Vieques Air Link
Encyclopedia
Vieques Air Link is a small Puerto Rican
airline company that links Vieques with Culebra
and mainland Puerto Rico
.
aircraft and another airplane were also acquired later, allowing the airline to serve Isla Verde International Airport
.
In 1968, Vieques Air Link added a flight to St. Croix in the Virgin Islands
.
In 1980 Fajardo airport was built and Vieques Air Link started flights to the new airport immediately. In the 1980s the company increased the frequency of flights to San Juan
, Humacao and Culebra. In 1989, Vieques Air Link lost its whole fleet to Hurricane Hugo
. However, it soon acquired seven Britten-Norman
Islanders
and three Trislanders
.
In the 1990s VAL got into financial trouble. With the Vieques conflict, more and more Puerto Ricans
began flying Vieques Air Link every day to go to military camps to protest, and the police also had to fly their personnel and the people arrested in those areas on VAL planes at various times. Others, like political leaders Ruben Berrios
and Fernando Martín, and the 2002 Miss Puerto Rico
, who is from Vieques, have had pictures taken by the press aboard VAL planes while flying to Vieques, giving the airline a new wave of unpaid-for promotional attention.
In 2008, VAL started a new route between VQS and the new José Aponte de la Torre Airport
(JAT) at the former Roosevelt Roads Naval Base, shortening the flight between Vieques and the isla grande to seven to eight minutes in a Caravan.
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
airline company that links Vieques with Culebra
Culebra, Puerto Rico
Isla Culebra is an island-municipality of Puerto Rico originally called Isla Pasaje and Isla de San Ildefonso. It is located approximately east of the Puerto Rican mainland, west of St. Thomas and north of Vieques. Culebra is spread over 5 wards and Culebra Pueblo...
and mainland Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
.
History
Operations began on 1965, with owner Osvaldo "Val" Gonzalez-Duriex piloting a plane with three passengers from Vieques to Humacao. A CherokeeCherokee
The Cherokee are a Native American people historically settled in the Southeastern United States . Linguistically, they are part of the Iroquoian language family...
aircraft and another airplane were also acquired later, allowing the airline to serve Isla Verde International Airport
Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport
Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport is a joint civil-military public airport located in Carolina, Puerto Rico, three miles southeast of San Juan. Over 4 million passengers board a plane at the airport per year according to FAA reports . It is owned and managed by the Puerto Rico Ports...
.
In 1968, Vieques Air Link added a flight to St. Croix in the Virgin Islands
Virgin Islands
The Virgin Islands are the western island group of the Leeward Islands, which are the northern part of the Lesser Antilles, which form the border between the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean...
.
In 1980 Fajardo airport was built and Vieques Air Link started flights to the new airport immediately. In the 1980s the company increased the frequency of flights to San Juan
San Juan, Puerto Rico
San Juan , officially Municipio de la Ciudad Capital San Juan Bautista , is the capital and most populous municipality in Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 395,326 making it the 46th-largest city under the jurisdiction of...
, Humacao and Culebra. In 1989, Vieques Air Link lost its whole fleet to Hurricane Hugo
Hurricane Hugo
Hurricane Hugo was a classical, destructive and rare Cape Verde-type hurricane which struck the Caribbean islands of Guadeloupe, Montserrat, St. Croix, Puerto Rico and the USA mainland in South Carolina as a Category 4 hurricane during September of the 1989 Atlantic hurricane season...
. However, it soon acquired seven Britten-Norman
Britten-Norman
Britten-Norman is a British aircraft manufacturer owned by members of the Zawawi family from the Sultanate of Oman, making it the last remaining UK independent commercial aircraft producer....
Islanders
Britten-Norman Islander
The Britten-Norman BN-2 Islander is a 1960s British light utility aircraft, regional airliner and cargo aircraft designed and originally manufactured by Britten-Norman of the United Kingdom. The Islander is one of the best-selling commercial aircraft types produced in Europe. Although designed in...
and three Trislanders
Britten-Norman Trislander
*LIAT*Montserrat Air Services*Air Queensland*Eagle Airways*Aero Services*Cayman Airways*TAVINA*Vision Air*Bali Int. Air Service*Trans Jamaican Airlines*Aero Cozumel*Great Barrier Airlines*Aero Taxi Intl*Aviones de Panama...
