 and seven leased Embraer 190, with an average age of 3.2 years. All of AeroRepública’s fleet is configured as a single class, with the MD aircraft having a capacity of 157 seats and the Embraer 190 fleet having a capacity of 106 seats. AeroRepública has options to purchase up to five additional Embraer 190 aircraft through 2013.

The maintenance performed on our Copa aircraft can be divided into two general categories: line and heavy maintenance. Line maintenance consists of routine, scheduled maintenance checks on our aircraft, including pre-flight, daily and overnight checks, “A-checks” and any diagnostics and routine repairs. Copa’s line maintenance is performed by Copa’s own technicians at our base in Panama and at stations outside Panama by Copa employees or third-party contractors. Heavy maintenance consists of more complex inspections and overhauls, including “C-checks,” and servicing of the aircraft that cannot be accomplished during an overnight visit. Maintenance checks are performed as defined by the aircraft manufacturer. These checks are based on the number of hours or calendar months flown. We have contract with certified outside maintenance providers, principally with Panama Aerospace Engineering, a subsidiary of Singapore Aerospace Technologies, which is certified as an authorized repair station by the FAA and the AAC, for heavy aircraft maintenance services. Copa also has an exclusive long-term contract with GE Engines whereby they will perform maintenance on all of its CFM-56 engines. There were 17 heavy maintenance events in 2009. When possible, Copa attempts to schedule heavy maintenance during its lower-demand seasons in order to maximize productive use of its aircraft.

Copa employs 249 maintenance professionals, including engineers, supervisors, technicians and mechanics, who perform maintenance in accordance with maintenance programs that are established by the manufacturer and approved and certified by international aviation authorities. Every mechanic is trained in factory procedures and goes through our own rigorous in-house training program. Every mechanic is licensed by the AAC and approximately 33 of our maintenance Professionals are also licensed by the FAA. Copa’s safety and maintenance procedures are reviewed and periodically audited by the aircraft manufacturer, the AAC, the FAA, IATA and, to a lesser extent, every foreign country to which its flies. Copa’s maintenance facility at Tocumen International Airport has been certified by the FAA as an approved repair station, and twice a year the FAA inspects its facilities to validate and renew the certification. Copa’s aircraft are initially covered by warranties that have a term of four years, resulting in lower maintenance expenses during the period of coverage. All of Copa’s mechanics are trained to perform line maintenance on both the Boeing 737-Next Generation and Embraer 190s aircraft.

Line maintenance for AeroRepública’s aircraft is primarily performed by AeroRepública’s in-house maintenance staff, while C-checks on its fleet are performed by FAA certified third-party aviation maintenance companies. All of AeroRepública’s maintenance and safety procedures are performed according to Boeing standards (certified by the FAA), and certified by the Aeronautica Civil of Colombia and BVQi, the institute that issues ISO (International Organization for Standardization) quality certificates. All of AeroRepública’s maintenance personnel are licensed by the Aeronautica Civil of Colombia. In December 2007, AeroRepública received its IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) compliance certification.

We place a high priority on providing safe and reliable air service. Copa has uniform safety standards and safety-related training programs that cover all of its operations. In particular, Copa periodically evaluates the skills, experience and safety records of its pilots in order to maintain strict control over the quality of its pilot crews. All of Copa’s pilots participate in training programs, some of which are sponsored by aircraft manufacturers, and all are required to undergo recurrent training two times per year. We have a full time program of Flight Data Analysis (FDA) wherein the flight data from every Copa flight is analyzed for safety or technical anomalies. During 2007, Copa successfully completed its second IOSA.

On July 17, 2007, one of our AeroRepública Embraer 190s overran a wet runway at Santa Marta, Colombia. As a result of this incident, six people suffered minor injuries and the aircraft sustained damages that caused its permanent removal from service.

The FAA periodically audits the aviation regulatory authorities of other countries. As a result of their investigation, each country is given an International Aviation Safety Assessment, or IASA, rating. Panama is currently rated as “Category 1”, which indicates a strong level of confidence in the safety regulation of the AAC.

We believe that our hub at Panama City’s Tocumen International Airport (PTY) is an excellent base of operations for the following reasons:

Tocumen International Airport is operated by an independent corporate entity established by the government, where stakeholders have a say in the operation and development of the airport. The law that created this entity also provided for a significant portion of revenues generated at Tocumen to be used for airport expansion and improvements. We do not have any formal, written agreements with the airport management that govern access fees, landing rights or allocation of terminal gates. We rely upon our good working relationship with the airport’s management and the Panamanian government to ensure that we have access to the airport resources we need at prices that are reasonable.

We worked closely with the airport’s management and consulted with the IATA infrastructure group to provide plans and guidance for Phase I of an airport expansion that provided eight new gate positions with jet bridges, six new remote parking positions, expanded retail areas and improved the baggage-handling facilities. The government authorized $70 million to cover the costs of this expansion. Work on Phase I was completed in the third quarter of 2006. Phase II of the expansion which will add 12 additional jet bridge gates has begun and is expected to be completed in 2011.

We provide all of our own ground services and handling of passengers and cargo at Tocumen International Airport. In addition, we provide services to several of the principal foreign airlines that operate at Tocumen. At most of the foreign airports where we operate, foreign airport services companies provide all of our support services other than sales, counter services and some minor maintenance.

We lease a variety of facilities at Tocumen, including our maintenance hangar and our operations facilities in the airport terminal. From our System Operations Control Center located within our corporate headquarters building, we dispatch, track and direct our aircraft throughout the hemisphere and respond to operational contingencies as necessary. We generally cooperate with the airport authority to modify the lease terms as necessary to account for capital improvements and expansion plans. Currently, our elite passengers have access to a President’s Club at the airport, which is jointly operated with Continental. The President’s Club was recently expanded to approximately one and half times its current size, utilizing space made available during the recent expansion of the terminal.

Fuel costs are extremely volatile, as they are subject to many global economic, geopolitical, weather, environmental and other factors that we can neither control nor accurately predict. Due to its inherent volatility, aircraft fuel has historically been our most unpredictable unit cost. As a result of the world’s economic condition, demand for oil has surged, especially in fast-growing China. This increase in demand coupled with limited refinery capacity and instability in oil-exporting countries has led to a rapid increase in prices.

