The Caribbean airline Winair, headquartered at Princess Juliana International Airport in St. Maarten, experienced a historic moment last Friday when it operated the inaugural flight of its first ATR 42, which it had received at the end of June. The aircraft, with registration PJ-WIV, made its debut on the route between Curacao and Aruba.
«The momentous achievement ushers in a new era for WINAIR and would not have been possible without the tireless efforts and dedication of the entire WINAIR team. Over the course of a year, they meticulously planned, overcame setbacks, worked diligently to ensure the smooth integration of the ATR-500 into our fleet while remaining disciplined and professional. Their unwavering commitment to excellence has brought us to this game changing conclusion,» the airline noted in a statement.
They also expressed gratitude to Aviation Capital, the company through which they leased the ATR, as well as the St. Maarten aviation authority, shareholders, and the board for supporting their growth plans.
«As WINAIR embarks on this new and exciting chapter, we invite our customers to join us in experiencing the comfort and new benchmark this aircraft sets for regional travel,» they concluded.
Winair also confirmed plans to receive a second ATR in the coming months. Its fleet is supplemented by a DHC-6 Twin Otter.
The company had decided to incorporate this type of aircraft after maintaining an ACMI contract with Air Antilles for six years to operate routes with their ATRs.
Winair Flights with ATR
As can be observed on Cirium, Winair has scheduled ATR 42 flights on the following routes:
- Antigua (ANU) – Tortola (EIS): five weekly flights.
- Antigua (ANU) – St. Maarten (SXM): two weekly flights.
- Aruba (ANU) – Curacao (ANU): three weekly flights.
- Bonaire (BON) – Curacao (CUR): two weekly flights.
- Curacao (CUR) – St. Maarten (SXM): five weekly flights.
- Port-au-Prince (ANU) – St. Maarten (SXM): one weekly flight.
- St. Maarten (SXM) – Tortola (EIS): three weekly flights.
