Wingo

Wingo is an airline where almost nothing is as it seems at first glance. The brand is Colombian, the parent group is based in Panama, the aircraft carry Panamanian registrations, and on the radio the crew identifies itself with a completely different name. Once you see through that, you can place every sighting correctly in seconds. This page shows you how Wingo is set up and what to look out for at the spot.

Wingo at a glance

Wingo is the low-cost brand of Copa Holdings in Colombia. Flight operations are handled by the company AeroRepública S.A., based in Bogotá – and that explains almost all the peculiarities you run into as a spotter. Copa introduced the brand in October 2016, and the first flight went from Bogotá to Cancún on December 1, 2016.

The concept is typical for a low-cost carrier: a single cabin class, a cheap base fare and surcharges for baggage, seat selection, onboard meals or priority boarding. How this model works economically is explained in the article How low-cost carriers work.

Unlike the parent Copa Airlines, which organizes its network through the Tocumen hub in Panama City and is a member of Star Alliance, Wingo does not belong to any alliance. Passengers do earn miles in Copa’s ConnectMiles frequent flyer program, though – a sign of how closely the two brands are linked.

From AeroRepública to Wingo

The story begins long before the Wingo brand. AeroRepública was founded in Colombia in 1992 and began flying in June 1993 – back then with Boeing 727s from Bogotá to the Caribbean coast. Later, aircraft of the MD-80 family shaped the airline’s image.

In 2005 Copa of Panama came in and took a majority stake in AeroRepública. The fleet was switched to Embraer 190s and Boeing 737s, and in 2010 the airline took the name Copa Airlines Colombia. That gave the Colombian aircraft the same look as the Copa fleet in Panama.

Economically, the business in Colombia did not run smoothly for years. Copa therefore drew the conclusion in 2016 and replaced most of Copa Airlines Colombia with Wingo. The new brand took over the codes, callsign and largely the routes of its predecessor, but relied on a low-cost concept. New additions were connections to Panamá Pacífico Airport, a former military airfield west of Panama City.

Codes and callsign

• IATA code P5: appears in the flight number, on the departure board and on the ticket.
• ICAO code RPB: appears in the air traffic control flight plan and on flight trackers.
• Callsign AEROREPUBLICA: this is how the crew identifies itself on the radio.

For beginners this is a typical stumbling block: depending on the tracker, the flight appears under the brand name, under AeroRepública or just with the code RPB. The most reliable way to find the flights is via RPB. More on reading ADS-B data correctly is in the guide to flight tracking for spotters.

The fleet: Boeing 737-800s from the Copa pool

Wingo relies on a uniform fleet, as many low-cost airlines do. The number of aircraft is small and can fluctuate, because the aircraft come from Copa’s stock. Fleet overviews from 2025 and 2026 list nine to ten Boeing 737-800s.

Type	Number	Seats	Period	Spotter note
Boeing 737-800	about 10	186 (one class)	since 2019/2020	Only type today, detailed designation usually 737-8V3
Boeing 737-700	4	–	2016 to 2020 (historic)	Launch fleet, went back to Copa

The Boeing 737-800 at Wingo is already older on average – the aircraft served at Copa before. The shorter Boeing 737-700 was in service only in the first years; four examples flew from the launch in December 2016 until their return to Copa between 2019 and 2020. The manufacturer of both types is Boeing.

The designation 737-8V3 reveals the origin: “V3” is Copa’s Boeing customer code. Copa itself long ago added the Boeing 737 MAX 9 alongside the 737-800. At Wingo, by contrast, the MAX plays no role – if you see an aircraft with serrated nacelles in Copa colors, that is a Copa, not a Wingo. How to tell the 737 generations apart is shown in the guide Telling the Boeing 737 Original, Classic, NG and MAX apart.

