BWIA West Indies Airways
Encyclopedia
BWIA West Indies Airways Limited, known locally as "B-wee", was the national airline of Trinidad and Tobago
. BWIA was, at the end of its operations, the largest airline operating out of the Caribbean
, operating direct services to the USA, Canada
, and the UK
. Its main base was Piarco International Airport
(POS), Port of Spain
, with major hubs at Grantley Adams International Airport
(BGI) and Cheddi Jagan International Airport
(GEO) during 2006. It was headquartered in the BWIA Administration Building in Piarco
, Tunapuna-Piarco Regional Corporation
on the island of Trinidad.
The company announced on 8 September 2006 that the airline would be shut down on 31 December 2006. All of the approximately 1700 employees were separated from the company but applied for new contracts with a new entity Caribbean Airlines
.
. Operations started with a Lockheed Lodestar
twin on daily services between Trinidad
and Barbados
. By 1942, the airline had three aircraft of this type. In 1947, BWIA was taken over by British South American Airways
(BSAA), but the 'BWIA' name was retained for operating routes among the Caribbean Islands using Vickers Viking
twin piston types.
In 1949, BSAA merged with British Overseas Airways Corporation
and BWIA became a subsidiary of BOAC. Vickers Viscount
s were introduced in 1955 with Bristol Britannia
s leased in 1960 to fly the long-haul route to London
, via New York City
. One year later the government of Trinidad and Tobago acquired most of the shares in the airline, and achieved complete ownership by 1967.
In 1960 BWIA had its head office in Port of Spain
, Trinidad.
For BWIA the jet age began in 1967 with the introduction of Boeing 727
s, which replaced the Viscount turboprops and on the New York route. The London route was re-started in 1975 using Boeing 707
jets. BWIA became BWIA International Airways in 1980 after a merger with Trinidad and Tobago Air Services (which had been formed by the government in June 1974), becoming the national airline. The same year also saw the Boeing 707s replaced on the London service with Lockheed L-1011
Tristar 500s. In 1986, BWIA bought its first McDonnell Douglas MD-83.
By 1994, the airline had become partially privatised. A substantial reorganisation of its route network left London and Frankfurt
the only Europe
an destinations. The airline ordered Boeing 757
and 767
aircraft, then canceled the order in favor of Airbus A321 and Airbus A340
jets; in turn, this order was dropped after only two A321s were delivered. On 22 February 1995, the government of Trinidad and Tobago completed the privatisation of BWIA by turning over majority control of the common stock and management of the airline to a private group of US and Caribbean investors.
In the early 2000s, BWIA changed its livery to a new Caribbean green and blue color scheme with its famous steelpan
trademark, the national musical instrument of its home base. The fleet had been upgraded to seven Boeing 737-800 Next Generation aircraft, two Airbus A340-300s, and two Bombardier
De Havilland Q300 Dash 8s used by BWIA's sister airline Tobago Express
, which provided service to Trinidad's sister island Tobago.
By 2003, BWIA had become one of the leading Caribbean airlines, carrying over 1.4 million passengers a year with over 600 departures in the Caribbean and another 60 international departures every week. BWIA earned roughly US$276 million per year, employed 2,350 staff, had 70 daily flights, and carried 8,100 tonne
s (17,900,000 pounds) of air cargo per year. Its inflight magazine, Caribbean Beat
, was well regarded. However, BWIA had also been plagued by losses and had a history of continuous injections of funds from the government of Trinidad and Tobago
. The airline had filed for an IPO, although no date was set.
The airline was owned by the Government of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago (75%) and private shareholders (25%) and had 2,588 employees (at January 2005). It also had holdings in other airlines: Tobago Express
(45%) and LIAT (23.6%).
On September 8, 2006, BWIA West Indies Airways announced its demise, after failed negotiations with the ACAWU, CATTU, Superintendent's Association and BWIA's management. CEO Peter Davies, who joined BWIA in March 2006, said that a new airline, Caribbean Airlines
, which will be based in Trinidad and Tobago, will replace BWIA after 66 years of flying the Caribbean skies.