Since 2002, aircraft fuel prices have been rising. From 2004 to 2009, the average price of West Texas Intermediate crude oil, a benchmark widely used for crude oil prices that is measured in barrels and quoted in U.S. dollars, increased by 50% from $41.47 per barrel to $62.07 per barrel. During 2008, fuel prices experienced significant volatility, with West Texas Intermediate crude prices reaching the record price of approximately $145 per barrel in July. Prices then dropped below $40 per barrel at the beginning of 2009, and then stabilized at approximately $70 per barrel in the second half of 2009. While prices have significantly decreased since their peak in 2008, we believe that fuel prices are likely to increase in the future. In 2009, we hedged 31% of our requirements through the use of jet fuel and crude oil swap contracts, and crude oil zero-cost collars. We have hedged approximately 24% and 11% of our anticipated fuel needs for 2010 and 2011, respectively. We will continue to evaluate various hedging strategies, and we may enter into additional hedging agreements in the future. Any prolonged increase in the price of jet fuel will likely materially and negatively affect our business, financial condition and results of operation. To date, we have managed to offset some of the increases in fuel prices with higher load factors, fuel surcharges and fare increases. In addition, our relative young, winglet-equipped fleet also helps us mitigate the impact of higher fuel prices.

We maintain passenger liability insurance in an amount consistent with industry practice, and we insure our aircraft against losses and damages on an “all risks” basis. We have obtained all insurance coverage required by the terms of our leasing and financing agreements. We believe our insurance coverage is consistent with airline industry standards and appropriate to protect us from material loss in light of the activities we conduct. No assurance can be given, however, that the amount of insurance we carry will be sufficient to protect us from material losses. We have negotiated low premiums on our Copa insurance policies by leveraging the purchasing power of our alliance partner, Continental. Copa’s hull and liability operations are insured under Continental’s insurance policy. We maintain separate insurance policies for our AeroRepública operations.

Our operations are covered by various local, national, and international environmental regulations. These regulations cover, among other things, emissions into the atmosphere, disposal of solid waste and aqueous effluents, aircraft noise and other activities that result from the operation of aircraft. Our aircraft comply with all environmental standards applicable to their operations as described in this annual report. We conducted, through a consulting firm, an environmental audit of our hangar and support facilities at the Tocumen International Airport to determine what, if any, measures we need to implement in order to satisfy the Panamanian effluent standards and the General Environmental Law at those facilities. We plan to implement all measures required for compliance based on our environmental audit. Additionally, the Panamanian Civil Aviation Code (RAC) contains certain environmental provisions that are similar to those set forth in the General Environmental Law regarding effluents, although such provisions do not contain compliance grace periods. In the event the AAC determines that our facilities do not currently meet the RAC standards, we could be subject to a fine. The measures that will be implemented pursuant to the environmental audit will also satisfy the requirements of the RAC. We have installed a water treatment plant to serve part of our facilities and have formally submitted an Environmental Remediation and Management Program (PAMA) in order to seek approval thereof by the Environmental Authority. Such program sets forth an environmental compliance schedule. While we do not believe that compliance with these regulations will expose us to material expenditures, compliance with these or other environmental regulations, whether new or existing, that may be applicable to us in the future could increase our costs. In addition, failure to comply with these regulations could adversely affect us in a variety of ways, including adverse effects on our reputation.

Authorization and Licenses. Panamanian law requires airlines providing commercial services in Panama to hold an Operation Certificate and an Air Transportation License/Certificate issued by the AAC. The Air Transportation Certificate specifies the routes, equipment used, capacity, and the frequency of flights. This certificate must be updated every time Copa acquires new aircraft, or when routes and frequencies to a particular destination are modified.

Panamanian law also requires that the aircraft operated by Copa be registered with the Panamanian National Aviation Registrar kept by the AAC, and that the Panamanian National Aviation Authority certify the airworthiness of each aircraft in Copa’s fleet. Copa’s aircraft must be re-certified every year. This requirement does not apply to AeroRepública’s aircraft which are registered in Colombia.

The Panamanian government does not have an equity interest in our company. Bilateral agreements signed by the Panamanian government have protected our operational position and route network, allowing us to have in Panama a significant hub to transport intraregion traffic within and between the Americas and the Caribbean. All international fares are filed and technically subject to the approval of the Panamanian government. Historically, we have been able to modify ticket prices on a daily basis to respond to market conditions. Our status as a private carrier means that we are not required under Panamanian law to serve any particular route and are free to withdraw service from any of the routes we currently serve as we see fit, subject to bilateral agreements. We are also free to determine the frequency of service we offer across our route network without any minimum frequencies imposed by the Panamanian authorities.

Safety Assessment. In May 2001, the FAA downgraded Panama’s IASA rating from a Category 1 rating to a Category 2 rating due to alleged deficiencies in Panamanian air safety standards and the AAC’s capacity to provide regulatory oversight. We collaborated with the Panamanian government to restore the country’s Category 1 status, a status that is important both to the operations of Copa as an airline and the general perception of Panama as a country, particularly in view of the fact that the major initiative is to boost tourism in Panama. The country’s Category 1 status was restored in April 2004.

Ownership Requirements. The most significant restriction on our company imposed by the Panamanian Aviation Act, as amended and interpreted to date, is that Panamanian nationals must exercise “effective control” over the operations of the airline and must maintain “substantial ownership.” These phrases are not defined in the Aviation Act itself and it is unclear how a Panamanian court would interpret them. The share ownership requirements and transfer restrictions contained in our Articles of Incorporation, as well as the structure of our capital stock described under the caption “Description of Capital Stock,” are designed to ensure compliance with these ownership and control restrictions created by the Aviation Act. While we believe that our ownership structure complies with the ownership and control restrictions of the Aviation Act as interpreted by a recent decree by the Executive Branch, we cannot assure you that a Panamanian court would share our interpretation of the Aviation Act or the decree or that any such interpretations would remain valid for the entire time you hold our Class A shares.

Although the Panamanian government does not currently have the authority to dictate the terms of our service, the government is responsible for negotiating the bilateral agreements with other nations that allow us to fly to other countries. Several of these agreements require Copa to remain “effectively controlled” and “substantially owned” by Panamanian nationals in order for us to use the rights conferred by the agreements. Such requirements are analogous to the Panamanian aviation law described above that requires Panamanian control of our business.

