Winair

Winair (short for Windward Islands Airways International NV) is a government-owned Dutch regional airline based in Sint Maarten. Founded in 1961 by Georges Greaux and Hippolyte Ledee, It has a fleet of six aircraft serving twelve destinations, mostly within the Leeward Islands group of the Lesser Antilles in the North East Caribbean. It has its headquarters on the grounds of Princess Juliana International Airport.[4] Since 1 March 2023, it has been a part of the Flying Blue frequent flyer programme.[5]

This article is about the Netherlands Antilles airline. For the former United States charter airline, see WinAir Airlines.
Winair
IATA ICAO Callsign
WM WIA WINDWARD
FoundedAugust 24, 1961[1]
Commenced operationsJuly 5, 1962[1]
HubsPrincess Juliana International Airport
Frequent-flyer programFlying Blue
AllianceCaribsky[2]
Fleet size6
Destinations12
HeadquartersPrincess Juliana International Airport,
Philipsburg, Sint Maarten
Key peopleHans van de Velde (CEO)[3]
Founders
  • Georges Greaux
  • Hippolyte Ledee
Websitewww.fly-winair.sx

History

Windward Islands Airways was founded in 1961 by Georges Greaux[1] with additional investments from Hipployte Ledee, Chester Wathey, Louis Richardson, and a handful of others. The airline required short takeoff and landing (STOL) aircraft to service certain airports such as Juancho E. Yrausquin Airport on Saba. The December 1, 1963, Windward Islands Airways timetable lists flights between St. Maarten and Saba operated with STOL-capable Dornier Do-28 aircraft.[6] Winair began flying de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otters in January of 1967.[7]

Destinations

Winair operates services to the following scheduled destinations:[8]

Country City Airport Notes Refs
Antigua and BarbudaSt. John'sV. C. Bird International Airport
ArubaOranjestadQueen Beatrix International Airport
BonaireKralendijkFlamingo International Airport[9]
British Virgin IslandsTortolaTerrance B. Lettsome International Airport
CuraçaoWillemstadCuraçao International Airport
DominicaMarigotDouglas–Charles Airport
HaitiPort-au-PrinceToussaint Louverture International Airport
MartiniqueFort-de-FranceMartinique Aimé Césaire International Airport[10] [11]
Puerto RicoSan JuanLuis Muñoz Marín International AirportTerminated
SabaFlat Point (Zion's Hill)Juancho E. Yrausquin Airport
Saint-BarthélemySaint-JeanGustaf III Airport
Saint Kitts and NevisBasseterreRobert L. Bradshaw International Airport
Newcastle, NevisVance W. Amory International Airport[12]
Sint EustatiusOranjestadF.D. Roosevelt Airport
Sint MaartenPhilipsburgPrincess Juliana International AirportHub

Codeshare agreements

Winair has interline and codeshare agreements with the following airlines:[13]

Fleet

Current Fleet

The Winair fleet consists of the following aircraft (as of summer 2024):[14]

Aircraft In service Orders Passengers Notes
ATR 42-500 2[15] — 48
de Havilland Canada DHC-6-300 Twin Otter 4 — 19
Total 6 —

Historic Fleet

According to the December 1, 1963 Windward Islands Airways timetable the airline was operating STOL-capable Dornier Do-28 as well as Piper Apache aircraft.[6] Additionally, Winair has perviously operated Britten-Norman BN-2 Islanders, Fokker F-27s, Beech Twin Bonanzas, and NAMC-YS 11s.[16][17][18]

See also

References
  1. Norwood, Tom; Wegg, John (2002). North American Airlines Handbook (3rd ed.). Sandpoint, ID: Airways International. ISBN 0-9653993-8-9.
  2. "Three regional carriers form CaribSky alliance: Travel Weekly". www.travelweekly.com. Retrieved 2020-08-06.
  3. "WINAIR SAYS GOODBYE TO MICHAEL CLEAVER WELCOMES A NEW CEO | WINAIR". www.winair.sx.
  4. "Directory: World Airlines." Flight International. 30 March – 5 April 2004. 96.
  5. "WINAIR, KLM Flying blue frequent flyer cooperation". The Daily Herald. 28 March 2023. Retrieved 15 June 2024.
  6. "Windward Islands Airways timetable". 1963-12-01.
  7. "MSN 22 — Twin Otter World Database". Twin Otter World Database. Retrieved 2024-06-25.
  8. "Destinations | WINAIR". www.winair.sx.
  9. "Caribbean Airline Winair Just Returned to Bonaire". Caribjournal.com. July 17, 2023.
  10. "Winair expands regional connectivity to Martinique | Loop Caribbean News".
  11. "Winair Launches New Flights Between Martinique and SXM". St. Maarten Sotheby's International Realty. April 28, 2024. Retrieved June 17, 2024.
  12. https://www.nevispages.com/nevis-welcomes-the-return-of-winair-flights-commencing-march-15th/
  13. "Winair". www.fly-winair.sx. Retrieved 12 May 2018.
  14. "Live Flight Tracker - Real-Time Flight Tracker Map". Flightradar24.
  15. "WINAIR welcomes second ATR aircraft to fleet". Caribbean.loopnews.com. October 28, 2023.
  16. "Civil Database". www.scramble.nl. Retrieved 2024-06-25.
  17. reporter (2021-03-10). "Winair's 'Logo-in-a-hurry' still in use after 55 years". BES Reporter. Retrieved 2024-06-25.
  18. "Aircraft Photo of N107MP | NAMC YS-11-111 | Winair - Windward Islands Airways | AirHistory.net #569919". AirHistory.net. Retrieved 2024-06-25.

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