Aero Virgin Islands
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| Commenced operations | 1977 |
|---|---|
| Ceased operations | 1990 |
| Destinations | Caribbean |
| Headquarters | St. Thomas |
| Key people | Joseph A. Cranston, Manager; Mark K. Odiorne, founder; Reuben B. Wheatley, President |
Aero Virgin Islands was an airline based in St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands.
Aero Virgin Islands Corp. began operating in the Caribbean during the late 1970s. Operations specifications issued by the Federal Aviation Administration under the Federal Aviation Regulations, part 121 issued on March 2, 1977, specialized in inter-island flights to and from St.Thomas Harry S Truman Airport, Alexander Hamilton Airport on Saint Croix and Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The names of some of these airports have been changed over the years. The airline had scheduled flights to the three above Islands, plus charter flights to many points in the Caribbean. The airline used DC-3-202 airplanes in the early years for their flights. Around 1984, they began using the DC-3 A, B and C's (C-47). The aircraft, DC-3 A, B and C's were leased out of Puerto Rico and were formally Air BVI's fleet of aircraft.
Aero Virgin Islands' main competitor was the Puerto Rico based airline, Prinair, until 1984, when Prinair went bankrupt. Aero Virgin Islands was the major mover of passengers for the next few years. However, by middle 1989, most of the fleet was nonoperational with no engines on the aircraft. In September 1989, with only two DC-3 operating, Aero Virgin Islands suffered a setback when N28346 was destroyed in St. Thomas Cyril E. King Airport by Hurricane Hugo. Only the N5117X DC-3 (C-47) was able to be repaired of the damage it suffered during the hurricane and returned to service; it had been put in the hangar at Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport. The rest of the fleet outside on the ramp in San Juan Int'l Airport were totally destroyed by Hurricane Hugo.
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