BWIA's Pilots were represented by the Trinidad and Tobago Airline Pilots Association
(TTALPA), which is affiliated to IFALPA. TTALPA is also part of the regional Caribbean Airline Pilots Association
(C-ALPA). The other recognised Unions at BWIA were: Airline Superintendents Association
; the Aviation, Communication and Allied Workers Union
, which represented ground staff and flight attendants, and the Communication, Transport and General Workers Union
which organised middle management and engineers.
North America
Europe
Caribbean
South America
Through a codeshare agreement with United Airlines
, it offered connecting service to Boston, Denver
, Chicago, Los Angeles
, San Francisco
and Seattle. BWIA also had an alliance with another Caribbean airline, LIAT, which together provided over 30 regional destinations.
Trinidad and Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago is an archipelagic state in the southern Caribbean, lying just off the coast of northeastern Venezuela and south of Grenada in the Lesser Antilles...
. BWIA was, at the end of its operations, the largest airline operating out of the Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
, operating direct services to the USA, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, and the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. Its main base was Piarco International Airport
Piarco International Airport
Piarco International Airport is the main airport serving Trinidad and Tobago located in Piarco, a town in northern Trinidad, about east of the capital city, Port of Spain. It is one of two international airports serving the twin isle republic. The other is located on the island of Tobago, A.N.R...
(POS), Port of Spain
Port of Spain
Port of Spain, also written as Port-of-Spain, is the capital of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago and the country's third-largest municipality, after San Fernando and Chaguanas. The city has a municipal population of 49,031 , a metropolitan population of 128,026 and a transient daily population...
, with major hubs at Grantley Adams International Airport
Grantley Adams International Airport
Grantley Adams International Airport , is found in Seawell, Christ Church on the island of Barbados. The former name of the airport was Seawell Airport before being dedicated in honour of the first Premier of Barbados, Sir Grantley Herbert Adams in 1976. The airport's timezone is GMT –4, and is...
(BGI) and Cheddi Jagan International Airport
Cheddi Jagan International Airport
Cheddi Jagan International Airport , formerly Timehri International Airport, is the national 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.-History:...
(GEO) during 2006. It was headquartered in the BWIA Administration Building in Piarco
Piarco
Piarco, a town in northern Trinidad, is the site of Piarco International Airport . It also includes the village of St. Helena. Piarco is the site of one of the few natural savannas in Trinidad and Tobago, the Piarco Savanna...
, Tunapuna-Piarco Regional Corporation
Tunapuna-Piarco Regional Corporation
Tunapuna-Piarco Regional Corporation is a local government body in Trinidad and Tobago. It is one of nine Regional Corporations in Trinidad which replaced the system of Counties as local government bodies in 1992. It is the largest by population of all the Regional Corporations. It contains the...
on the island of Trinidad.
The company announced on 8 September 2006 that the airline would be shut down on 31 December 2006. All of the approximately 1700 employees were separated from the company but applied for new contracts with a new entity Caribbean Airlines
Caribbean Airlines
Caribbean Airlines Limited operating as Caribbean Airlines is the national airline of Trinidad and Tobago. The airline is also flag carrier to Jamaica through its subsidiary, Caribbean Airlines-Air Jamaica Transition Limited or Air Jamaica....
.
History
British West Indian Airways was established on 27 November 1940 by New Zealander Lowell YerexLowell Yerex
Lowell Yerex was born in New Zealand, and attended Valparaiso University in Valparaiso, Indiana United States.He graduated from Valparaiso University in 1916...
. Operations started with a Lockheed Lodestar
Lockheed Lodestar
The Lockheed Model 18 Lodestar was a passenger transport aircraft of the World War II era.-Design and development:The prototype of the Lockheed Model 18, which first flew in 1939, was constructed from one of a batch of Lockheed Model 14 Super Electras which had been returned to the manufacturer by...
twin on daily services between Trinidad
Trinidad
Trinidad is the larger and more populous of the two major islands and numerous landforms which make up the island nation of Trinidad and Tobago. It is the southernmost island in the Caribbean and lies just off the northeastern coast of Venezuela. With an area of it is also the fifth largest in...
and Barbados
Barbados
Barbados is an island country in the Lesser Antilles. It is in length and as much as in width, amounting to . It is situated in the western area of the North Atlantic and 100 kilometres east of the Windward Islands and the Caribbean Sea; therein, it is about east of the islands of Saint...