Antitrust Regulations. In 1996, the Republic of Panama enacted antitrust legislation, which regulates industry concentration and vertical anticompetitive practices and prohibits horizontal collusion. The Consumer Protection and Free Trade Authority is in charge of enforcement and may impose fines only after a competent court renders an adverse judgment. The law also provides for direct action by any affected market participant or consumer, independently or though class actions. The law does not provide for the granting of antitrust immunity, as is the case in the United States. In February 2006, the antitrust legislation was amended to increase the maximum fines that may be assessed for violations to $1,000,000 for per se violations and $250,000 for relative violations of antitrust law.

Noise Restrictions. Panama has adopted Annex 16 of the ICAO regulations and the noise abatement provisions of ICAO, through Book XIV of the Panamanian Civil Aviation Regulations (RAC). Thus, articles 227-229 of Book XIV of the RAC require aircraft registered in Panama to comply with at least Stage 2 noise requirements, and all aircraft registered for the first time with the Panamanian Civil Aviation Authority after January 1, 2003, to comply with Stage 3 noise restrictions. Currently, all the airplanes we operate or have on order meet the most stringent noise requirements established by both ICAO and the AAC.

The Colombian aviation market is heavily regulated by the Colombian Civil Aviation Administration, Unidad Especial Administrativa de Aeronáutica Civil, or Aeronautica Civil. Colombia is a Category 1 country under the FAA’s IASA program. With respect to domestic aviation, airlines must present feasibility studies to secure specific route rights, and no airline may serve the city pairs with the most traffic unless that airline has at least five aircraft with valid airworthiness certificate. In addition, Aeronautica Civil sets maximum fares for each route and a maximum number of competing airlines for each route based on the size of the city pairs served. Airlines in Colombia must also add a surcharge for fuel to their ticket prices. In addition, since November 2006, airlines must have to charge an administrative fee (“Tarifa administrativa”) for each ticket sold through an airline’s direct channels. Passengers in Colombia are also entitled by law to compensation in the event of delays in excess of four hours, over-bookings and cancellations. Currently, the San Andres, Bogotá, Pereira, Cali, Cartagena, Medellin, Monteria and Barranquilla airports are under private management arrangements. Furthermore, the government is privatizing other airports in order to finance necessary expansion projects and increase the efficiency of operations, which may lead to increases in landing fees and facility rentals at those airports.

Colombia has open-skies agreements with Aruba and the Andean Pact nations of Bolivia, Ecuador and Peru (Comunidad Andina). AeroRepública has been granted the use of 30 of the 56 available route rights for service by Colombian carriers between Colombia and Panama, and as a result, began scheduled service between the two countries in late 2005. In addition, AeroRepública was granted 30 additional bilateral frequencies per week, 7 of these frequencies to Panama from Bucaramanga, Pereira and Barranquilla, have yet to be utilized.

Operations to the United States by non-U.S. airlines, such as Copa, are subject to Title 49 of the U.S. Code, under which the DOT, the FAA and the TSA exercise regulatory authority. The U.S. Department of Justice also has jurisdiction over airline competition matters under the federal antitrust laws.

Authorizations and Licenses. The DOT has jurisdiction over international aviation with respect to air transportation to and from the United States, including regulation of related route authorities, the granting of which are subject to review by the President of the United States. The DOT exercises its jurisdiction with respect to unfair practices and methods of competition by airlines and related consumer protection matters as to all airlines operating to and from the United States. We are authorized by the DOT to engage in scheduled and charter air transportation services, including the transportation of persons, property (cargo) and mail, or combinations thereof, between points in Panama and points in the United States and beyond (via intermediate points in other countries). We hold the necessary authorizations from the DOT in the form of a foreign air carrier permit, an exemption authority and statements of authorization to conduct our current operations to and from the United States. The exemption authority was granted by the DOT in February 1998 and was due to expire in February 2000. However, the authority remains in effect by operation of law under the terms of the Administrative Procedure Act pending final DOT action on the application we filed to renew the authority on January 3, 2000. There can be no assurance that the DOT will grant the application. Our foreign air carrier permit has no expiration date.

Our operations to the United States are also subject to regulation by the FAA with respect to aviation safety matters, including aircraft maintenance and operations, equipment, aircraft noise, ground facilities, dispatch, communications, personnel, training, weather observation, air traffic control and other matters affecting air safety. The FAA requires each foreign air carrier serving the United States to obtain operational specifications pursuant to 14 CFR Part 129 of its regulations and to meet operational criteria associated with operating specified equipment on approved international routes. We believe that we are in compliance in all material respects with all requirements necessary to maintain in good standing our operations specifications issued by the FAA. The FAA can amend, suspend, revoke or terminate those specifications, or can temporarily suspend or permanently revoke our authority if we fail to comply with the regulations, and can assess civil penalties for such failure. A modification, suspension or revocation of any of our DOT authorizations or FAA operating specifications could have a material adverse effect on our business. The FAA also conducts safety audits and has the power to impose fines and other sanctions for violations of airline safety regulations. We have not incurred any material fines related to operations. The FAA also conducts safety International Aviation Safety Assessment (IASA) as to Panama’s compliance with International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) safety standards. Panama is currently considered a Category 1 country that complies with ICAO international safety standards. As a Class 1 country, no limitations are placed upon our operating rights to the Unites States. If the FAA should determine that Panama does not meet the ICAO safety standards, the FAA and DOT would restrict our rights to expand operations to the United States. We can offer no assurance of Panama’s continued compliance with ICAO safety standards.

Security. On November 19, 2001, the U.S. Congress passed, and the President signed into law, the Aviation and Transportation Security Act, (the “Aviation Security Act”). This law federalized substantially all aspects of civil aviation security and created the TSA, an agency of the Department of Homeland Security, to which the security responsibilities previously held by the FAA were transitioned. The Aviation Security Act requires, among other things, the implementation of certain security measures by airlines and airports, such as the requirement that all passenger, their bags and all cargo be screened for explosives and other security related contraband. Funding for airline and airport security required under the Aviation Security Act is provided in part by a $2.50 per segment passenger security fee for flights departing from the U.S., subject to a $10 per roundtrip cap; however, airlines are responsible for costs incurred to meet security requirements beyond those provided by the TSA. The United States Government is considering increases to this fee as the TSA’s costs exceed the revenue it receives from these fees. Implementation of the requirements of the Aviation Security Act has resulted in increased costs for airlines and their passengers. Since the events of September 11, 2001, the U.S. Congress has mandated and the TSA has implemented numerous security procedures and requirements that have imposed and will continue to impose burdens on airlines, passengers and shippers.

