PANAMA CITY (Reuters) - Panama's civil aviation authority said it will extend a suspension of international flights by a month due to the coronavirus crisis, according to a statement on Wednesday.

The additional month of suspended flights begins on June 22 and will run through July 22.

International flights were first suspended in March as the spread of the virus prompted authorities to impose measures to better contain it.

Panama, the Central American country hardest hit by the novel coronavirus, has to date registered more than 450 deaths stemming from nearly 22,000 confirmed infections.

The country's Tocumen airport is a major hub for Panama-based Copa Airlines, which like other carriers has been forced to ground most of its planes.

(Reporting by Elida Moreno; Writing by David Alire Garcia; Editing by Daina Beth Solomon and Jonathan Oatis)