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Hummingbird Air

Hummingbird Air
IATA ICAO Call sign
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Founded31 August 2013
Commenced operations2013
Ceased operations2017
Operating basesHenry E. Rohlsen Airport
Fleet size3
Destinations5
Key peopleSam Raphael, president
Websitehum-air.com

Hummingbird Air was an airline offering scheduled and chartered air taxi services as well as cargo flights in the Caribbean. It was based at Henry E. Rohlsen Airport on the island of St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands.[1][2] The airline was founded in late 2013 by Sam Raphael, a Dominican hotelier who wanted to improve air service to Dominica. As of April 1, 2017, Hummingbird Air ceased operations. It served five destinations in the Caribbean with a fleet of three Beechcraft Model 99 aircraft. The company slogan was Connecting the hidden Caribbean.

History

The owner of Hummingbird Air, Sam Raphael, had expressed issues with air service to Dominica as early as 2010.[3] As the owner of the Jungle Bay Resort on the island, he claimed the lack of direct flights had turned potential customers away from his resort.[4] On 31 August 2013, Raphael announced his intent to start the airline, claiming it would be important to the Dominican tourism industry.[5]

Hummingbird Air commenced operations in late 2013 with charter flights.[2] It inaugurated flights to Dominica on 27 July 2014, from St. Thomas.[4] In October 2015, the airline obtained Part 135 certification from the U.S. Department of Transportation, allowing it to operate scheduled flights.[6]

On 17 August 2015, a Hummingbird Air aircraft crash-landed in Barbuda.[7] Another crash-landing occurred in St. Lucia on 8 November. The airline responded by immediately suspending all passenger operations and launching an internal investigation. The Eastern Caribbean Civil Aviation Authority also started an investigation of the incident.[8][9] Following a period of reorganization and retraining of its pilots, Hummingbird Air resumed operations on 3 May 2016, in time for the summer travel season.[10]

Destinations

As of May 2016, Hummingbird Air serviced the following destinations:

Country/Territory Island Airport Notes Refs
Dominica Douglas–Charles Airport
Saint Kitts and Nevis Nevis Vance W. Amory International Airport
Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Kitts Robert L. Bradshaw International Airport [11]
U.S. Virgin Islands Saint Croix Henry E. Rohlsen Airport Hub
U.S. Virgin Islands Saint Thomas Cyril E. King Airport

Fleet

As of May 2016, Hummingbird Air operated a fleet of three Beechcraft Model 99 aircraft.[2]

Hummingbird Air fleet
Aircraft In service Orders Passengers Notes
Beechcraft Model 99 3 9 passenger capacity reduced from 15 to accommodate for cargo[12]

Accidents and incidents

See also

References

  1. ^ "Airline Information: Hummingbird Air". Ch-aviation. Retrieved 30 December 2015.
  2. ^ a b c "Profile on Hummingbird Air". CAPA - Centre for Aviation. Retrieved 30 December 2015.
  3. ^ "Hotelier Sam Raphael bemoans accessibility issues with tourism here". Dominica News Online. 4 July 2010. Retrieved 30 December 2015.
  4. ^ a b "Hummingbird Air begins charter flights into Canefield Airport in Dominica". TheDominican.net. 27 July 2014. Retrieved 30 December 2015.
  5. ^ "Dominican hotelier announces aviation venture". Da Vibes via Repeating Islands. 19 September 2013. Retrieved 30 December 2015.
  6. ^ "US Virgin Islands' Hummingbird Air now Part 135 compliant". Ch-aviation. 12 October 2015. Retrieved 31 December 2015.
  7. ^ a b Gilbert, Ernice (18 August 2015). "Hummingbird Air Crash-Lands In Barbuda; No One Injured". The Virgin Islands Consortium. Retrieved 31 December 2015.
  8. ^ a b Malone, Tameika (9 November 2015). "Hummingbird Air cancels all flights after another crash landing". Antigua Observer. Retrieved 31 December 2015.
  9. ^ "Hummingbird Air cancels passenger flights following incident in St. Lucia". Dominica News Online. 8 November 2015. Retrieved 31 December 2015.
  10. ^ "Hummingbird Air resumes flights to Dominica" (Press release). Hummingbird Air. 27 April 2016. Retrieved 26 May 2016 – via Dominica News Online.
  11. ^ "New Flights From St Kitts to St Thomas and St Croix". Caribbean Journal. 21 December 2014. Retrieved 31 December 2015.
  12. ^ "Hummingbird Air to start regular service between Dominica & VI". Virgin Islands News Online. 10 May 2015. Retrieved 31 December 2015.