Passenger Facility Charges. Most major U.S. airports impose passenger facility charges. The ability of airlines to contest increases in these charges is restricted by federal legislation, DOT regulations and judicial decisions. With certain exceptions, air carriers pass these charges on to passengers. However, our ability to pass through passenger facility charges to our customers is subject to various factors, including market conditions and competitive factors. The current cap on passenger facility charges is $4.50 per segment, subject to an $18 per roundtrip cap; however, there is legislation in Congress to raise the cap on passenger facility charges.

Airport Access. Two U.S. airports at which we operate, John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York (“JFK”) and Reagan National Airport in Washington, D.C., have been designated by the FAA as “high density traffic airports”. From time to time, operations at these airports have been subject to arrival and departure slot restrictions during certain periods of the day. Although slot restrictions at JFK were eliminated as of January 1, 2007, on January 15, 2008, the FAA issued an order limiting the number of scheduled flight operations at JFK during peak hours to address the over-scheduling, congestion and delays at JFK. In January 2008, the DOT also issued a notice of proposed amendment to its Airport Rates and Charges policy that would allow airports to establish non-weight based fees during peak hours and to apportion certain expenses from “reliever” airports to the charges for larger airports in an effort to limit congestion. We cannot predict the outcome of this potential rule change on our costs or ability to operate in congested airports.

Noise Restrictions. Under the Airport Noise and Capacity Act of 1990 and related FAA regulations, aircraft that fly to the United States must comply with certain Stage 3 noise restrictions, which are currently the most stringent FAA operating noise requirements. All of our Copa aircraft meet the Stage 3 requirement.

Other Regulation. FAA regulations also require compliance with the Traffic Alert and Collision Avoidance System, approved airborne windshear warning system and aging aircraft regulations. Our fleet meets these requirements. In addition, all air carriers are subject to certain provisions of the Communications Act of 1934, because of their extensive use of radio and other communication facilities, and are required to obtain an aeronautical radio license from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). To the extent we are subject to FCC requirements, we have taken and will continue to take all necessary steps to comply with those requirements. Additional U.S. laws and regulations have been proposed from time to time that could significantly increase the cost of airline operations by imposing additional requirements or restrictions on airlines. There can be no assurance that laws and regulations currently enacted or enacted in the future will not adversely affect our ability to maintain our current level of operating results.

We are also subject to regulation by the aviation regulatory bodies which set standards and enforce national aviation legislation in each of the jurisdictions to which we fly. These regulators may have the power to set fares, enforce environmental and safety standards, levy fines, restrict operations within their respective jurisdictions or any other powers associated with aviation regulation. We cannot predict how these various regulatory bodies will perform in the future and the evolving standards enforced by any of them could have a material adverse effect on our operations.

The following is an organizational chart showing Copa Holdings and its principal subsidiaries.

Copa is our principal airline operating subsidiary that operates out of our hub in Panama and provides passenger service in North, South and Central America and the Caribbean. AeroRepública S.A. is our operating subsidiary that is primarily engaged in domestic air travel within Colombia and international service from various points in Colombia to Panama City and Caracas. Oval Financial Leasing, Ltd. controls the special purpose vehicles that have a beneficial interest in the majority of our aircraft.

In 2005, we moved into a newly built headquarters building located six miles away from Tocumen International Airport. We have leased five floors consisting of approximately 104,000 square feet of the building from Desarollo Inmobiliario del Este, S.A., an entity controlled by the same group of investors that controls CIASA, under a 10-year lease at a rate of $106,000 per month during the first three years, $110,000 per month during year 4 through year 6, $113,000 during year 7 through year 9 and $116,000 per month in year 10, which we believe to be a market rate.

At Tocumen International Airport, we lease a maintenance hangar, operations offices in the terminal, counter space, parking spaces and other operational properties from the entity that manages the airport. We pay approximately $88,000 per month for this leased property. Around Panama City, we also lease various office spaces, parking spaces and other properties from a variety of lessors, for which we pay approximately $13,000 per month in the aggregate.

In each of our destination cities, we also lease space at the airport for check-in, reservations and airport ticket office sales, and we lease space for CTOs in more than 34 of those cities.

AeroRepública leases most of its airport and CTO. Owned properties include one city ticket office, a warehouse close to the airport and one floor in a high-rise building in downtown Bogota.

None.

We are a leading Latin American provider of airline passenger and cargo service through our two principal operating subsidiaries, Copa and AeroRepública. Copa operates from its strategically located position in the Republic of Panama, and AeroRepública provides service primarily within Colombia complemented by international flights from various cities in Colombia to Panama, Venezuela and Ecuador. We currently operate a fleet of 58 aircraft, 32 Boeing 737-Next Generation aircraft and 26 Embraer 190 aircraft. We currently have firm orders, including purchase and lease commitments, for 26 Boeing 737-Next Generation and purchase rights and options for up to eight additional Boeing 737-Next Generation and 11 additional Embraer 190s.

Copa currently offers approximately 152 daily scheduled flights among 45 destinations in 24 countries in North, Central and South America and the Caribbean from its Panama City hub. Copa provides passengers with access to flights to more than 120 other destinations through codeshare arrangements with Continental pursuant to which each airline places its name and flight designation code on the other’s flights. Through its Panama City hub, Copa is able to consolidate passenger traffic from multiple points to serve each destination effectively.

Copa operates a modern fleet of 32 Boeing 737-Next Generation aircraft and 13 Embraer 190 aircraft. To meet its growing capacity requirements, Copa has firm orders, including purchase and lease commitments, to accept delivery of 26 additional aircraft through 2015 and has purchase rights and options that, if exercised, would allow it to accept delivery of up to 14 additional aircraft through 2017. Copa’s firm orders are for 26 additional Boeing 737-Next Generation aircraft, and its purchase rights and options are for up to eight Boeing 737-Next Generation aircraft and up to six Embraer 190s.

Copa started its strategic alliance with Continental in 1998. Since then, it has conducted joint marketing and code-sharing arrangements, and participated in the award-winning OnePass frequent flyer loyalty program globally and on a co-branded basis in Latin America. We believe that Copa’s co-branding and joint marketing activities with Continental have enhanced its brand in Latin America, and that the relationship with Continental has afforded it cost-related benefits, such as improving purchasing power in negotiations with aircraft vendors and insurers. Copa’s alliance and related services agreements with Continental are in effect until 2015.

