| Airline: | Air Panamá Internacional |
| Iata: | OP |
| Icao: | API |
| Callsign: | ARPA[1] |
| Parent: | Iberia (33%; until the late 1970's) |
| Founded: | 1967 |
| Commenced: | August 24, 1969 |
| Ceased: | December 2, 1990 |
| Headquarters: | Panama City, Panama |
| Hubs: | Tocumen International Airport |
| Fleet Size: | 2 |
| Destinations: | 11 |
Air Panamá Internacional (also known as simply just Air Panama) was a state owned airline from Panama that served as the flag carrier of the country between 1968 and 1989. From its hub at Tocumen International Airport in Panama City, scheduled passenger flights to a number of destinations in the Americas was offered.
Air Panamá Internacional was founded in 1967 as a joint venture between the government of Panama (67%) and Spanish airline Iberia (33%). When Iberia pulled out approximately ten years later, the airline became fully state-owned.[2] During the 1980s, when Panama was ruled by military dictator Manuel Noriega, the route network and aircraft fleet of Air Panamá went into decline because of the worsened financial and economic situation of the company, which led to Copa Airlines emerging as the largest airline of the country. All flight operations with Air Panamá Internacional ceased in December 1989 over the United States invasion of Panama. The only aircraft of the airline at that time, a leased Boeing 727. In January 1990, Air Panamá Internacional declared bankruptcy and ceased operations on December 2, 1990.
On July 11, 1991, there was an attempt by the government of Panama to relaunch the airline in summer of 1992 as Panama Air International, however this attempt failed.[3] In 2005, Turismo Aéreo acquired the Air Panama branding and adopted its trademark rights.
During the 1970s and early 1980s, Air Panamá Internacional offered scheduled flights to the following destinations:[4]
Over the years, Air Panamá Internacional operated the following aircraft types:[2] [5]
| Aircraft | Total | Introduced | Retired | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boeing 727-100 | 6 | 1972 | 1990 | |
| Boeing 727-200 | 1 | 1986 | 1988 | Leased from Alia Royal Jordanian Airlines |
| 1 | 1989 | 1990 | Leased from Faucett Perú, later disappeared while flying with Faucett | |
| McDonnell Douglas DC-9-15 | 1 | 1969 | 1972 | Leased from McDonnell Douglas |
| McDonnell Douglas DC-10-10 | 1 | 1985 | 1985 | Leased from Arrow Air |
| McDonnell Douglas DC-10-40 | 2 | 1984 | 1986 | Leased from Jet Charter Service |
In addition, two Boeing 757-200s were wet-leased from Venezuelan airline Avensa in 1992 as part of the relaunch as "Panama Air".