TORONTO — Copa Airlines has launched four nonstop flights a week between Montréal and Panama City.

The additional flights will accommodate the growing number of Québec travellers to Panama and positions Panama City’s – Tocumen International Airport as a connection hub for Canadians to other Latin America cities.

The new flight is Copa’s second Canadian destination after Toronto. Flight 423 leaves Montréal at 9:33 a.m. on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays, while flight 422 is scheduled to leave Tocumen at 6 p.m. on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. The five-and-a-half-hour flights arrive in Panama at 2:22 p.m. and in Montréal at 12:49 a.m.

The new routes will strengthen Panama’s position in regional air travel and provide Montréal business and leisure travellers with an efficient way to connect to Panama. The airline will add eight new Boeing Next Generation 737-800 aircraft in 2014, bringing its total fleet to 98 state-of-the-art aircraft, and increasing available seats by 10%.

For passengers connecting to other Latin America cities, they are offered a 72-hour stopover in Panama for US$40 per person and a free 30-day health insurance card.