During the second quarter of 2005, we purchased AeroRepública, a Colombian air carrier that was the second-largest domestic carrier in Colombia in terms of number of passengers carried in 2005, which at the time provided point-to-point service among 11 cities in Colombia. AeroRepública currently operates a fleet of 13 Embraer 190 and has expanded its routes to include international point-to-point service from various Colombian cities to Panama, Venezuela and Ecuador. As part of its fleet expansion plan, AeroRepública has options to purchase up to five additional Embraer 190 aircraft through 2013.

Fuel is our single largest operating expense and, as a result, our results of operations are likely to continue to be materially affected by the cost of fuel as compared with prior periods. From 2004 to 2009, the average price of West Texas Intermediate crude oil, a benchmark widely used for crude oil prices that is measured in barrels and quoted in U.S. dollars, increased by 50% from $41.47 per barrel to $62.07 per barrel. During 2008, fuel prices experienced significant volatility, with West Texas Intermediate crude prices reaching the record price of approximately $145 per barrel in July. Prices then dropped below $40 per barrel at the beginning of 2009, and then stabilized at approximately $70 per barrel in the second half of 2009. While prices have decreased since their peak in 2008, we believe that fuel prices are likely to increase in the future. In past years, we have managed to offset some of the increases in fuel prices by managing load factors, fuel related price increases, which may take the form of fare increases or fuel surcharges, and cost cutting initiatives. For example, we estimate that we were able to offset approximately 100% of the increase in unit costs in 2008 as compared to 2007 through higher unit revenues. Although there are other factors affecting unit costs, management considers the 100% cost recoverability to be a fair estimate of the coverage of incremental fuel prices, as most of the increase in unit costs is related to fuel price. We have hedged 24% and 11% of our anticipated fuel needs for 2010 and 2011, respectively. We will continue to evaluate various hedging strategies, and we may enter into additional hedging agreements in the future.

On April 22, 2005 we acquired an initial 85.6% equity ownership interest in AeroRepública which was followed by subsequent acquisitions increasing our total ownership interest in AeroRepública to 99.9% as of December 31, 2009. AeroRepública is the second-largest domestic carrier in Colombia in terms of revenue, currently providing service among 12 cities in Colombia and international service to cities in Panama, Venezuela and Ecuador with a point-to-point route network.

We began to consolidate AeroRepública’s results of operations in our consolidated financial statements in April of 2005. We report AeroRepública’s operations as a separate segment in our financial statements and the related notes. See Note 17 to our audited financial statements included elsewhere in this annual report for segment data for AeroRepública for the year ended December 31, 2009. As a result of this acquisition and our consolidation of AeroRepública’s results as of April 22, 2005, our financial information prior to and after the acquisition is not comparable.

Our historical financial results have been, and we expect them to continue to be, materially affected by the general level of economic activity and growth of per capita disposable income in North, South and Central America and the Caribbean (drivers of our passenger revenue) and the volume of trade between countries in the region (the principal driver of our cargo revenue).

According to data from The Preliminary Overview of the Economies of Latin America and the Caribbean, an annual United Nations publication prepared by the Economic Development Division, the economy of Latin America (including the Caribbean) decreased by 1.7% in 2009 and grew by 4.1% in 2008. In recent years, the Panamanian economy has closely tracked the economies of the United States and of Latin America. In 2009, however, the Panamanian economy grew in real terms by 1.8% (versus 9.2% in 2008), according to the International Monetary Fund’s estimates. Inflation in Panama rose 2.3% in 2009 (versus 8.8% in 2008). Additionally, the Colombian economy has experienced relatively stable growth. According to the International Monetary Fund’s estimates, the Colombian gross domestic product grew by 7.5% in 2007, 2.5% in 2008 and only slightly decreased by -0.2% in 2009 with inflation (as indicated by the consumer price index) rising by 5.5% in 2007, 7.0% in 2008 and 4.6% in 2009.

We derive our revenues primarily from passenger transportation which represents 95% of our revenues, with 5% derived from cargo and other revenues.

We recognize passenger revenue when transportation is provided and when unused tickets expire. Passenger revenues reflect the capacity of our aircraft on the routes we fly, load factor and yield. Our capacity is measured in terms of available seat miles (ASMs) which represents the number of seats available on our aircraft multiplied by the number of miles the seats are flown. Our usage is measured in terms of revenue passenger miles (RPMs) which is the number of revenue passengers multiplied by the miles these passengers fly. Load factor, or the percentage of our capacity that is actually used by paying customers, is calculated by dividing RPMs by ASMs. Yield is the average amount that one passenger pays to fly one mile. We use a combination of approaches, taking into account yields, flight load factors and effects on load factors of connecting traffic, depending on the characteristics of the markets served, to arrive at a strategy for achieving the best possible revenue per available seat mile, balancing the average fare charged against the corresponding effect on our load factors.

We recognize cargo revenue when transportation is provided. Our other revenue consists primarily of excess baggage charges, ticket change fees and charter flights.

Overall demand for our passenger and cargo services is highly dependent on the regional economic environment in which we operate, including the GDP of the countries we serve and the disposable income of the residents of those countries. We believe that 50% of our passengers travel at least in part for business reasons, and the growth of intraregional trade greatly affects that portion of our business. The remaining 50% of our passengers are tourists or travelers visiting friends and family.

Generally, our revenues from and profitability of our flights peak during the northern hemisphere’s summer season in July and August and again during the December and January holiday season. Given our high proportion of fixed costs, this seasonality is likely to cause our results of operations to vary from quarter to quarter.

The main components of our operating expenses are aircraft fuel, salaries and benefits, passenger servicing, commissions, aircraft maintenance, reservations and sales and aircraft rent. A common measure of per unit costs in the airline industry is cost per available seat mile (CASM), which is generally defined as operating expenses divided by ASMs.