. By 1942, the airline had three aircraft of this type. In 1947, BWIA was taken over by British South American Airways
British South American Airways
British South American Airways or British South American Airways Corporation was a state-run airline in Britain in the 1940s. It was originally called British Latin American Air Lines Ltd....
(BSAA), but the 'BWIA' name was retained for operating routes among the Caribbean Islands using Vickers Viking
Vickers Viking
-References:NotesBibliography* Andrews, C.F. and E.B. Morgan. Vickers Aircraft since 1908. London: Putnam, 1988. ISBN 0-85177-815-1.* London, Peter. British Flying Boats. Stroud, UK: Sutton Publishing, 2003. ISBN 0-7509-2695-3....
twin piston types.
In 1949, BSAA merged with British Overseas Airways Corporation
British Overseas Airways Corporation
The British Overseas Airways Corporation was the British state airline from 1939 until 1946 and the long-haul British state airline from 1946 to 1974. The company started life with a merger between Imperial Airways Ltd. and British Airways Ltd...
and BWIA became a subsidiary of BOAC. Vickers Viscount
Vickers Viscount
The Vickers Viscount was a British medium-range turboprop airliner first flown in 1948 by Vickers-Armstrongs, making it the first such aircraft to enter service in the world...
s were introduced in 1955 with Bristol Britannia
Bristol Britannia
The Bristol Type 175 Britannia was a British medium-to-long-range airliner built by the Bristol Aeroplane Company in 1952 to fly across the British Empire...
s leased in 1960 to fly the long-haul route to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, via New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. One year later the government of Trinidad and Tobago acquired most of the shares in the airline, and achieved complete ownership by 1967.
In 1960 BWIA had its head office in Port of Spain
Port of Spain
Port of Spain, also written as Port-of-Spain, is the capital of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago and the country's third-largest municipality, after San Fernando and Chaguanas. The city has a municipal population of 49,031 , a metropolitan population of 128,026 and a transient daily population...
, Trinidad.
For BWIA the jet age began in 1967 with the introduction of Boeing 727
Boeing 727
The Boeing 727 is a mid-size, narrow-body, three-engine, T-tailed commercial jet airliner, manufactured by Boeing. The Boeing 727 first flew in 1963, and for over a decade more were built per year than any other jet airliner. When production ended in 1984 a total of 1,832 aircraft had been produced...
s, which replaced the Viscount turboprops and on the New York route. The London route was re-started in 1975 using Boeing 707
Boeing 707
The Boeing 707 is a four-engine narrow-body commercial passenger jet airliner developed by Boeing in the early 1950s. Its name is most commonly pronounced as "Seven Oh Seven". The first airline to operate the 707 was Pan American World Airways, inaugurating the type's first commercial flight on...
jets. BWIA became BWIA International Airways in 1980 after a merger with Trinidad and Tobago Air Services (which had been formed by the government in June 1974), becoming the national airline. The same year also saw the Boeing 707s replaced on the London service with Lockheed L-1011
Lockheed L-1011
The Lockheed L-1011 TriStar, commonly referred to as the L-1011 or TriStar, is a medium-to-long range, widebody passenger trijet airliner. It was the third widebody airliner to enter commercial operations, following the Boeing 747 and the McDonnell Douglas DC-10. Between 1968 and 1984, Lockheed...
Tristar 500s. In 1986, BWIA bought its first McDonnell Douglas MD-83.
