Air Caraïbes
Encyclopedia
Air Caraïbes is the regional airline
of the French Caribbean
which comprises two overseas departments of France: Guadeloupe
and Martinique
. The airline is headquartered in Les Abymes
in Guadeloupe. It operates scheduled and charter services serving 13 islands in the West Indies. It also operates transatlantic flights to Paris
using Airbus A330
aircraft under the Air Caraïbes Atlantique
brand. The airline code shares with LIAT. Its main base is Pointe-à-Pitre International Airport
, with a hub at Le Lamentin Airport, Le Lamentin
, near Fort-de-France
.
, Air Martinique
, Air St Barthélémy, Air St Martin). In 2002, the company flew 445,000 passengers and had €68 million in revenues. It is part of the Carib Sky Alliance, an airline alliance
which comprises in addition to Air Caraïbes the following airlines: Leeward Islands Air Transport
and Winair (Windward Islands Airways).
It was established as Societe Caribéenne de Transports Aériens and started operations in September 1994. It started services to Paris from Guadeloupe and Martinique
in December 2003 using an Airbus A330-200
. The airline is owned by Groupe Dubreuil (85%) and has 627 employees (at March 2007).
Air Caraïbes Express uses Travel Technology Interactive's airline management system, Aeropack.
French Guiana
Haiti
Guadeloupe
Martinique
Saint Martin
(France)
Sint Maarten (Netherlands)
St Lucia
The Air Caraïbes(and Air Caraïbes Atlantique
)fleet includes the following aircraft (as of 7 May 2010)
At August 2006 the airline also operated: :
The airline also operated the following aircraft in the past:
Flight TX1601 was scheduled to leave at 1600 from Princess Juliana International Airport
(SXM), St Maarten, for the 15-minute flight to Gustaf III Airport
in Saint-Barthélemy, and crashed about 1,000 feet from the St Jean airport while on approach to the airport's Runway 10 in clear visibility at about 1630. The airport's runway is particularly short - about 2,170 feet - and pilots have to obtain a special DGAC certification to land there. Planes approaching the runway must make a quick descent and fly low over houses before landing. The airport's control tower gave the plane permission to land shortly before the crash. That was the last communication with the plane, which did not send out any distress signal. The aircraft had no cockpit voice recorder
, which may hamper the accident investigation. Most of the passengers are believed to be French
, though there was an American woman, a Dutch woman, two Belgians and one person with dual French and American citizenship. A pilot from Guadeloupe
was on board and another crew member, whose nationality was unknown. The aircraft registration was F-OGES, construction number was 254 and the build date was 1969.
Regional airline
Regional airlines are airlines that operate regional aircraft to provide passenger air service to communities without sufficient demand to attract mainline service...
of the French Caribbean
French Caribbean
The term French Caribbean varies in meaning with its usage and frame of reference. This ambiguity makes it very different from the term French West Indies, which refers to the specific, formal French possessions in the Caribbean region...
which comprises two overseas departments of France: Guadeloupe
Guadeloupe
Guadeloupe is an archipelago located in the Leeward Islands, in the Lesser Antilles, with a land area of 1,628 square kilometres and a population of 400,000. It is the first overseas region of France, consisting of a single overseas department. As with the other overseas departments, Guadeloupe...
and Martinique
Martinique
Martinique is an island in the eastern Caribbean Sea, with a land area of . Like Guadeloupe, it is an overseas region of France, consisting of a single overseas department. To the northwest lies Dominica, to the south St Lucia, and to the southeast Barbados...