Aircraft fuel. The price we pay for aircraft fuel varies significantly from country to country primarily due to local taxes. While we purchase aircraft fuel at all the airports to which we fly, we attempt to negotiate fueling contracts with companies that have a multinational presence in order to benefit from volume purchases. During 2009, as a result of the location of its hub, Copa purchased 57% of its aircraft fuel in Panama. Copa has over 15 suppliers of aircraft fuel across its network. In some cases, we tanker fuel in order to minimize our cost by fueling in airports where fuel prices are lowest. Our aircraft fuel expenses are variable and fluctuate based on global oil prices. From 2004 to 2009, the average price of West Texas Intermediate crude oil, a benchmark widely used for crude oil prices that is measured in barrels and quoted in U.S. dollars, increased by 50% from $41.47 per barrel to $62.07 per barrel. To date, we have managed to offset some of the increases in fuel prices with higher load factors, fuel surcharges and fare increases. In addition, our relatively young, winglet-equipped fleet also helps us mitigate the impact of higher fuel prices. Historically, we have not hedged a significant portion of our fuel costs. We have hedged 24% and 11% of our anticipated fuel needs for 2010 and 2011, respectively.

Salaries and benefits. Salaries and benefits expenses have historically increased at the rate of inflation and by the growth in the number of our employees. In some cases, we have adjusted salaries of our employees to correspond to changes in the cost of living in the countries where these employees work. We do not increase salaries based on seniority.

Passenger servicing expenses. Our passenger servicing expenses consist of expenses for liability insurance, baggage handling, catering, in-flight entertainment and other costs related to aircraft and airport services. These expenses are generally directly related to the number of passengers we carry or the number of flights we operate.

Commissions. Our commission expenses consist primarily of payments for ticket sales made by travel agents and commissions paid to credit card companies. Travel agents receive base commissions, not including back-end incentive programs, ranging from 0% to 6% depending on the country. During the last few years we have reduced our commission expense per available seat mile as a result of an industry-wide trend of paying lower commissions to travel agencies and by increasing the proportion of our sales made through direct channels. We expect this trend to continue as more of our customers become accustomed to purchasing through call centers and through the internet. While increasing direct sales may increase the commissions we pay to credit card companies, we expect that the savings from the corresponding reduction in travel agency commissions will more than offset this increase. In recent years, base commissions paid to travel agents have decreased significantly. At the same time, we have encouraged travel agencies to move from standard base commissions to incentive compensation based on sales volume and fare types.

Maintenance, material and repair expenses. Our maintenance, material and repair expenses consist of aircraft repair and charges related to light and heavy maintenance of our aircraft, including maintenance materials. Maintenance and repair expenses, including overhaul of aircraft components, are charged to operating expenses as incurred. As the age of our fleet increases and our warranties expire, our maintenance expenses will increase. We only conduct line maintenance internally and outsource heavy maintenance to independent third party contractors. In 2003, we negotiated with GE Engine Services a maintenance cost per hour program for the repair and maintenance of our CFM-56 engines which power our Boeing 737 Next Generation fleet. Our engine maintenance costs are also aided by the sea-level elevation of our hub and the use of winglets which allow us to operate the engines on our Boeing 737 Next Generation aircraft with lower thrust, thus putting less strain on the engines.

Line maintenance for AeroRepública’s fleet is performed by AeroRepública’s in-house maintenance staff. The average age of AeroRepública’s fleet as of December 31, 2009 was 3.2 years.

Aircraft rent. Our aircraft rental expenses are generally fixed by the terms of our operating lease agreements. Currently, six of Copa’s operating leases have fixed rates which are not subject to fluctuations in interest rates and the seventh is tied to LIBOR. All of AeroRepública’s operating leases have fixed rates which are not subject to fluctuations in interest rates. Our aircraft rent expense also includes rental payments related to our wet-leasing of freighter aircraft to supplement our cargo operations.

Reservations and sales expenses. Our reservations and sales expenses arise primarily from payments to global distribution systems, such as Amadeus and Sabre, that list our flight offerings on reservation systems around the world. These reservation systems tend to raise their rates periodically, but we expect that if we are successful in encouraging our customers to purchase tickets through our direct sales channels, these costs will decrease as a percentage of our operating costs. A portion of our reservations and sales expense is also comprised of our licensing payments for the SHARES reservation and check-in management software we use, which is not expected to change significantly from period to period.

Flight operations and landing fees and other rentals are generally directly related to the number of flights we operate.

Other includes publicity and promotion expenses, expenses related to our cargo operations, technology related initiatives and miscellaneous other expenses.

We pay taxes in the Republic of Panama and in other countries in which we operate, based on regulations in effect in each respective country. Our revenues come principally from foreign operations and according to the Panamanian Tax Code, including all regulations, decrees and executives decrees (“Panamanian Fiscal Code”) these foreign operations are not subject to income tax in Panama.

We have elected to calculate our Panamanian income tax with the gross tax method. Under this method, based on the Panamanian Fiscal Code, income for international transportation companies is calculated based on a territoriality method that determines gross revenues earned in Panama by applying the percentage of miles flown within the Panamanian territory against total revenues. Under this method, loss carry-forwards cannot be applied to offset tax liability. Dividends from our Panamanian subsidiaries, including Copa, are separately subject to a 10% percent withholding tax on the portion attributable to Panamanian sourced income and a 5% withholding tax on the portion attributable to foreign sourced income.

We are also subject to local tax regulations in each of the other jurisdictions where we operate, the great majority of which are related to the taxation of our income. In some of the countries to which we fly, we do not pay any income taxes because we do not generate income under the laws of those countries either because they do not have income taxes or due to treaties or other arrangements those countries have with Panama. In the remaining countries, we pay income tax at a rate ranging from 25% to 34% of our income attributable to those countries. Different countries calculate our income in different ways, but they are typically derived from our sales in the applicable country multiplied by our net margin or by a presumed net margin set by the relevant tax legislation. The determination of our taxable income in several countries is based on a combination of revenues sourced to each particular country and the allocation of expenses to that particular country. The methodology for multinational transportation company sourcing of revenue and expense is not always specifically prescribed in the relevant tax regulations, and therefore is subject to interpretation by both ourselves and the respective tax authorities. Additionally, in some countries, the applicability of certain regulations governing non-income taxes and the determination of our filing status are also subject to interpretation. We cannot estimate the amount, if any, of the potential tax liabilities that might result if the allocations, interpretations and filing positions we use in preparing our income tax returns were challenged by the tax authorities of one or more countries. It is possible that we may become subject to tax in jurisdictions in which, for prior years, we had not been subject to tax and that, in the future, we may become subject to increased taxes in the countries to which we fly.