By 1994, the airline had become partially privatised. A substantial reorganisation of its route network left London and Frankfurt
Frankfurt
Frankfurt am Main , commonly known simply as Frankfurt, is the largest city in the German state of Hesse and the fifth-largest city in Germany, with a 2010 population of 688,249. The urban area had an estimated population of 2,300,000 in 2010...
the only Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
an destinations. The airline ordered Boeing 757
Boeing 757
The Boeing 757 is a mid-size, narrow-body twin-engine jet airliner manufactured by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. Passenger versions of the twinjet have a capacity of 186 to 289 persons and a maximum range of , depending on variant and cabin configuration...
and 767
Boeing 767
The Boeing 767 is a mid-size, wide-body twin-engine jet airliner built by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. It was the manufacturer's first wide-body twinjet and its first airliner with a two-crew glass cockpit. The aircraft features two turbofan engines, a supercritical wing, and a conventional tail...
aircraft, then canceled the order in favor of Airbus A321 and Airbus A340
Airbus A340
The Airbus A340 is a long-range four-engine wide-body commercial passenger jet airliner. Developed by Airbus Industrie,A consortium of European aerospace companies, Airbus is now fully owned by EADS and since 2001 has been known as Airbus SAS. a consortium of European aerospace companies, which is...
jets; in turn, this order was dropped after only two A321s were delivered. On 22 February 1995, the government of Trinidad and Tobago completed the privatisation of BWIA by turning over majority control of the common stock and management of the airline to a private group of US and Caribbean investors.
Steelpan
Steelpans is a musical instrument originating from The Republic of Trinidad and Tobago...
trademark, the national musical instrument of its home base. The fleet had been upgraded to seven Boeing 737-800 Next Generation aircraft, two Airbus A340-300s, and two Bombardier
Bombardier Aerospace
Bombardier Aerospace is a division of Bombardier Inc. and is the third-largest airplane manufacturer in the world. It is headquartered in Dorval, Quebec, Canada.- History :...
De Havilland Q300 Dash 8s used by BWIA's sister airline Tobago Express
Tobago Express
Tobago Express was a scheduled passenger airline based in Trinidad and Tobago. It operated as a sister airline of Caribbean Airlines. Caribbean Airlines is now the main airline which operates the essential "air-bridge" between the Crown Point International Airport located in Tobago and Piarco...
, which provided service to Trinidad's sister island Tobago.
By 2003, BWIA had become one of the leading Caribbean airlines, carrying over 1.4 million passengers a year with over 600 departures in the Caribbean and another 60 international departures every week. BWIA earned roughly US$276 million per year, employed 2,350 staff, had 70 daily flights, and carried 8,100 tonne
Tonne
The tonne, known as the metric ton in the US , often put pleonastically as "metric tonne" to avoid confusion with ton, is a metric system unit of mass equal to 1000 kilograms. The tonne is not an International System of Units unit, but is accepted for use with the SI...
s (17,900,000 pounds) of air cargo per year. Its inflight magazine, Caribbean Beat
Caribbean Beat
' is a bimonthly magazine, published in Port of Spain, Trinidad, covering the arts, culture and society of the Caribbean, with a focus on the region's English-speaking territories...
, was well regarded. However, BWIA had also been plagued by losses and had a history of continuous injections of funds from the government of Trinidad and Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago is an archipelagic state in the southern Caribbean, lying just off the coast of northeastern Venezuela and south of Grenada in the Lesser Antilles...
. The airline had filed for an IPO, although no date was set.
The airline was owned by the Government of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago (75%) and private shareholders (25%) and had 2,588 employees (at January 2005). It also had holdings in other airlines: Tobago Express
Tobago Express
Tobago Express was a scheduled passenger airline based in Trinidad and Tobago. It operated as a sister airline of Caribbean Airlines. Caribbean Airlines is now the main airline which operates the essential "air-bridge" between the Crown Point International Airport located in Tobago and Piarco...
(45%) and LIAT (23.6%).
