Fly Jamaica Airways was a Jamaican airline headquartered in Kingston,

Jamaica Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of His ...

. The airline's main hub was based in

Norman Manley International Airport Norman Manley International Airport , formerly Palisadoes Airport, is an international airport serving Kingston, Jamaica and is located south of the island away from the centre of New Kingston. It is the second busiest airport in the country ...

in Kingston,

. The airline mainly offered routes to North America. On 31 March 2019, Fly Jamaica Airways suspended operations and made all employee positions redundant due to the lack of aircraft. The airline had been trying to recover after one of its aircraft experienced a runway excursion at Guyana's Cheddi Jagan International Airport in November 2018. The company slogan was ''One Team, One Dream.''

History

Fly Jamaica Airways was formed by the Chairman/Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Guyana-born Paul Ronald Reece, Mrs. Roxanne Reece and three Jamaican shareholders including Captain Lloyd Tai and Mrs. Christine Steele and Mrs. Shaun Lawson-Laing. Captain Reece is also the owner of Wings Aviation Ltd, based in Guyana, which owns and operates Cessna aircraft in the interior of Guyana. Fly Jamaica Airways was certified by the

Jamaica Civil Aviation Authority The Jamaica Civil Aviation Authority (JCAA) is the civil aviation authority of Jamaica. Established in 1996, it is under the Ministry of Transport and Mining. The JCAA is headquartered in Kingston.

(JCAA) in September 2012 and was cleared to operate in the United States by US authorities in December. Its inaugural flight from Kingston to New York's

John F. Kennedy International Airport John F. Kennedy International Airport (colloquially referred to as JFK Airport, Kennedy Airport, New York-JFK, or simply JFK) is the main international airport serving New York City. The airport is the busiest of the seven airports in the Ne ...

in the United States, was made on 14 February 2013. On 16 November 2017, Fly Jamaica Airways was given permission by the Government of Guyana to begin direct flights between Guyana and Cuba. Citing financial problems and lack of aircraft, Fly Jamaica Airways suspended their operations and made all of their staff redundant on 31 March 2019.

Destinations

Fly Jamaica Airways N524AT at CYYZ, Mar 2015

At the time the airline ceased operations in March 2019, Fly Jamaica Airways served the following destinations:

Fleet

Prior to suspension, Fly Jamaica Airways operated the following aircraft.

Previous Fleet

Fly Jamaica Airways previously operated a

Boeing 757-200 The Boeing 757 is an American Narrow-body aircraft, narrow-body airliner designed and built by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. The then-named 7N7, a twinjet successor for the Boeing 727, 727 (a trijet), received its first orders in August 1978. ...

that was written off after an emergency landing as Fly Jamaica Airways Flight 256.

Incidents and accidents

*On 9 November 2018, Fly Jamaica Airways Flight 256, Boeing 757 (reg. N524AT), returned to

Cheddi Jagan International Airport Cheddi Jagan International Airport , formerly Timehri International Airport, is the primary airport of Guyana. The airport is located on the right bank of the Demerara River in the city of Timehri, south of Guyana's capital, Georgetown. It is ...

Timehri Timehri is a village in Guyana located 41 kilometers to the south of the nation's capital Georgetown. The name "Timehri" is an Amerindian word meaning "paintings and drawings on the rock" It contains the Cheddi Jagan International Airport whic ...

, Guyana for an emergency landing, 45 minutes into a flight destined for Toronto. During the landing, the aircraft overran the runway. The incident occurred at approximately 1:30 am. There were approximately 118 passengers and 8 crew members were on board the aircraft. The aircraft was severely damaged. On 16 November 2018, an elderly passenger who had been on the flight died from injuries suffered in a fall at home.

References

External links

* {{Airlines of Jamaica Defunct airlines of Jamaica Companies based in Kingston, Jamaica Airlines established in 2011 Airlines disestablished in 2019 2011 establishments in Jamaica 2019 disestablishments in Jamaica Jamaican brands