By the Caribbean Journal staff

Panama-based Copa Airlines has launched its first-ever flights to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.

The new flights connect Puerto Vallarta and the Riviera Nayarit with the rest of Latin America for the first time.

The new route is operating twice weekly on Thursdays and Sundays, according to the company.

“With the addition of Puerto Vallarta & Riviera Nayarit, Copa Airlines’ fifth destination in Mexico, we continue to demonstrate our confidence in this country and promote opportunities for the touristic and economic development of this region and the State of Jalisco,” said Pedro Heilbron, CEO of Copa Airlines. “This flight will bring an influx of both business and leisure passengers to the region and connects it to Panama, as well as Copa’s other 79 destinations in 32 countries, benefiting from.”

It’s a boost for both Puerto Vallarta and the wider Riviera Nayarit, which extends across the cities of Bahía de Banderas, Compostela, San Blas, Santiago and Tecuala.

“We are very proud and happy to make the Panama-Puerto Vallarta-Riviera Nayarit route a reality. With this new flight, multiple connections will be avoided, reducing time, distance and cost for Latin American tourists,” said Marc Murphy, public general director of the Riviera Nayarit Convention and Visitors Bureau. “In addition, this flight will bring more Latin American tourists to the region and fuels interest in this destination from South American wholesale travel agencies.”