Under a reciprocal exemption confirmed by a bilateral agreement between Panama and the United States, we are exempt from the U.S. source transportation income tax derived from the international operation of aircraft.

We paid taxes totaling approximately $16.6 million in 2007, $14.9 million in 2008 and $13.8 million in 2009.

The preparation of our consolidated financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires our management to adopt accounting policies and make estimates and judgments to develop amounts reported in our consolidated financial statements and related notes. We strive to maintain a process to review the application of our accounting policies and to evaluate the appropriateness of the estimates required for the preparation of our consolidated financial statements. We believe that our estimates and judgments are reasonable; however, actual results and the timing of recognition of such amounts could differ from those estimates. In addition, estimates routinely require adjustments based on changing circumstances and the receipt of new or better information.

Critical accounting policies and estimates are defined as those that are reflective of significant judgments and uncertainties and potentially result in materially different results under different assumptions and conditions. For a discussion of these and other accounting policies, see Note 1 to our annual consolidated financial statements.

Revenue recognition. Passenger revenue is recognized when transportation is provided rather than when a ticket is sold. The amount of passenger ticket sales not yet recognized as revenue is reflected in the “Air traffic liability” line on our consolidated balance sheet. Fares for tickets that have expired and/or are more than one year old are recognized as passenger revenue upon expiration.

Goodwill and indefinite-lived purchased intangible assets. In accordance with ASC Topic 350, “Intangibles-Goodwill and Other” (“ASC Topic 350”), we perform impairment testing of goodwill separately from impairment testing of indefinite-lived intangibles. We test goodwill for impairment, at least annually, by comparing the book value to the fair value at the reporting segment level and individually test indefinite-lived intangibles, at least annually, by comparing the individual book values to fair values. Considerable management judgment is necessary to determine the assumptions that marketplace participants would consider in determining the fair value of these assets. We did not recognize any impairment charges for goodwill or intangibles assets during the years presented. All of our goodwill and indefinite-lived intangible are allocated in the AeroRepública segment and are tested annually for impairment. For the years ended December 2009 and 2008, amounts of goodwill and intangible assets have changed due to exchange effect.

Derivative instruments and hedging activities. We account for derivatives and hedging activities in accordance with ASC Topic 815, “Derivatives and Hedging” (“ASC Topic 815”), which requires entities to recognize all derivative instruments as either assets or liabilities in the balance sheet at their respective fair values.

We only enter into derivative contracts that we intend to use in managing the variability in market related values of a forecasted transaction or the variability of cash flows to be received or paid related to a recognized asset or liability (cash flow hedge). For all hedging relationships we formally document the hedging relationship and its risk-management objective and strategy for undertaking the hedge, the hedging instrument, the hedged item, the nature of the risk being hedged, how the hedging instrument’s effectiveness in offsetting the hedged risk will be assessed prospectively and retrospectively, and a description of the method of measuring ineffectiveness. We also formally assess, both at the hedge’s inception and on an ongoing basis, whether the derivatives that are used in hedging transactions are highly effective in offsetting cash flows of hedged items.

Changes in the fair value of a derivative that is highly effective and that is designated and qualifies as a cash-flow hedge are recorded in accumulated other comprehensive income to the extent that the derivative is effective as a hedge, until earnings are affected by the variability in cash flows of the designated hedged item. The ineffective portion of the change in fair value of a derivative instrument that qualifies as a cash-flow hedge or that is not designated as a hedge is reported in earnings.

We discontinued hedge accounting prospectively when we determines that the derivative is no longer effective in offsetting cash flows of the hedged item, the derivative expires or is sold, terminated, or exercised, the derivative is de-designated as a hedging instrument because it is unlikely that a forecasted transaction will occur, or management determines that designation of the derivative as a hedging instrument is no longer appropriate.

In all situations in which hedge accounting is discontinued and the derivative is retained, we continue to carry the derivative at its fair value on the balance sheet and recognize any subsequent changes in its fair value in earnings. When it is probable that a forecasted transaction will not occur, we discontinue hedge accounting and recognize immediately in earnings gains and losses that were accumulated in other comprehensive income.

Maintenance and repair costs. Maintenance and repair costs for owned and leased flight equipment, including the overhaul of aircraft components, are charged to operating expenses as incurred. Engine overhaul costs covered by power-by-the-hour arrangements are paid and expensed as incurred, on the basis of hours flown per the contract. Under the terms of our power-by-the-hour agreements, we pay a set dollar amount per engine hour flown on a monthly basis and the third-party vendor assumes the obligation to repair the engines at no additional cost to us, subject to certain specified exclusions.

Additionally, although our aircraft lease agreements specifically provide that we, as lessee, are responsible for maintenance of the leased aircraft, we do, under certain of our existing lease agreements, pay maintenance reserves to aircraft and engine lessors that are to be applied towards the cost of future maintenance events. These reserves are calculated based on a performance measure, such as flight hours, and are specifically to be used to reimburse third-party providers that furnish services in connection with maintenance of our leased aircraft. If there are sufficient funds on deposit to pay the invoices submitted, they are paid. However, if amounts on deposit are insufficient to cover the invoices, we must cover the shortfall because, as noted above, we are legally responsible for maintaining the lease aircraft. Under our aircraft lease agreements, if there are excess amounts on deposit at the expiration of the lease, the lessor is entitled to retain any excess amounts. The maintenance reserves paid under our lease agreements do not transfer either the obligation to maintain the aircraft or the cost risk associated with the maintenance activities to the aircraft lessor. In addition, we maintain the right to select any third-party maintenance providers. Therefore, we record these amounts as prepaid maintenance within “Other Assets” on our consolidated balance sheet and then recognize maintenance expense when the underlying maintenance is performed, in accordance with our maintenance accounting policy.

Effective July 1, 2009, the Financial Accounting Standards Board’s (“FASB”) Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) became the single official source of authoritative, nongovernmental generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”) in the United States. The historical GAAP hierarchy was eliminated and the ASC became the only level of authoritative GAAP, other than guidance issued by the Securities and Exchange Commission (“Commission”). Our accounting policies were not affected by the conversion to ASC. However, references to specific accounting standards in the footnotes to our consolidated financial statements have been changed to refer to the appropriate section of ASC.

