Islena Airlines
Encyclopedia
Isleña de Inversiones SA de CV, operating as Isleña Airlines under the TACA Regional
brand, is an airline
based in La Ceiba
, Honduras
. It offers mostly domestic scheduled and chartered passenger flights out of its hub
at Golosón International Airport
.
were commenced on 31 March of that year.. In 1998, Grupo TACA
acquired a 20 percent stake in the company.
Further destinations are served by chartered flights.
s with an average age of 21.1 years. The first turboprop
aircraft of that type was put in service with the airline in 1996.
Previously, airliners of the types Fokker F27 Friendship and Fairchild Hiller FH-227
had formed part of the fleet, as well as smaller ones like Twin Otter
, Short 360 and Let L410 Turbolet.
TACA Regional
Main Article is at Grupo TACA** TACA Regional is a set of regional airlines based at several airports in Central America and owned by Grupo TACA.-Regional Airlines Owned by Grupo TACA:...
brand, is an airline
Airline
An airline provides air transport services for traveling passengers and freight. Airlines lease or own their aircraft with which to supply these services and may form partnerships or alliances with other airlines for mutual benefit...
based in La Ceiba
La Ceiba
La Ceiba is a port city on the northern coast of Honduras in Central America. It is located on the southern edge of the Caribbean, forming part of the south eastern boundary of the Gulf of Honduras...
, Honduras
Honduras
Honduras is a republic in Central America. It was previously known as Spanish Honduras to differentiate it from British Honduras, which became the modern-day state of Belize...
. It offers mostly domestic scheduled and chartered passenger flights out of its hub
Airline hub
An airline hub is an airport that an airline uses as a transfer point to get passengers to their intended destination. It is part of a hub and spoke model, where travelers moving between airports not served by direct flights change planes en route to their destinations...
at Golosón International Airport
Golosón International Airport
Golosón International Airport is an airport located on the western side of the city of La Ceiba, in the Atlántida Department on the north coast of Honduras. It is also known as La Ceiba Airport and Hector C. Moncada Air Base .-Facilities:The airport resides at an elevation of above mean sea level...
.
History
Isleña Airlines was founded in 1981 by Arturo Alvarado Wood. Revenue flights between La Ceiba and RoatánRoatán
Roatán, located between the islands of Útila and Guanaja, is the largest of Honduras' Bay Islands. The island was formerly known as Ruatan and Rattan...
were commenced on 31 March of that year.. In 1998, Grupo TACA
Grupo TACA
TACA is the trade name "brand" comprising a group of five independently IATA-coded and -owned Central American airlines, whose operations are combined to function as one and a number of other independently owned and IATA-coded regional airlines which code-share and feed the TACA brand system...
acquired a 20 percent stake in the company.
Destinations
As of 2011, Isleña Airlines operates scheduled flights to the following domestic destinations:- La CeibaLa CeibaLa Ceiba is a port city on the northern coast of Honduras in Central America. It is located on the southern edge of the Caribbean, forming part of the south eastern boundary of the Gulf of Honduras...
- Golosón International AirportGolosón International AirportGolosón International Airport is an airport located on the western side of the city of La Ceiba, in the Atlántida Department on the north coast of Honduras. It is also known as La Ceiba Airport and Hector C. Moncada Air Base .-Facilities:The airport resides at an elevation of above mean sea level...
(hub) - RoatánRoatánRoatán, located between the islands of Útila and Guanaja, is the largest of Honduras' Bay Islands. The island was formerly known as Ruatan and Rattan...
- Juan Manuel Gálvez International AirportJuan Manuel Gálvez International AirportJuan Manuel Gálvez International Airport is an airport located on the island of Roatán in the Bay Islands Department in Honduras. It serves national and international air traffic of the island. The airport is named for Juan Manuel Gálvez the former president of Honduras... - San Pedro SulaSan Pedro SulaSan Pedro Sula is a city in Honduras. It is located in the northwest corner of the country, in the Valle de Sula , about 60 km south of Puerto Cortés on the Caribbean. With an estimated population of 638,259 people in the main municipality, and 802,598 in its metro area , it is the second...
