Air Caraïbes

Infobox Airline
airline = Air Caraïbes

logo_size = 200
fleet_size = 9
destinations = 13
IATA = TX
ICAO = FWI
callsign = FRENCH WEST
parent = Groupe Dubreuil
company_slogan = Du Soleil sur toute la ligne
founded = 1969 (as Societe Antillaise de Transport Aerien/Air Guadeloupe)cite book|last=Norwood|first=Tom|coauthors=Wegg, John|title=North American Airlines Handbook|publisher=Airways International|location=Sandpoint, ID|date=2002|edition=3rd|isbn=0-9653993-8-9|url=http://www.airwaysnews.com]
commenced = July 2000
headquarters = Pointe-à-Pitre, Guadeloupe
key_people =
hubs = Pointe-à-Pitre International Airport
secondary_hubs = Le Lamentin Airport
focus_cities =
frequent_flyer = Frequence Plus
code_share = Air France, LIAT
lounge =
alliance = CaribSky
website = http://www.aircaraibes.com/

Air Caraïbes is the regional airline of the French Caribbean which comprises the overseas departments of France: Guadeloupe and Martinique. The airline is based in Pointe-à-Pitre in Guadeloupe. It operates scheduled and charter services serving 13 islands in the West Indies. It also operates transatlantic flights to Paris using Airbus A330 aircraft under the Air Caraïbes Atlantique brand. The airline code shares with Air France and LIAT. Its main base is Pointe-à-Pitre International Airport, with a hub at Le Lamentin Airport, Fort-de-FranceFlight International 27 March 2007] .

History

Air Caraïbes started out of the necessity to have a regional airline responding to the needs of the French Caribbean territories. The company was founded in July 2000 through the merger of various local airlines (Air Guadeloupe, Air Martinique, Air St Barthélémy, Air St Martin). In 2002, the company flew 445,000 passengers and earned 68 million Euros in revenues. It is part of the Carib Sky Alliance, an airline alliance which comprises in addition to Air Caraïbes the following airlines: Leeward Islands Air Transport and Winair (Windward Islands Airways). Fact|date=April 2007

It was established as Societe Caribienne de Transports Aériens and started operations in September 1994. It started services to Paris from Guadeloupe and Martinique in December 2003 using an Airbus A330-200. The airline is owned by Groupe Dubreuil (85%) and has 627 employees (at March 2007).

Air Caraïbes Express uses Travel Technology Interactive's airline management system, Aeropack.

Services

Air Caraïbes operates the following services :Fact|date=April 2007

*Domestic scheduled destinations: Cayenne, Fort-de-France, La Désirade, Marie Galante, Paris-Orly, Pointe-à-Pitre, Saint-Barthélemy, Saint Martin and Les Saintes
*International scheduled destinations: Belém, Canouan Island, Copenhagen, San Jose de Costa Rica, Miami, Havana, Panama, Port-au-Prince, Puerto Plata, Santo Domingo, Saint Lucia, Sint Maarten, Stockholm, Union Island and Venice.

*On the 19 July 2006, the British Government chartered the airline's A330-300 and sent it to evacuate British citizens from the Lebanon war, from Limassol, Cyprus to London Gatwick Airport, United Kingdom. Fact|date=April 2007

Fleet

The Air Caraïbes fleet includes the following aircraft (as of 21 July 2008) [http://www.ch-aviation.ch/aircraft.php?search=set&airline=TX&al_op=1] :

*1 Airbus A330-300
*2 Airbus A330-200
*3 ATR 72-500
*5 Cessna Caravan 208
*1 Embraer E-190
*3 Airbus A350-1000 (on order) [arriving 2017] [http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2008/09/15/315999/air-caraibes-agrees-to-acquire-three-a350-1000s.html]

An Airbus A330 will arrive late 2008 under the registration: F-OJPD and serial number: 965

Previously operated

At August 2006 the airline also operated [Flight International, 3-9 October 2006] :
*1 ATR-42
*1 Embraer ERJ-145 MP
*1 Embraer 175LR
*1 GAF N24A Nomad
*3 Dornier 228-200 configured for Y19

The airline also operated the following aircraft in the past: [North American Airlines Handbook published by Airways Internationa Inc 1997]

*1 Cessna Citation configured for Y7
*3 Cessna 208 Caravan configured for Y9
*1 DHC-6-300 Twin Otter configured for Y18

Orders

A further ATR 72-500 has been ordered for November 2005 delivery to replace the current Embraer ERJ-145 MP. Air Transport Intelligence news, Oct 2006]

The airline has signed a letter of intent to purchase two larger capacity Airbus A330-300 aircraft to replace its two current Airbus A330-200 aircraft, that it has on lease from ILFC with purchased aircraft. The new aircraft will be delivered in November 2007 and June 2008. It is preparing to take delivery of its 3rd Airbus A330, this will be the 1st Airbus A330-300, the previous 2 aircraft already in service are Airbus A330-200.

One new Embraer 175, one new Embraer 190 has been ordered, to replace one ERJ 145.

Incidents and accidents

*Twenty people died after an Air Caraïbes DHC-6 Twin Otter crashed on 24 March 2001 into a house on the "Col de la Tourmente" in the upmarket French holiday island of St Barts killing all 19 adult people on board (17 passengers and two pilots) and Augustin Questel, an 81-year old man in the house. The man's wife was injured [http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0CWU/is_2001_May_9/ai_74358715] .:Flight TX1601 was scheduled to leave at 1600 from Princess Juliana International Airport (SXM), St Maarten, for the 15-minute flight to Gustaf III Airport in Saint-Barthélemy, and crashed about 1,000 feet from the St Jean airport while on approach to the airport's Runway 10 in clear visibility at about 1630. The airport's runway is particularly short - about 2,170 feet - and pilots have to obtain a special DGAC certification to land there. Planes approaching the runway must make a quick descent and fly low over houses before landing. The airport's control tower gave the plane permission to land shortly before the crash. That was the last communication with the plane, which did not send out any distress signal. The aircraft had no cockpit voice recorder, which may hamper the accident investigation. Most of the passengers are believed to be French, though there was an American woman, a Dutch woman, two Belgians and one person with dual French and American citizenship. A pilot from Guadeloupe was on board and another crew member, whose nationality was unknown. The aircraft registration was F-OGES, construction number was 254 and the build date was 1969.

External links

* [http://www.aircaraibes.com/ Air Caraïbes]
* [http://www.ch-aviation.ch/aircraft.php?search=set&airline=TX&al_op=1 Air Caraïbes Fleet]
* [http://www.caribbeanaviation.com/airlines.htm Caribbean Aviation]
* [http://www.aircaraibesva.com/ Air Caraibes Virtual Airline]

References