.
In the 1990s VAL got into financial trouble. With the Vieques conflict, more and more Puerto Ricans
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
began flying Vieques Air Link every day to go to military camps to protest, and the police also had to fly their personnel and the people arrested in those areas on VAL planes at various times. Others, like political leaders Ruben Berrios
Rubén Berríos
Rubén Ángel Berríos Martínez is a lawyer, a Puerto Rican politician, and the current president of the Puerto Rican Independence Party...
and Fernando Martín, and the 2002 Miss Puerto Rico
Miss Puerto Rico
Miss Puerto Rico is the common name or sash used to identify a Puerto Rican representative in an international pageant. Currently, Miss Universe Puerto Rico, Miss Mundo de Puerto Rico and Miss Earth Puerto Rico are the official national preliminaries to the Miss Universe, Miss World and Miss Earth...
, who is from Vieques, have had pictures taken by the press aboard VAL planes while flying to Vieques, giving the airline a new wave of unpaid-for promotional attention.
In 2008, VAL started a new route between VQS and the new José Aponte de la Torre Airport
José Aponte de la Torre Airport
José Aponte de la Torre Airport is a public use airport owned by Puerto Rico Ports Authority and located from the central business district of Ceiba, a town in Puerto Rico....
(JAT) at the former Roosevelt Roads Naval Base, shortening the flight between Vieques and the isla grande to seven to eight minutes in a Caravan.
Destinations
Vieques Air Link provides service at the following locations:- ViequesVieques, Puerto RicoVieques , in full Isla de Vieques, is an island–municipality of Puerto Rico in the northeastern Caribbean, part of an island grouping sometimes known as the Spanish Virgin Islands...
(VQS) - Antonio Rivera Rodríguez AirportAntonio Rivera Rodríguez AirportAntonio Rivera Rodríguez Airport is a small commercial air facility on the island of Vieques, Puerto Rico. Because a large amount of Vieques' yearly revenue comes from the tourism industry, this small airport plays an important part in Vieques' economic outlook.The airport has been for decades the... - CeibaCeiba, Puerto RicoCeiba is a small town in northeast Puerto Rico. It is named after the famous Ceiba tree. Ceiba is located in the east coast of the island, bordering the Atlantic Ocean, north of Naguabo, south of Fajardo, and east of Río Grande. It is located about one hour's driving distance from San Juan...
(RVR) - José Aponte de la Torre AirportJosé Aponte de la Torre AirportJosé Aponte de la Torre Airport is a public use airport owned by Puerto Rico Ports Authority and located from the central business district of Ceiba, a town in Puerto Rico.... - CulebraCulebra, Puerto RicoIsla Culebra is an island-municipality of Puerto Rico originally called Isla Pasaje and Isla de San Ildefonso. It is located approximately east of the Puerto Rican mainland, west of St. Thomas and north of Vieques. Culebra is spread over 5 wards and Culebra Pueblo...
(CPX) - Benjamín Rivera Noriega AirportBenjamín Rivera Noriega Airport- Incidents and accidents :On July 1, 2011, a Cessna 185 that took off from Benjamin Rivera Noriega airport with a family of five on board, registration number N8438Q, crashed while on its way to Mercedita Airport in Ponce. One body was found in Humacao. The other four passengers are presumed dead.... - Isla Grande (San JuanSan Juan, Puerto RicoSan Juan , officially Municipio de la Ciudad Capital San Juan Bautista , is the capital and most populous municipality in Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 395,326 making it the 46th-largest city under the jurisdiction of...
