Compensation cost recognized for non-vested stock and options awards.

No definition available.

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Namespace Prefix:	cpa_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	debit
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Exercise price per share options.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	cpa_ExercisePricePerShareOptions
Namespace Prefix:	cpa_
Data Type:	num:perShareItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Fair value of non-vested stock award.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

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Namespace Prefix:	cpa_
Data Type:	num:perShareItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Remaining compensation cost, not yet recognized for non-vested stock awards.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

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Namespace Prefix:	cpa_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	debit
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Share based payment arrangement expected term.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

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Namespace Prefix:	cpa_
Data Type:	xbrli:durationItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Share based payment arrangement vesting period.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	cpa_ShareBasedPaymentArrangementVestingPeriod
Namespace Prefix:	cpa_
Data Type:	xbrli:durationItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Share options compensation cost recognized.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

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Namespace Prefix:	cpa_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	credit
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Share options maturity date.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	cpa_ShareOptionsMaturityDate
Namespace Prefix:	cpa_
Data Type:	xbrli:dateItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Weighted average fair value at measurement date share options granted per share.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	cpa_WeightedAverageFairValueAtMeasurementDateShareOptionsGrantedPerShare
Namespace Prefix:	cpa_
Data Type:	num:perShareItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

The expected volatility of the share price used to calculate the fair value of the share options granted. Expected volatility is a measure of the amount by which a price is expected to fluctuate during a period. The measure of volatility used in option pricing models is the annualised standard deviation of the continuously compounded rates of return on the share over a period of time.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/disclosureRef
-Name IFRS
-Number 2
-IssueDate 2017-01-01
-Paragraph 47
-Subparagraph a
-Clause i
-URI http://eifrs.ifrs.org/eifrs/XBRL?type=IFRS&num=2&date=2017-03-01&anchor=para_47_a_i&doctype=Standard
-URIDate 2017-03-09

+ Details

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Namespace Prefix:	ifrs-full_
Data Type:	num:percentItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

The option life of share options granted.

+ References

+ Details

Name:	ifrs-full_DescriptionOfOptionLifeShareOptionsGranted
Namespace Prefix:	ifrs-full_
Data Type:	xbrli:decimalItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

The implied yield currently available on zero-coupon government issues of the country in whose currency the exercise price for share options granted is expressed, with a remaining term equal to the expected term of the option being valued (based on the option's remaining contractual life and taking into account the effects of expected early exercise). [Refer: Government [member]]

+ References

+ Details

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Namespace Prefix:	ifrs-full_
Data Type:	num:percentItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Line items represent concepts included in a table. These concepts are used to disclose reportable information associated with domain members defined in one or many axes of the table.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

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Data Type:	xbrli:stringItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

The percentage of an expected dividend used to calculate the fair value of share options granted.

+ References

+ Details

Name:	ifrs-full_ExpectedDividendAsPercentageShareOptionsGranted
Namespace Prefix:	ifrs-full_
Data Type:	num:percentItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

The number of share options granted in a share-based payment arrangement.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/disclosureRef
-Name IFRS
-Number 2
-IssueDate 2017-01-01
-Paragraph 45
-Subparagraph b
-Clause ii
-URI http://eifrs.ifrs.org/eifrs/XBRL?type=IFRS&num=2&date=2017-03-01&anchor=para_45_b_ii&doctype=Standard
-URIDate 2017-03-09

+ Details

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Namespace Prefix:	ifrs-full_
Data Type:	xbrli:decimalItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

The weighted average remaining contractual life of outstanding share options. [Refer: Weighted average [member]]

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/disclosureRef
-Name IFRS
-Number 2
-IssueDate 2017-01-01
-Paragraph 45
-Subparagraph d
-URI http://eifrs.ifrs.org/eifrs/XBRL?type=IFRS&num=2&date=2017-03-01&anchor=para_45_d&doctype=Standard
-URIDate 2017-03-09

+ Details

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Namespace Prefix:	ifrs-full_
Data Type:	xbrli:decimalItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	instant

- Details

Name:	ifrs-full_TypesOfSharebasedPaymentArrangementsAxis=cpa_TwoThousandSeventeenMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type:

- Details

Name:	ifrs-full_TypesOfSharebasedPaymentArrangementsAxis=cpa_StockOptionsMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type:

Share-based Payments - Additional Information (Detail)							1 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
Share-based Payments - Additional Information (Detail)	Jun. 30, 2017 $ / shares	Feb. 28, 2017 $ / shares	Sep. 30, 2016 $ / shares	Jun. 30, 2016 $ / shares	May 31, 2016 $ / shares	Feb. 29, 2016 $ / shares	Mar. 31, 2007 yr shares $ / shares	Dec. 31, 2017 USD ($) yr	Dec. 31, 2016 USD ($) yr	Dec. 31, 2015 USD ($)
Disclosure of terms and conditions of share-based payment arrangement [line items]
Share-based compensation expense								$ 7,400,000	$ 7,500,000	$ 4,000,000
Fair value of non-vested stock awards \| $ / shares	$ 107.29	$ 107.29	$ 59.94	$ 59.94	$ 63.30	$ 59.94
Estimated compensation cost for next year								$ 9,300,000	$ 13,100,000
Weighted average remaining contractual life \| yr								2.1	2.8
Additional compensation cost recognized								$ 0
Share option expiration period								Mar. 31, 2017
Vesting period								3 years
Expected term								10 years
2017 [member]
Disclosure of terms and conditions of share-based payment arrangement [line items]
Estimated compensation cost for next year								$ 4,900,000
Stock options [member]
Disclosure of terms and conditions of share-based payment arrangement [line items]
Weighted average remaining contractual life \| yr							10
Equity stock options granted \| shares							35,657
Exercise price of the options \| $ / shares							$ 53.1
Weighted-average fair value of the stock options at the grant date \| $ / shares							$ 22.3
Expected dividend yield							0.58%
Expected volatility							37.80%
Weighted average risk-free interest rate							4.59%
Expected term \| yr							6