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| Founded | 1968 (as Cayman Brac Airways)[1] | |||
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| Commenced operations | July 1968[1] | |||
| Hubs | Owen Roberts International Airport | |||
| Frequent-flyer program | Sir Turtle Rewards | |||
| Airport lounge | Sir Turtle Lounge | |||
| Fleet size | 6 | |||
| Destinations | 12 | |||
| Parent company | Cayman Islands Government | |||
| Headquarters | George Town, Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands | |||
| Key people | Fabian Whorms CEO | |||
| Website | caymanairways.com | |||
Cayman Airways is the national flag carrier of the Cayman Islands. With its head office in Grand Cayman,[2] it operates mainly as an international and domestic scheduled passenger carrier, with cargo services available on all routes. Its operations are based at Owen Roberts International Airport in George Town, Grand Cayman.[3]The airline also offers a limited charter service.
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The airline was established and started operations on August 7, 1968. It was formed following the Cayman Government's purchase of 51% of Cayman Brac Airways, from LACSA, the Costa Rican flag carrier, and became wholly government owned in December 1977.[3] The airline operated regional services from Owen Roberts International Airport in George Town, Grand Cayman to Gerrard Smith International Airport on Cayman Brac. Early on, the airline's aircraft was a single DC-3. A few months after it was formed, Cayman Airways flew its first international route to Kingston, Jamaica, on a leased BAC 1-11. International service to Miami began in 1972 using a single leased Douglas DC-6. The airline acquired its first jet aircraft; the BAC 1-11 in 1978, and began services to Houston. In 1979, a second BAC 1-11, A Hawker Siddleley Avro 748, and a Britten-Norman Trislander were purchased. The airline replaced their two BAC 1-11's with Boeing 727-200 aircraft in 1982, strengthening the airline's regional and international capability, and also allowed for the introduction of first class service. These jets were eventually replaced with Boeing 737-300's. At one time or another during the 1980s, Cayman Airways offered scheduled or charter service to Atlanta, Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, Detroit, Minneapolis, Newark, New York, Philadelphia, & St. Louis.
The airline struggled throughout the early 1990s, however financial assistance from the Cayman Islands Government, financial re-structuring, a new fleet and the addition of new destinations (Chicago, Boston, Fort Lauderdale and Havana) seems to have helped the airline.
The company's mascot is an embellishment of the original Sir Turtle (pictured above the logo) designed by Suzy Soto. As first designed, Sir Turtle did not have the red flying scarf. That original design was used on baggage stickers by Cayman Islands Customs and also became the logo of the Department of Tourism which was then headed by Eric Bergstrom. Mrs. Soto was married to Eric Bergstrom, with whom she built the Tortuga Club on the East End of Grand Cayman. The red flying scarf was later added to Sir Turtle in 1978 by Capt. Wilbur Thompson, the Chief Pilot of Cayman Airways at the time, and that modified Sir Turtle became the airline's new logo.
| Aircraft | In Fleet | Orders | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boeing 737-300 | 4 | 0 | International Medium Haul USA, Jamaica, Cuba, Honduras, and England |
| DHC-6 Twin Otter Series 300 | 2 | 0 | Domestic Short Haul Cayman Islands |
| Total | 6 | 0 |
Cayman Airways corporate office is located in Georgetown and is housed in the former Sammy's Airport Inn. The previous Cayman Airways offices were damaged by Hurricane Ivan in 2004. The Cayman Islands government purchased Sammy's Airport Inn for $2.85 million United States dollars. The fit-out, including the furniture, was completed for $3 million U.S. with the valuation of the property estimated at 6.76 million U.S. as of June 2007. Parking for the head office is located in the adjacent Cayman Islands Airport Authority property with there being more parking per square foot at the current Cayman Airways head office than in most buildings in George Town, Grand Cayman.[4]