, hubs = , secondary_hubs = , focus_cities = , frequent_flyer = , lounge = , alliance = , subsidiaries = , fleet_size = 3 , destinations = , company_slogan = , parent = , headquarters = , key_people = , revenue = , operating_income = , net_income = , profit = , assets = , equity = , num_employees = , website = Air BVI was an airline which operated and was based in the British Virgin Islands (BVI). Founded in 1971, by 1975 it had significantly added capacity to its fleet with the introduction of two

Douglas DC-3 The Douglas DC-3 is a propeller-driven airliner manufactured by Douglas Aircraft Company, which had a lasting effect on the airline industry in the 1930s to 1940s and World War II. It was developed as a larger, improved 14-bed sleeper version ...

aircraft. Air BVI primarily flew between the

Beef Island Airport Terrance B. Lettsome International Airport , previously known as Beef Island Airport, is the main airport serving the British Virgin Islands, a British overseas territory in the Caribbean. The airport serves as the gateway to just about all of ...

(EIS) on Tortola and Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport (SJU, then best known as "Isla Verde International Airport") in San Juan, Puerto Rico, providing connecting flights to and from major air carriers serving San Juan in order to enable tourists to visit the British Virgin Islands as well as providing transportation for local BVI residents and also served other destinations in the BVI such as Anegada and Virgin Gorda. Air BVI went insolvent liquidation in 1991, although it continued to operate out of bankruptcy for nearly two and a half years. In May 1993 it suffered its only major incident when one of its aircraft overran the runway at Beef Island on Tortola during an aborted takeoff, and landed in the sea. However, the accident resulted in no significant injuries.

Routes

The April 15, 1975 Official Airline Guide (OAG) listed four roundtrip nonstop flights operated on a daily basis by Air BVI between Tortola and San Juan with small

Britten-Norman BN-2 Islander The Britten-Norman BN-2 Islander is a British light utility aircraft and regional airliner designed and originally manufactured by Britten-Norman of the United Kingdom. Still in production, the Islander is one of the best-selling commercial air ...

twin prop commuter aircraft which featured

STOL A short takeoff and landing (STOL) aircraft is a conventional fixed-wing aircraft that has short runway requirements for takeoff and landing. Many STOL-designed aircraft also feature various arrangements for use on airstrips with harsh conditio ...

capabilities. In 1979, the airline was operating larger

aircraft on all of its flights between Tortola and San Juan. The December 16, 1980 Air BVI system timetable listed nonstop service between the airline's small hub in Tortola and Anegada,

Antigua Antigua ( ), also known as Waladli or Wadadli by the native population, is an island in the Lesser Antilles. It is one of the Leeward Islands in the Caribbean region and the main island of the country of Antigua and Barbuda. Antigua and Bar ...

, St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands,

San Juan San Juan, Spanish for Saint John, may refer to: Places Argentina * San Juan Province, Argentina * San Juan, Argentina, the capital of that province * San Juan, Salta, a village in Iruya, Salta Province * San Juan (Buenos Aires Underground), ...

and Virgin Gorda with flights operated with 30-passenger seat Douglas DC-3 aircraft and eight-passenger seat Britten-Norman Islander aircraft.http://www.timetableimages.com, Dec. 16, 1980 Air BVI timetable According to this timetable, the airline was operating seven roundtrip DC-3 flights on a daily basis between Tortola and San Juan in addition to "no reservation shuttle" service between Tortola and Virgin Gorda with five daily roundtrips (with a one way flight time of five minutes) operated with the Islander aircraft as well as flying one stop DC-3 service twice a week between Antigua and San Juan via a connection in Tortola. By 1985, Air BVI had replaced its DC-3 aircraft with larger Hawker Siddeley HS 748 turboprops and was operating up to seven roundtrip HS 748 flights a day nonstop between Tortola and San Juan in addition to flying twice daily nonstop service between Virgin Gorda and San Juan with Britten-Norman Islander aircraft. In 1989, the airline was continuing to operate nonstop HS 748 turboprop service between Tortola and San Juan in addition to nonstop Islander flights between Virgin Gorda and San Juan and had also added nonstop HS 748 service operated six days a week between San Juan and La Romana, Dominican Republic.

Fleet

Air BVI operated the following aircraft types at various times during its existence:http://www.departedflights.com, April 15, 1975; April 1, 1981; Dec. 15, 1985 Official Airline Guide (OAG) editions, San Juan flight schedules *

* Hawker Siddeley HS 748 * Short 330, as

Atlantic Air BVI Atlantic Air BVI (AABVI) was an airline based in the British Virgin Islands (BVI) in the Caribbean which started up in 1992 with one Short 330-200 (VP-LVR) commuter turboprop aircraft. AABVI ran a service between Tortola, BVI and San Juan, Puert ...

Sources

* http://www.michaelprophet.com/SanJuan2.html * http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19930506-2 * http://www.avcodes.co.uk/callsignlistres.asp * https://web.archive.org/web/20140203031541/http://www.sailcaribbeandivers.com/dive/BVIDiveSites.asp * https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O1G6RUSqwlQ

References

Airlines of the British Virgin Islands Airlines established in 1971 British Virgin Islands companies established in 1971 Airlines disestablished in 1993