In March 2008, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) issued Statement No. 161, “Disclosures about Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities — an amendment of FASB Statement No. 133” (“SFAS 161”). SFAS 161 requires entities that utilize derivative instruments to provide qualitative disclosures about their objectives and strategies for using such instruments, as well as any details of credit-risk-related contingent features contained within derivatives. SFAS 161 also requires entities to disclose additional information about the amounts and location of derivatives located within the financial statements, how the provisions of SFAS 133 have been applied, and the impact that hedges have on an entity’s financial position, financial performance, and cash flows. SFAS 161 is effective for fiscal years and interim periods beginning after November 15, 2008, with early application encouraged. This concept is contained in ASC Topic 815, “Derivatives and Hedging” (“ASC Topic 815”). The adoption of this amendment did not have a material impact on our Consolidated Financial Statements.

In September 2006, the FASB issued guidance which defines fair value, establishes a framework for measuring fair value and expands disclosures about fair value measurements. This guidance is contained in ASC Topic 820, “Fair Value Measurements and Disclosures” (“ASC Topic 820”). In February 2008, the FASB deferred the effective date to January 1, 2009 for all nonfinancial assets and liabilities, except for those that are recognized or disclosed at fair value on a recurring basis (that is, at least annually). We adopted the deferred provisions of ASC Topic 820 on January 1, 2009. Application of the new rules affected our annual impairment testing goodwill and other intangible assets.

In April 2009, the FASB issued additional guidance for estimating fair value in accordance with ASC Topic 820. The additional guidance addresses estimating fair value when the volume and level of activity for an asset or liability has significantly decreased in relation to normal market activity for the asset or liability. We adopted the provisions of this guidance for the fourth quarter of 2009. The adoption did not have a material effect on our Consolidated Financial Statements.

In June 2009, the FASB issued guidance to change financial reporting by enterprises involved with variable interest entities (“VIEs”). The standard replaces the quantitative-based risks and rewards calculation for determining which enterprise has a controlling financial interest in a VIE with an approach focused on identifying which enterprise has the power to direct the activities of a VIE and the obligation to absorb losses of the entity or the right to receive the entity’s residual returns. This accounting standard is effective for us on January 1, 2010. We are currently evaluating the requirements of this pronouncement and have not determined the impact, if any, that adoption of this standard will have on our Consolidated Financial Statements.

In October 2009, the FASB issued guidance that changes the accounting for revenue arrangements with multiple deliverables. The guidance requires an entity to allocate consideration at the inception of an arrangement to all of its deliverables based on their relative selling prices and eliminates the use of the residual method of allocation. The guidance establishes a hierarchy for determining the selling price of a deliverable, based on vendor-specific objective evidence, third-party evidence or estimated selling price. In addition, this guidance expands required disclosures related to a vendor’s multiple-deliverable revenue arrangements. This accounting standard is effective for us on January 1, 2011. This guidance did not have a material impact on our Consolidated Financial Statements.

In 2007, we recorded an $8.0 million gain on involuntary conversion of non-monetary assets to monetary assets related to insurance proceeds in excess of aircraft book value.

In 2009, we decided to terminate early three MD-80 aircraft leases prior to their scheduled expiration, in connection with the transition of AeroRepublica’s fleet to Embraer 190. Fees paid for early termination amounted to $10.5 million and were recognized as Special Fleet Charges in the Consolidated Statements of Income.

In addition to the early lease termination, we wrote down amounts related property, plant and equipment such as rotable parts, spare engines and tools totaling $4.9 million, and recognized a loss of $4.0 million related to the scrapping of obsolete expendable parts.

In 2007, we decided to terminate early five MD-80 aircraft leases, in connection with the transition of AeroRepública’s fleet to Embraer 190. Penalties paid for early termination are recognized as Special Fleet Charges in the Statement of Income.

On Friday, January 8, 2010, the Venezuelan government announced its decision to implement new fixed exchange rates effective Monday, January 11, 2010, which will result in a significant devaluation of the Bolivar against the U.S. dollar.

Since 2005 the official exchange rate had been fixed at VEB 2.15 per U.S. dollar, however, the new regime applies two official rates to different sectors of the economy. The first exchange rate, applicable to imported goods characterized as essential, will be VEB 2.60 per U.S. dollar, and the rate applicable to all other imported goods and services, including the aviation sector, will be VEB 4.30 per U.S. dollar. At this time we are uncertain how this devaluation will affect future demand for air travel in Venezuela and the results of our business.

In addition, we have significant cash balances in Bolivars subject to Venezuelan exchange controls. Since 2003, under the Venezuelan foreign exchange control regime, foreign companies are required to obtain Venezuelan government approval to exchange Bolivars into U.S. dollars at the fixed official exchange rate for the purpose of transferring funds out of Venezuela. Furthermore, since 2008 foreign companies with operations in Venezuela have experienced increasing delays in obtaining such government approvals. As a result of these delays, as of March 11, 2010, we have approximately $92 million in Venezuelan Bolivares pending approval and repatriation. In addition, on Wednesday, January 27, the Venezuelan government announced that it would apply the exchange rate of VEB 2.60 per U.S. dollar to all funds pending approval by the Venezuela Central Bank through January 8, 2010 and committed to a four month disbursement schedule for the repatriation of these funds. As a result of the devaluation, we estimate that the Company will incur losses of approximately $21 million, which will be recorded in the first quarter of 2010 in accordance with US GAAP. Moreover, the exchange control situation in Venezuela remains uncertain, and we cannot guarantee that we will be able to repatriate funds on a timely basis and therefore continue to be exposed should there be a further devaluation of the Bolivar before such approvals.

Law 8 of 2010 (the “Tax Reform”), which modifies material sections of the Panamanian Fiscal Code was approved and became effective on March 15, 2010. As a result of this reform, the airline industry will be subject to higher tax rates than it has paid in the past. We estimate, however, that we will benefit from certain tax credits in respect to taxes paid in foreign jurisdictions in 2010 and on a going-forward basis. We, therefore, anticipate that our effective tax rate for the immediate future will remain within the historical range of the past five years. As a result, we do not believe this tax reform is likely to have a material adverse effect on our financial position, results of operations and cash flows. Any future change in the Panamanian tax law increasing the taxes payable by us could have materially adverse effects on our business, financial condition and result of operations.

The following table shows each of the line items in our income statements for the periods indicated as a percentage of our total operating revenues for that period: