Panama-based carrier Copa Airlines has become the latest airline to announce it will be rolling out internet connectivity across its whole fleet.
The announcement was made on January 21, 2026, with a brief, cheerful note on the airline’s social media channels stating (in Spanish) “The wait is over!”.
No details are known yet about the expected roll out of the service, other than it will start in October 2026. The selected supplier, the technology that will be used and the terms under which the service will be offered have not been disclosed yet.
Copa Airlines reacts, in this mode, to recent announcements by some of its direct competitors in the Latin American region that they will start fitting their fleets with wi-fi.
In December 2025, Avianca stated that it would have its whole fleet equipped with internet connectivity by 2027, and, a few months prior to that, in July 2025, LATAM Airlines also announced that wi-fi would be available on all of its long-haul routes.
Copa Airlines’ Star Alliance partner United Airlines, which is a significant player in the US to Panama market, started, in October 2025, its rollout of SpaceX Starlink high-speed internet across its fleet.
And American Airlines, which is also a major player in the Caribbean and Latin American markets in which COPA is active and already offers internet connectivity on most aircraft, is currently in talks with Amazon to upgrade its inflight internet offering.
Although Copa Airlines’ entire fleet is composed of single aisle aircraft, some of the segments operated by the Panamanian airline are considerably long, such as those linking Tocumen International Airport (PTY) to Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Canada and the Northeastern United States, therefore the availability of internet onboard will represent a considerable enhancement of the passenger experience.
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