Western Air
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Founded | 2000 | ||||||
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Commenced operations | 2001 | ||||||
Operating bases | San Andros Airport, Andros Island | ||||||
Hubs | Grand Bahama International Airport, Lynden Pindling International Airport | ||||||
Fleet size | 11 | ||||||
Destinations | 9 | ||||||
Headquarters | San Andros Airport | ||||||
Key people | |||||||
Total equity | $180 Million USD | ||||||
Employees | 188 | ||||||
Website | westernairbahamas |
Western Air is the largest privately owned airline in The Bahamas. Western Air[1] is headquartered at the San Andros International Airport on Andros Island, Bahamas.[2] The airline was established in 2001 by the husband-and-wife team, Rex J. Rolle and Shandrice Woodside- Rolle. Currently, Mr. and Mrs. Rolle serve as President & CEO and Vice President & COO respectively. Their daughter, Sherrexcia 'Rexy' Rolle, is an aviation attorney and serves as Vice President of Operations and General Counsel. [3]Western Air has two major hubs inclusive of private passenger terminals, full service aircraft maintenance facilities and corporate offices located at San Andros International Airport and the[4] second hub at Grand Bahama International Airport, which serves as its northern hub.[5] The airline conducts a minimum of 40 flights daily throughout the Bahamas and has plans of opening new international routes from the Bahamas Haiti, Jamaica, Turks & Caicos, and Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach, Florida. The airline operates a mixed fleet of Embraer EMB 145 jet aircraft and Saab 340As. Western Air's fleet increased with the publicized multi-aircraft deal for EMB 145s jets in 2018. The airline is slated to acquire additional jets in 2019 and 2020 to assist with growing airlift demands.
Destinations
Western Air offers daily, scheduled flights between Nassau and San Andros, Congo Town, Bimini, Abaco and Freeport, Grand Bahama, Cat Island, and Exuma. It also provides on-demand private charters throughout The Bahamas, Caribbean, (including Haiti and Cuba), as well as Central and South America.
Hubs
As of September 5, 2015 Western Air[6] unveiled its new $6 Million Passenger terminal and maintenance facility in Freeport,[7]Grand Bahama.
Fleet
Current fleet
The Western Air fleet consists of the following aircraft (as of August 2019):[8]
Former fleet
- Fairchild Metro III (19-seat)
- Fairchild Swearingen Metroliner (12-seat)
- Beechcraft 1900C Beechliner (19-seat) operated by on demand executive charter subsidiary Vision Airlines.[9]
- Piper PA-31 Navajo (7-9 seat)
References
- ^ "Our Airline". www.westernairbahamas.com. Western Air Limited.
- ^ "About Us." Western Air. Retrieved on 16 May 2010.
- ^ "Meet 29 Year Old Woman Running Black-Owned Airline Bahamas". Essence.com. Essence.
- ^ "New Western Air terminal takes shape on Grand Bahama". Bahama Island Info. Archived from the original on 2015-09-23. Retrieved 2010-01-03.
- ^ "Western Air Opens 4M Terminal". BahamasLocal.com. 2013-10-29.
- ^ "Western air unveils $6m terminal in Freeport". Retrieved 2015-09-24.
- ^ "thebahamasweekly.com - Local Investors Creating Economic Impact for Grand Bahama". www.thebahamasweekly.com. Retrieved 2015-09-24.
- ^ "Global Airline Guide 2019 (Part One)". Airliner World (October 2019): 5.
- ^ "News Channel | Homepage".