. The airline is headquartered in Les Abymes
Les Abymes
Les Abymes is the most populated commune in the French overseas region and department of Guadeloupe, in the Lesser Antilles. It is located on the west side of the island of Grande-Terre, and is part of the metropolitan area of Pointe-à-Pitre, the largest urban area in Guadeloupe.Pointe-à-Pitre...
in Guadeloupe. It operates scheduled and charter services serving 13 islands in the West Indies. It also operates transatlantic flights to Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
using Airbus A330
Airbus A330
The Airbus A330 is a wide-body twin-engine jet airliner made by Airbus, a division of EADS. Versions of the A330 have a range of and can accommodate up to 335 passengers in a two-class layout or carry of cargo....
aircraft under the Air Caraïbes Atlantique
Air Caraïbes Atlantique
Air Caraïbes Atlantique is the airline of the French Caribbean with a European hub at Orly Airport, Paris.- Services :Air Caraïbes Atlantique operates the following services :...
brand. The airline code shares with LIAT. Its main base is Pointe-à-Pitre International Airport
Pointe-à-Pitre International Airport
Pointe-à-Pitre International Airport or Pointe-à-Pitre Le Raizet Airport is an airport serving Pointe-à-Pitre on the island of Grande-Terre in Guadeloupe. The airport is located in Abymes, north-northeast of Pointe-à-Pitre. It is the main hub for Air Caraïbes and Air Antilles Express. It is the...
, with a hub at Le Lamentin Airport, Le Lamentin
Le Lamentin
Le Lamentin is a town and the second-largest commune in the French overseas department of Martinique.It is located in the center of the island of Martinique, and is part of the metropolitan area of Fort-de-France, the largest conurbation in Martinique. In the 1999 census, Le Lamentin had a...
, near Fort-de-France
Fort-de-France
Fort-de-France is the capital of France's Caribbean overseas department of Martinique. It is also one of the major cities in the Caribbean. Exports include sugar, rum, tinned fruit, and cacao.-Geography:...
.
History
Air Caraïbes started out of the necessity to have a regional airline responding to the needs of the French Caribbean territories. The company was founded in July 2000 through the merger of various local airlines (Air GuadeloupeAir Guadeloupe
Air Guadeloupe was a small international airline with its head office in Les Abymes, Guadeloupe. At one period it was on the property of Le Raizet Airport. Later it was located in the Immeuble Le Caducet.-Company history:...
, Air Martinique
Air Martinique
Air Martinique was an airline based in the island of Martinique in the Lesser Antilles. Its head office was on the grounds of Fort-de-France Airport in Le Lamentin.-Company history:...
, Air St Barthélémy, Air St Martin). In 2002, the company flew 445,000 passengers and had €68 million in revenues. It is part of the Carib Sky Alliance, an airline alliance
Airline alliance
An airline alliance is an agreement between two or more airlines to cooperate on a substantial level. The three largest passenger alliances are the Star Alliance, SkyTeam and Oneworld. Alliances also form between cargo airlines, such as that of WOW Alliance, SkyTeam Cargo and ANA/UPS Alliance...
which comprises in addition to Air Caraïbes the following airlines: Leeward Islands Air Transport
Leeward Islands Air Transport
Leeward Islands Air Transport, known as LIAT, is an airline headquartered on the grounds of V. C. Bird International Airport in Saint George Parish, Antigua. It operates high-frequency interisland scheduled services serving 22 destinations in the Caribbean...
and Winair (Windward Islands Airways).
It was established as Societe Caribéenne de Transports Aériens and started operations in September 1994. It started services to Paris from Guadeloupe and Martinique
Martinique
Martinique is an island in the eastern Caribbean Sea, with a land area of . Like Guadeloupe, it is an overseas region of France, consisting of a single overseas department. To the northwest lies Dominica, to the south St Lucia, and to the southeast Barbados...
in December 2003 using an Airbus A330-200
Airbus A330
The Airbus A330 is a wide-body twin-engine jet airliner made by Airbus, a division of EADS. Versions of the A330 have a range of and can accommodate up to 335 passengers in a two-class layout or carry of cargo....
. The airline is owned by Groupe Dubreuil (85%) and has 627 employees (at March 2007).
Air Caraïbes Express uses Travel Technology Interactive's airline management system, Aeropack.