Colombian airline, Panamanian registration

The most interesting detail for spotters is on the tail. Although Wingo is a Colombian airline, its aircraft carry not Colombian HK- registrations but Panamanian HP- registrations. The aircraft come from Copa Airlines’ fleet and are used under fleet exchange arrangements. That is why the registrations look exactly like those at Copa: HP-, a four-digit number and the ending CMP, for example HP-1714CMP.

For your collection that means two things. First: the registration alone doesn’t tell you whether an aircraft is currently flying for Wingo or for Copa – only the livery and the ICAO code show that. Second: an aircraft can switch between the two brands over the years. Wingo’s early 737-700s flew for Copa before and afterward. If you like collecting registrations, such switches are real treats – more on that in the article Collecting registrations.

That aircraft are not registered in the airline’s home country is, by the way, not unusual. Why this happens so often is explained in the article Why so many aircraft are registered in Ireland, Bermuda or Malta. The basics of prefixes and country codes can be found at Understanding aircraft registrations.

How to recognize Wingo

Wingo flies in its own livery with the lowercase titles “wingo.” That sets it clearly apart from the Copa look with a dark blue tail and golden globe. Because only one aircraft family is in service, it pays to look at details – such as winglets, antennas or variations in the paint.

For type identification, a simple principle helps: at Wingo every aircraft today is a 737-800. A conspicuously short fuselage with Wingo titles points to a historic 737-700 from the early years – such photos are now archive material.

Routes and bases

Wingo connects Colombia with destinations in the Caribbean, Central America and neighboring countries; domestic routes are added to that. The main base is Bogotá-El Dorado. Wingo also departs from cities such as Medellín, Cali, Cartagena, Barranquilla and San Andrés. International destinations include Cancún, Aruba, Curaçao and Havana, among others.

A special feature is the Panama traffic: instead of the big Copa hub Tocumen, Wingo lands at Panamá Pacífico Airport (BLB). That way the low-cost offering and the network airline stay separate on the ground as well. The group also includes a Panamanian company under the name Wingo Panama.

Wingo’s route network, like that of many low-cost carriers, changes quite often. New destinations are added, others suspended – in 2024, for instance, Wingo discontinued the routes from Bogotá to Quito and Guayaquil in Ecuador as well as Medellín–Havana. So check the current schedule before every trip (as of this page: October 2026).

Wingo in the Colombian market

In Colombia you meet Wingo alongside the market leader Avianca and LATAM Airlines Colombia. The comparison is rewarding for spotters because the fleets differ clearly: Avianca and LATAM mostly fly Airbus A320 family aircraft domestically, while Wingo flies only Boeing 737s. That lets you sort things at a glance at the spot.

The Colombian low-cost market has been in motion in recent years. The shutdown of Viva Air Colombia in 2023 showed how tough the competition is. Regionally, Clic and the state-owned Satena round out the picture with smaller regional aircraft. In the Caribbean you also meet Wingo alongside other 737 low-cost carriers such as Arajet from the Dominican Republic.

Common mix-ups

• Searching only for the name Wingo – the flight plan says RPB with the callsign “AEROREPUBLICA.”
• Concluding Copa from an HP- registration – Wingo aircraft also carry HP-…CMP; the livery is decisive.
• Taking P5 for Copa Airlines Colombia – the code belongs to Wingo today; the Copa Airlines Colombia brand has been replaced.
• Logging a 737 MAX as a Wingo – Wingo flies 737-800s; the MAX 9 belongs to the Copa fleet.
• Expecting Wingo at Tocumen – in Panama, Wingo uses Panamá Pacífico Airport.
• Taking Wingo for a Star Alliance airline – only the parent Copa is a member.

Conclusion

Wingo is a prime example of how brand, operator and registration can be three different things. The brand is Colombian, the operator is called AeroRepública, and the aircraft come from the Copa pool with HP- registrations. Anyone who keeps that in mind reads RPB on the tracker correctly, doesn’t mistake the 737-800 for a Copa and logs sightings in a way that stays unambiguous years later.