On September 8, 2006, BWIA West Indies Airways announced its demise, after failed negotiations with the ACAWU, CATTU, Superintendent's Association and BWIA's management. CEO Peter Davies, who joined BWIA in March 2006, said that a new airline, Caribbean Airlines
Caribbean Airlines
Caribbean Airlines Limited operating as Caribbean Airlines is the national airline of Trinidad and Tobago. The airline is also flag carrier to Jamaica through its subsidiary, Caribbean Airlines-Air Jamaica Transition Limited or Air Jamaica....
, which will be based in Trinidad and Tobago, will replace BWIA after 66 years of flying the Caribbean skies.
BWIA's Pilots were represented by the Trinidad and Tobago Airline Pilots Association
Trinidad and Tobago Airline Pilots Association
The Trinidad and Tobago Airline Pilots Association is a trade union in Trinidad and Tobago with members in the former BWIA, now Caribbean Airlines, and Tobago Express....
(TTALPA), which is affiliated to IFALPA. TTALPA is also part of the regional Caribbean Airline Pilots Association
Caribbean Airline Pilots Association
The Caribbean Airline Pilots Association is a trade union federation that represents airline pilots organisations in the Caribbean region.Founded in 1997, with the support and assistance of the International Federation of Air Line Pilots' Associations , the organisation was a response to the...
(C-ALPA). The other recognised Unions at BWIA were: Airline Superintendents Association
Airline Superintendents Association
The Airline Superintendents Association is a trade union in Trinidad and Tobago with most of its members in the former airline of BWIA....
; the Aviation, Communication and Allied Workers Union
Aviation, Communication and Allied Workers Union
The Aviation, Communication and Allied Workers Union is a trade union in Trinidad and Tobago, most of whose members work for BWIA West Indies Airways.-See also:* List of trade unions...
, which represented ground staff and flight attendants, and the Communication, Transport and General Workers Union
Communication, Transport and General Workers Union
The Communication, Transport and General Workers Union is a trade union in Trinidad and Tobago with most of its members in the former airline of BWIA....
which organised middle management and engineers.
Network/ Destinations
BWIA operated the following services:North America
- CanadaCanadaCanada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
- TorontoTorontoToronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
(Toronto Pearson International AirportToronto Pearson International AirportToronto Pearson International Airport is an international airport serving Toronto, Ontario, Canada; its metropolitan area; and the Golden Horseshoe, an urban agglomeration that is home to 8.1 million people – approximately 25% of Canada's population...
)
- Toronto
- United StatesUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
- New YorkNew YorkNew York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
(John F. Kennedy International AirportJohn F. Kennedy International AirportJohn F. Kennedy International Airport is an international airport located in the borough of Queens in New York City, about southeast of Lower Manhattan. It is the busiest international air passenger gateway to the United States, handling more international traffic than any other airport in North...
) - Miami (Miami International AirportMiami International AirportMiami International Airport , also known as MIA and historically Wilcox Field, is the primary airport serving the South Florida area...
)
- New York
Europe
- United KingdomUnited KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
- LondonLondonLondon is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
(London Heathrow AirportLondon Heathrow AirportLondon Heathrow Airport or Heathrow , in the London Borough of Hillingdon, is the busiest airport in the United Kingdom and the third busiest airport in the world in terms of total passenger traffic, handling more international passengers than any other airport around the globe...
) - ManchesterManchesterManchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
(Manchester Airport)
- London
Caribbean
- AntiguaAntiguaAntigua , also known as Waladli, is an island in the West Indies, in the Leeward Islands in the Caribbean region, the main island of the country of Antigua and Barbuda. Antigua means "ancient" in Spanish and was named by Christopher Columbus after an icon in Seville Cathedral, Santa Maria de la...
- St. John's(VC Bird International AirportVC Bird International AirportV. C. Bird International Airport is located on the island of Antigua, northeast of St. John's, the capital of Antigua and Barbuda.- History :...
)Hub
- St. John's(VC Bird International Airport
- BarbadosBarbadosBarbados is an island country in the Lesser Antilles. It is in length and as much as in width, amounting to . It is situated in the western area of the North Atlantic and 100 kilometres east of the Windward Islands and the Caribbean Sea; therein, it is about east of the islands of Saint...