Services
Air Caraïbes serve the following destinations http://www.aircaraibes.com/carte.cfm:- 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...
- 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...
- Grantley Adams International Airport
- BrazilBrazilBrazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
- BelémBelémBelém is a Brazilian city, the capital and largest city of state of Pará, in the country's north region. It is the entrance gate to the Amazon with a busy port, airport and bus/coach station...
- Val de Cães International AirportVal de Cães International AirportBelém-Val de Cães/Júlio Cezar Ribeiro International Airport is the main airport serving Belém, Brazil. Val de Cães, the name of the neighborhood where the airport is located, is the most common spelling although Val de Cans is also considered correct...
- Belém
- CubaCubaThe Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
- HavanaHavanaHavana is the capital city, province, major port, and leading commercial centre of Cuba. The city proper has a population of 2.1 million inhabitants, and it spans a total of — making it the largest city in the Caribbean region, and the most populous...
- José Martí International AirportJosé Martí International AirportJosé Martí International Airport , sometimes known by its former name Rancho-Boyeros Airport, is located southwest of Havana, Cuba, and is a hub for Cubana de Aviación, Aerogaviota and Aero Caribbean, and former Latin American hub for Aeroflot Soviet Airlines...
- Havana
- Dominican RepublicDominican RepublicThe Dominican Republic is a nation on the island of La Hispaniola, part of the Greater Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean region. The western third of the island is occupied by the nation of Haiti, making Hispaniola one of two Caribbean islands that are shared by two countries...
- Santo DomingoSanto DomingoSanto Domingo, known officially as Santo Domingo de Guzmán, is the capital and largest city in the Dominican Republic. Its metropolitan population was 2,084,852 in 2003, and estimated at 3,294,385 in 2010. The city is located on the Caribbean Sea, at the mouth of the Ozama River...
- Las Américas International AirportLas Américas International Airport-Cargo airlines:-Accidents and incidents:*On February 15, 1970, a Dominicana de Aviación DC-9 flying to Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport in San Juan, Puerto Rico, crashed, killing all 102 persons on board ....
- Santo Domingo
- FranceFranceThe French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
- Paris-Orly Airport
French Guiana
French Guiana is an overseas region of France, consisting of a single overseas department located on the northern Atlantic coast of South America. It has borders with two nations, Brazil to the east and south, and Suriname to the west...
- Cayenne-Rochambeau AirportCayenne-Rochambeau AirportCayenne - Rochambeau Airport is French Guiana's main international airport. It is located in the commune of Matoury, southwest of French Guiana's capital city of Cayenne. Air Guyane Express has its head office on the airport property.-Facilities:...
Haiti
Haiti , officially the Republic of Haiti , is a Caribbean country. It occupies the western, smaller portion of the island of Hispaniola, in the Greater Antillean archipelago, which it shares with the Dominican Republic. Ayiti was the indigenous Taíno or Amerindian name for the island...
- Port-au-PrincePort-au-PrincePort-au-Prince is the capital and largest city of the Caribbean nation of Haiti. The city's population was 704,776 as of the 2003 census, and was officially estimated to have reached 897,859 in 2009....
- Toussaint Louverture International Airport
Guadeloupe
Guadeloupe is an archipelago located in the Leeward Islands, in the Lesser Antilles, with a land area of 1,628 square kilometres and a population of 400,000. It is the first overseas region of France, consisting of a single overseas department. As with the other overseas departments, Guadeloupe...
- Îles des SaintesÎles des SaintesThe Îles des Saintes , also called simply Les Saintes , is a small archipelago of French Antilles located in the South of Basse-Terre Island, on the West of Marie-Galante and in the North of Dominica in the arc of Lesser Antilles...
– Terre-de-Haut Airport - Marie-GalanteMarie-GalanteMarie-Galante is an island of the Caribbean Sea located at the south of Guadeloupe and at north of Dominica. Marie-Galante is a dependence of Guadeloupe which is a french overseas department....
