Bahamasair

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Bahamasair
IATA
UP		 ICAO
BHS		 Callsign
BAHAMAS
Founded 1973[1]
Commenced operations 7 June 1973[1]
Hubs Lynden Pindling International Airport
Fleet size 8
Destinations 29
Company slogan We don't just fly there, we live there
Parent company Bahamian Government[1]
Headquarters Nassau, Bahamas
Key people Joe Beckett Head Engineer,(chief advisor)
Website www.bahamasair.com

Bahamasair Holdings Limited, operating as Bahamasair, is an airline based in the Bahamasair House in Nassau, Bahamas.[2] It is the national airline and operates domestic scheduled services to 15 destinations and regional scheduled services to Havana and four cities in Florida. Its main base is Lynden Pindling International Airport.[3] It has the same logo as the Bahamas current logo.

Contents

[edit] History

Bahamasair was born out of the oil crisis of the 1970s. In 1970, British Airways stopped flying to The Bahamas, and the Bahamian Government accurately predicted that some of the other major airlines flying to the country would follow British Airways' lead.[citation needed] Bahamasair was therefore established by the government and started operations on 7 June 1973,[1] by acquiring the operations of Flamingo Airlines and Out Island Airways.

Bahamasair initially encountered operating difficulties, including poor maintenance facilities, economic conditions and company structure. Those factors brought public distrust as a consequential added problem. However, jet airliners started to arrive in the shape of brand new Boeing 737s, and in 1972, it opened its first international service, from Nassau to Tampa, Florida. In 1973, the government's vision of many airlines leaving the island became a reality, when Pan Am and some other major companies decided to stop operating to The Bahamas. This enabled Bahamasair to capture a substantial part of the Bahamas scheduled air transport market. Through the rest of the 1970s, Bahamasair kept adding flights to other cities in Florida and, domestically, the presence of the airline also grew rapidly.

During the early 1980s, Bahamasair unsuccessfully tried to expand to the Northeast United States, opening flights to Philadelphia, Washington DC (Dulles) and Newark, New Jersey. But in 1989, the airline's directors decided that those routes were not profitable and cut them off the airline's route map. Also in 1989, the Boeing 727 first came into the fleet. They would acquire a total of two. That was also the year that a new livery and workers' uniform were introduced. The Boeing 727's however, could not be kept into service long because of political favors and interference, thereby causing the company to lose vast sums of money in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

In 1991, De Havilland DHC-8 were purchased to substitute the whole jet fleet comprising 737-200s. In 1997, the Boeing 737's returned to service because key routes warranted the cargo and passenger carrying capabilities offered by the 737-200. The 737-200 is deployed to Fort Lauderdale, Miami, Orlando and 1 domestic destination, Freeport.

[edit] Destinations

Main article: Bahamasair destinations

[edit] Caribbean

[edit] Livery

Its latest livery, which was first introduced in October 2004, has, so far, only been applied to the Boeing 737s in the fleet. It is a white fuselage with a light blue belly and engines, with the airline's name above the windows. The "Bahamas" part of the name is in light blue, the "air" part in red. On the tail is the colourful logo of the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism. Older liveries are relegated to the Dash 8's, some of which maintained the traditional Bahamian Flag colors of black, aquamarine and gold located on the tailfin, including aquamarine and gold stripes on the rearward half of the fuselage since their purchase in the mid-1980s. The newer Dash 8 models remain in solid white livery, yet maintains the Bahamian flag on the tailfin only. All Dash 8's maintain the Bahamasair logo on the top fuselage, near the front doors.

[edit] Fleet

A Bahamasair Boeing 737-200 at Nassau Airport in 2010.

The Bahamasair fleet includes the following aircraft (at 6 June 2011):

Bahamasair Fleet
Aircraft In Fleet Orders Notes
Boeing 737-200 2 0 Medium Haul International
Bombardier Dash 8 300 5 0 Domestic Short Haul International
Total 7 0

[edit] Fleet Additions

In November 2011 goverment dicuss plans to replace the Bahamasair Boeing 737-200 aircraft with more fuel efficient and cost effective aircrafts. However is it said that the 737-500 may serve as a replacement for the current jet fleet.In April 2010, Bahamasair announced that they would like to add to their fleet new Bombardier Dash 8 Q400s.[4]As of January 2011 Bahamasair are no longer considering the Dash 8-400Q

[edit] Former Aircraft

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c d Norwood, Tom; Wegg, John (2002). North American Airlines Handbook (3rd ed.). Sandpoint, ID: Airways International. ISBN 0-9653993-8-9. http://www.airwaysnews.com. 
  2. ^ "Directory: World Airlines. Flight International. 16–22 March 2004. 96.
  3. ^ "Directory: World Airlines". Flight International: p. 84. 2007-03-27. 
  4. ^ Expansion consideration Bahamasair looking to add Bombardier Q400 to its fleet

[edit] External links

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