- Barbados(Grantley Adams International AirportGrantley Adams International AirportGrantley Adams International Airport , is found in Seawell, Christ Church on the island of Barbados. The former name of the airport was Seawell Airport before being dedicated in honour of the first Premier of Barbados, Sir Grantley Herbert Adams in 1976. The airport's timezone is GMT –4, and is...
)Hub
- Barbados(Grantley Adams International Airport
- JamaicaJamaicaJamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
- KingstonKingston, JamaicaKingston is the capital and largest city of Jamaica, located on the southeastern coast of the island. It faces a natural harbour protected by the Palisadoes, a long sand spit which connects the town of Port Royal and the Norman Manley International Airport to the rest of the island...
(Norman Manley International AirportNorman Manley International Airport-Cargo :The following Cargo/Courier serve Norman Manley International Airport:-Accidents and incidents:*On 17 July 1960, the captain of a Vickers Viscount of Cubana de Aviación hijacked the aircraft on a flight from José Martí International Airport, Havana to Miami International Airport, Florida...
)*
- Kingston
- GuyanaGuyanaGuyana , officially the Co-operative Republic of Guyana, previously the colony of British Guiana, is a sovereign state on the northern coast of South America that is culturally part of the Anglophone Caribbean. Guyana was a former colony of the Dutch and of the British...
- (Cheddi Jagan International AirportCheddi Jagan International AirportCheddi Jagan International Airport , formerly Timehri International Airport, is the national 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.-History:...
)
- (Cheddi Jagan International Airport
- Netherlands AntillesNetherlands AntillesThe Netherlands Antilles , also referred to informally as the Dutch Antilles, was an autonomous Caribbean country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands, consisting of two groups of islands in the Lesser Antilles: Aruba, Bonaire and Curaçao , in Leeward Antilles just off the Venezuelan coast; and Sint...
- St.Maarten(Princess Juliana International AirportPrincess Juliana International AirportPrincess Juliana International Airport serves the Dutch part of the island of Sint Maarten. In 2007, the airport handled 1,647,824 passengers and 103,650 aircraft movements. The airport serves as a hub for Windward Islands Airways and is the major gateway for the smaller Leeward Islands,...
)
- St.Maarten(Princess Juliana International Airport
- St. Lucia
- (Hewanorra International AirportHewanorra International AirportHewanorra International Airport , near Vieux Fort Quarter, Saint Lucia, in the Caribbean, is the larger of the country's two airports and is managed by the Saint Lucia Air and Seaports Authority ....
)
- (Hewanorra International Airport
- Trinidad & Tobago
- TrinidadTrinidadTrinidad is the larger and more populous of the two major islands and numerous landforms which make up the island nation of Trinidad and Tobago. It is the southernmost island in the Caribbean and lies just off the northeastern coast of Venezuela. With an area of it is also the fifth largest in...
(Port Of SpainPort of SpainPort of Spain, also written as Port-of-Spain, is the capital of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago and the country's third-largest municipality, after San Fernando and Chaguanas. The city has a municipal population of 49,031 , a metropolitan population of 128,026 and a transient daily population...
) (Piarco International AirportPiarco International AirportPiarco International Airport is the main airport serving Trinidad and Tobago located in Piarco, a town in northern Trinidad, about east of the capital city, Port of Spain. It is one of two international airports serving the twin isle republic. The other is located on the island of Tobago, A.N.R...
) Main Hub - TobagoTobagoTobago is the smaller of the two main islands that make up the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. It is located in the southern Caribbean, northeast of the island of Trinidad and southeast of Grenada. The island lies outside the hurricane belt...
(Crown Point International Airport)
- Trinidad
South America
- GuyanaGuyanaGuyana , officially the Co-operative Republic of Guyana, previously the colony of British Guiana, is a sovereign state on the northern coast of South America that is culturally part of the Anglophone Caribbean. Guyana was a former colony of the Dutch and of the British...
- (Cheddi Jagan International AirportCheddi Jagan International AirportCheddi Jagan International Airport , formerly Timehri International Airport, is the national 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.-History:...