) (SIG) - Fernando Luis Ribas Dominicci AirportFernando Luis Ribas Dominicci Airport-Accidents and incidents:*On April 11, 1952 Pan Am Flight 526A crashed into the sea just after take off due to engine failure, killing 52 out of 69 passengers and crew.... - San JuanSan Juan, Puerto RicoSan Juan , officially Municipio de la Ciudad Capital San Juan Bautista , is the capital and most populous municipality in Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 395,326 making it the 46th-largest city under the jurisdiction of...
(SJU) - Luis Muñoz Marín International AirportLuis Muñoz Marín International AirportLuis Muñoz Marín International Airport is a joint civil-military public airport located in Carolina, Puerto Rico, three miles southeast of San Juan. Over 4 million passengers board a plane at the airport per year according to FAA reports . It is owned and managed by the Puerto Rico Ports... - St. Croix, USVI (STX) - Henry E. Rohlsen Airport
- St. Thomas, USVI (STT) - Cyril E. King AirportCyril E. King Airport-Cargo:*Ameriflight *Four Star Aviation*FedEx-Accidents and incidents:On December 28, 1970, Trans Caribbean Airways Flight 505 made a hard landing and ran off the side of the runway. Two of the 48 passengers died in the subsequent fire....
Fleet
- 3 - Cessna Caravan
- 5 - Britten-Norman IslanderBritten-Norman IslanderThe Britten-Norman BN-2 Islander is a 1960s British light utility aircraft, regional airliner and cargo aircraft designed and originally manufactured by Britten-Norman of the United Kingdom. The Islander is one of the best-selling commercial aircraft types produced in Europe. Although designed in...
- 2 - Britten-Norman TrislanderBritten-Norman Trislander*LIAT*Montserrat Air Services*Air Queensland*Eagle Airways*Aero Services*Cayman Airways*TAVINA*Vision Air*Bali Int. Air Service*Trans Jamaican Airlines*Aero Cozumel*Great Barrier Airlines*Aero Taxi Intl*Aviones de Panama...
Accidents
- December 21, 1971 - an Islander, N589JA, with 1 crew and 7 passengers crashed at Culebra airport. Upon landing, The aircraft bounced on landing. The pilot initiated a go-around over hills. The aircraft was unable to clear a house and crashed.
- December 19, 1977 - an Islander, N862JA, crashed en route from St. Croix to Vieques when both engines flamed out due to fuel exhaustion. The aircraft was ditched off Vieques. There were 9 passengers and a pilot on board. Five were killed and the aircraft was written off.
- August 2, 1984 - an Islander, N589SA, crashed on initial climb out of Vieques en route to St. Croix. The Islander was overloaded by 600-700 pounds when it departed Vieques. Also, its centre of gravity was up to 5 inches behind the aft limit. After takeoff the left engine lost power. It lost altitude, banked abruptly to the left, nosed down and crashed into the ocean. It appeared that the fuel had been contaminated with water. On board were the pilot and 8 passengers, all were killed.
- September 21, 1989 - the following Islanders were damaged beyond repair by Hurricane HugoHurricane HugoHurricane Hugo was a classical, destructive and rare Cape Verde-type hurricane which struck the Caribbean islands of Guadeloupe, Montserrat, St. Croix, Puerto Rico and the USA mainland in South Carolina as a Category 4 hurricane during September of the 1989 Atlantic hurricane season...
.- N112JC
- N290VL
- N457SA
- November 19, 1999, N907VL, an Islander was damaged beyond repair at Anguilla Wallblake AirportAnguilla Wallblake AirportThe Clayton J. Lloyd International Airport is a small international airport located on the island of Anguilla, a British Overseas Territory in the Caribbean. It is located very close to The Valley, the island's capital. Wallblake Airport is also a featured airport in one of the Flight Simulator X...
by Hurricane LennyHurricane LennyHurricane Lenny was the strongest November Atlantic hurricane on record. It was the twelfth tropical storm, eighth hurricane, and record-breaking fifth Category 4 hurricane in the 1999 Atlantic hurricane season. Lenny formed on November 13 in the western Caribbean Sea, and maintained an...
.
See also
- Transportation in Puerto Rico#Airlines based in Puerto Rico
- List of airports in Puerto Rico