- Ramón Villeda Morales International AirportRamón Villeda Morales International AirportRamón Villeda Morales International Airport , also known as La Mesa International Airport, is located from the city of San Pedro Sula, in the Cortés Department in Honduras. The airport is named after Ramón Villeda Morales, who served as President of Honduras from 1957 to 1963.It is the major and... - TegucigalpaTegucigalpaTegucigalpa , and commonly referred as Tegus , is the capital of Honduras and seat of government of the Republic, along with its twin sister Comayagüela. Founded on September 29, 1578 by the Spanish, it became the country's capital on October 30, 1880 under President Marco Aurelio Soto...
- Toncontín International AirportToncontín International AirportToncontín International Airport or Teniente Coronel Hernán Acosta Mejía Airport is a civil and military airport that serves Tegucigalpa, Honduras...
Further destinations are served by chartered flights.
Fleet
As of November 2011, the commercial Isleña Airlines fleet consists of five ATR 42ATR 42
-Civil operators:The largest operators of the ATR-42 are FedEx Express, Airlinair, TRIP Linhas Aéreas,and Mexico City-based Aeromar respectively. Number of aircraft as of 2010:Some 70 other airlines operate smaller numbers of the type....
s with an average age of 21.1 years. The first turboprop
Turboprop
A turboprop engine is a type of turbine engine which drives an aircraft propeller using a reduction gear.The gas turbine is designed specifically for this application, with almost all of its output being used to drive the propeller...
aircraft of that type was put in service with the airline in 1996.
Previously, airliners of the types Fokker F27 Friendship and Fairchild Hiller FH-227
Fairchild Hiller FH-227
The Fairchild F-27 and Fairchild Hiller FH-227 were versions of the Fokker F27 Friendship twin-engined turboprop passenger aircraft manufactured under license by Fairchild Hiller in the United States...
had formed part of the fleet, as well as smaller ones like Twin Otter
De Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter
The DHC-6 Twin Otter is a Canadian 19-passenger STOL utility aircraft developed by de Havilland Canada and currently produced by Viking Air. The aircraft's fixed tricycle undercarriage, STOL abilities and high rate of climb have made it a successful cargo, regional passenger airliner and MEDEVAC...
, Short 360 and Let L410 Turbolet.
Incidents
- On 4 April 1990, an Isleña Airlines de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin OtterDe Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin OtterThe DHC-6 Twin Otter is a Canadian 19-passenger STOL utility aircraft developed by de Havilland Canada and currently produced by Viking Air. The aircraft's fixed tricycle undercarriage, STOL abilities and high rate of climb have made it a successful cargo, regional passenger airliner and MEDEVAC...
(registeredAircraft registrationAn aircraft registration is a unique alphanumeric string that identifies a civil aircraft, in similar fashion to a licence plate on an automobile...
HR-ALH) landed in the water short off the runway at Útila Airport, following a scheduled passenger flight from La Ceiba with 18 passengers on board. The two pilots claimed to have been blinded by the sun, thus misjudging the remaining distance to the runway. All occupants of the aircraft could be saved. - On 3 March 1997, an Isleña Airlines Let L410 Turbolet (registered HR-IAS) did not gain sufficient height upon take-off from Golosón International AirportGolosón International AirportGolosón International Airport is an airport located on the western side of the city of La Ceiba, in the Atlántida Department on the north coast of Honduras. It is also known as La Ceiba Airport and Hector C. Moncada Air Base .-Facilities:The airport resides at an elevation of above mean sea level...
for a scheduled passenger flight to Puerto LempiraPuerto LempiraPuerto Lempira is the capital of the Gracias a Dios department in northeastern Honduras, located on the shores of the Caratasca Lagoon. Though it does not have paved roads, it is the largest town in the La Mosquitia region....
with 19 passengers on board. Following the retraction of the landing gear, the two pilots had applied a wrong engine power setup, and were forced to bring the aircraft down again in a belly landingBelly landingA belly landing or gear-up landing occurs when an aircraft lands without its landing gear fully extended and uses its underside, or belly, as its primary landing device...
, during which it was damaged beyond repair.