)
- (Cheddi Jagan International Airport
- SurinameSurinameSuriname , officially the Republic of Suriname , is a country in northern South America. It borders French Guiana to the east, Guyana to the west, Brazil to the south, and on the north by the Atlantic Ocean. Suriname was a former colony of the British and of the Dutch, and was previously known as...
- (Johan Adolf Pengel International AirportJohan Adolf Pengel International AirportJohan Adolf Pengel International Airport , also known as Paramaribo-Zanderij International Airport, is an airport located in the town of Zanderij, 45 km south of Paramaribo...
)
- (Johan Adolf Pengel International Airport
- VenezuelaVenezuelaVenezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
- (Simón Bolívar International AirportSimón Bolívar International Airport (Venezuela)Simón Bolívar International Airport of Maiquetia is an international airport located in Maiquetía, Venezuela, about 13 miles from downtown Caracas....
)
- (Simón Bolívar International Airport
Through a codeshare agreement with United Airlines
United Airlines
United Air Lines, Inc., is the world's largest airline with 86,852 employees United Air Lines, Inc., is the world's largest airline with 86,852 employees United Air Lines, Inc., is the world's largest airline with 86,852 employees (which includes the entire holding company United Continental...
, it offered connecting service to Boston, Denver
Denver, Colorado
The City and County of Denver is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Denver is a consolidated city-county, located in the South Platte River Valley on the western edge of the High Plains just east of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains...
, Chicago, Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
, San Francisco
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
and Seattle. BWIA also had an alliance with another Caribbean airline, LIAT, which together provided over 30 regional destinations.
Fleet
The BWIA fleet consisted of the following aircraft (at August 2006) :| Aircraft | Total | Passengers (Business/Economy) |
Haul |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boeing 737-800 | 7 | 154 (16/138) | Short-Medium Haul |
| Airbus A340-300 | 2 | 284 (32/252) | Medium-Long Haul |
Former Fleet
- 2 Airbus A321-100
- 4 Lockheed L-1011 TriStar 500Lockheed L-1011The Lockheed L-1011 TriStar, commonly referred to as the L-1011 or TriStar, is a medium-to-long range, widebody passenger trijet airliner. It was the third widebody airliner to enter commercial operations, following the Boeing 747 and the McDonnell Douglas DC-10. Between 1968 and 1984, Lockheed...
- 7 McDonnell Douglas MD-82/83
- 4 McDonnell Douglas DC-9McDonnell Douglas DC-9The McDonnell Douglas DC-9 is a twin-engine, single-aisle jet airliner. It was first manufactured in 1965 with its maiden flight later that year. The DC-9 was designed for frequent, short flights. The final DC-9 was delivered in October 1982.The DC-9 was followed in subsequent modified forms by...
- 2 Boeing 707-100Boeing 707The Boeing 707 is a four-engine narrow-body commercial passenger jet airliner developed by Boeing in the early 1950s. Its name is most commonly pronounced as "Seven Oh Seven". The first airline to operate the 707 was Pan American World Airways, inaugurating the type's first commercial flight on...
- 3 Boeing 727-100Boeing 727The Boeing 727 is a mid-size, narrow-body, three-engine, T-tailed commercial jet airliner, manufactured by Boeing. The Boeing 727 first flew in 1963, and for over a decade more were built per year than any other jet airliner. When production ended in 1984 a total of 1,832 aircraft had been produced...
- 1 Boeing 747-123Boeing 747The Boeing 747 is a wide-body commercial airliner and cargo transport, often referred to by its original nickname, Jumbo Jet, or Queen of the Skies. It is among the world's most recognizable aircraft, and was the first wide-body ever produced...
- 2 Vickers ViscountVickers ViscountThe Vickers Viscount was a British medium-range turboprop airliner first flown in 1948 by Vickers-Armstrongs, making it the first such aircraft to enter service in the world...
External links
- BWIA West Indies Airways (Archive)
- BWIA's Caribbean (Archive)
- BWIA Jet Fleet Detail