Air Jamaica
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Air Jamaica | ||
|---|---|---|
 |
||
| IATA JM |
ICAO AJM |
Callsign JAMAICA |
| Founded | October 1968[1] | |
| Commenced operations | 1969-04-01[1] | |
| Hubs | Sangster International Airport Norman Manley International Airport |
|
| Focus cities | John F. Kennedy International Airport Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport Miami International Airport |
|
| Frequent flyer program | 7th Heaven | |
| Fleet size | 18 | |
| Destinations | 26 | |
| Parent company | Ministry of Finance and the Public Service | |
| Headquarters | Kingston, Jamaica | |
| Key people | Shirley Williams (Chairman Of The Board) William B. Rodgers (Acting President and CEO) |
|
| Website: http://www.airjamaica.com | ||
Air Jamaica, Ltd, colloquially known as Air J, is Jamaica's national airlines and the largest Caribbean based airline. Headquartered in Kingston, Jamaica, it operates scheduled services from Kingston and Montego Bay to 26 destinations in the Caribbean, Canada, the USA. Its main base is Norman Manley International Airport, Kingston with a hub at Sangster International Airport, Montego Bay [2]. The airline has had no fatal incidents.
Contents |
[edit] History
Air Jamaica was established in October 1968 and started operations on 1 April 1969, connecting Kingston and Montego Bay, with New York and Miami[2]. At that time the Jamaican government owned a substantial part of the airline, with Air Canada owning a minor share and providing technical, maintenance and logistical help.
During the 1970s, Air Jamaica expanded rapidly. Flights were added to Toronto and Montreal in Canada, to Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport in Puerto Rico, to Philadelphia and many other destinations, especially across the Caribbean. Long-haul services to Europe were started on 1 April 1974. Air Jamaica used Douglas DC-8s for a large part of the 1970s, but the McDonnell Douglas DC-9 and Boeing 727 jets became a part of the fleet towards the end of the decade when the government bought over Air Canada's small share. During the 1980s, growth slowed. Nevertheless, new routes were still opened, to Baltimore and Atlanta.
During the 1990s Air Jamaica continued to expand: the airline took over the Kingston-Nassau, Bahamas route, which had been left by British Airways, began a code sharing agreement with Delta Air Lines and opened routes to Sky Harbor International Airport in Phoenix (which was later dropped), and to Frankfurt, London, Manchester, Santo Domingo and Ft. Lauderdale. The route to Phoenix was opened because Air Jamaica was looking for expansion in the American West, beyond its route to Los Angeles. In 1994 the company was partially privatized, with the government retaining 25% of the company and giving 5% of it to the airline's employees. It began buying Airbus equipment, including the Airbus A340, and began a feeder service, a frequent flyer program (7th Heaven), and an inflight magazine, named SkyWritings. The airline also underwent rebranding during that decade. Air Jamaica has opened a large operations base in Saint Lucia.[citation needed]
In December 2004, after massive financial losses, the Government of Jamaica took back full ownership of Air Jamaica. It employs 2,522 staff (at March 2007)[2].
In September 2007, the new Jamaican government began to consider privatisation of Air Jamaica. Investors with interest in the airline are speculated to be China National Aviation Holding Company (parent company of Air China), Virgin Group, Iberia Airlines and the Emirates Group. A private Spanish, British and American consortium is in talks with the Government of Jamaica to bid for the national carrier as well. [3]
Air Jamaica has reported that it will be replacing its Airbus A340-300 equipment with a leased Boeing 757-200 in the third quarter of 2008. Air Jamaica's pilot union has objected to this decision. Air Jamaica will also wet lease a Boeing 767-300ER and 2 ATR 72-500 variant turboprop aircraft, delivery is expected for June 2008.
[edit] Destinations
Air Jamaica operates flights to the USA with some flights to Toronto, Canada and London, United Kingdom.
[edit] Code Share
Air Jamaica have code share agreements with the following airlines:
[edit] Fleet
The Air Jamaica fleet consists of the following aircraft (as at May 2008)
| Aircraft | In Service | On Order | Notes |
| Airbus A320-200 | 8 | 0 | with an average fleet age of 8.6 years |
| Airbus A321-200 | 6 | 0 | with an average fleet age of 5.3 years |
| ATR 72-500 | 0 | 2 | Entry into service June 2008 |
| Boeing 757-200WL | 0 | 1 | Entry into service June 2008 |
| Boeing 767-300ER | 0 | 1 | Entry into service June 2008 |
| Total | 14 | 4 |
[edit] Previously operated
Air Jamaica has operated the Airbus A300, Airbus A340-300, Airbus A310, Boeing 727-200, Boeing 747, Douglas DC-8, McDonnell Douglas DC-9, and McDonnell Douglas MD-83.[4]
[edit] Air Jamaica cargo
Air Jamaica Cargo's Head Office is at the Norman Manley International Airport in Kingston, Jamaica. Air Jamaica Cargo has 70% of the airfreight market between Jamaica and the rest of the world.
[edit] References
- ^ a b Norwood, Tom; Wegg, John (2002). North American Airlines Handbook, 3rd, Sandpoint, ID: Airways International. ISBN 0-9653993-8-9.
- ^ a b c Flight International 27 March 2007
- ^ Air J/Virgin deal a priority for new transport minister
- ^ PlaneSpotters.net