– Les Bases Airport - Pointe-à-PitrePointe-à-PitrePointe-à-Pitre is the largest city of Guadeloupe, an overseas région and département of France located in the Lesser Antilles, of which it is a sous-préfecture, being the seat of the Arrondissement of Pointe-à-Pitre....
- Le Raizet Airport Hub
Martinique
Martinique is an island in the eastern Caribbean Sea, with a land area of . Like Guadeloupe, it is an overseas region of France, consisting of a single overseas department. To the northwest lies Dominica, to the south St Lucia, and to the southeast Barbados...
- Fort-de-FranceFort-de-FranceFort-de-France is the capital of France's Caribbean overseas department of Martinique. It is also one of the major cities in the Caribbean. Exports include sugar, rum, tinned fruit, and cacao.-Geography:...
- Le Lamentin Airport
Saint Martin
Saint Martin is an island in the northeast Caribbean, approximately east of Puerto Rico. The 87 km2 island is divided roughly 60/40 between France and the Kingdom of the Netherlands ; however, the Dutch side has the larger population. It is one of the smallest sea islands divided between...
(France)
- Grand CaseMarigot, Saint MartinMarigot is the main town and capital on the French side of the Caribbean island of Saint Martin.-History and features:Originally a fishing village on a swamp for which it was named, Marigot was made capital during the reign of King Louis XVI, who built Fort St. Louis on a hill near Marigot Bay...
- L'Esperance AirportL'Espérance AirportL'Espérance Airport , also known as Grand Case Airport , is a public use airport located in Grand Case, on the French side of the Caribbean island of Saint Martin...
- PhilipsburgPhilipsburg, Netherlands AntillesPhilipsburg is the main town and capital of the country of Sint Maarten, on a narrow stretch of land between Great Bay and the Great Salt Pond. It functions as the commercial center of Saint Martin island, whereof Sint Maarten encompasses the southern half...
- 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,...
- CastriesCastriesCastries , population 10,634, aggl. 37,963 , is the capital city of Saint Lucia, a country in the Caribbean. The district with the same name had a population of 61,341 in 2001-05-22, and stretches over an area of ....
- George F. L. Charles AirportGeorge F. L. Charles Airport- Charter :-Cargo Services:* Federal Express* DHL* Ameriflight* Corporate Air...
Fleet
Air Caraïbes Atlantique
Air Caraïbes Atlantique is the airline of the French Caribbean with a European hub at Orly Airport, Paris.- Services :Air Caraïbes Atlantique operates the following services :...
)fleet includes the following aircraft (as of 7 May 2010)
| Aircraft | Total | Orders | Passengers | Notes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| J | Y+ | Y | Total | ||||
| Airbus A330-200 Airbus A330 The Airbus A330 is a wide-body twin-engine jet airliner made by Airbus, a division of EADS. Versions of the A330 have a range of and can accommodate up to 335 passengers in a two-class layout or carry of cargo.... |
1 | 0 | 12 | 0 | 312 | 324 | |
| Airbus A330-300 Airbus A330 The Airbus A330 is a wide-body twin-engine jet airliner made by Airbus, a division of EADS. Versions of the A330 have a range of and can accommodate up to 335 passengers in a two-class layout or carry of cargo.... |
4 | 0 | 18 | 39 | 307 | 364 | |
| ATR 72-500 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 70 | 70 | |
| Embraer E-190 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100 | 100 | |
| Total | 8 | 0 | |||||
Previously operated
Air Caraïbes has operated the following aircraft types:At August 2006 the airline also operated: :
- 1 ATR-42
- 1 Embraer ERJ-145 MP
- 1 Embraer 175LREmbraer E-JetsThe Embraer E-Jets are a series of narrow-body, twin-engine, medium-range, jet airliners produced by Embraer, a Brazilian aerospace conglomerate that produces commercial, military, and corporate aircraft. Announced at the Paris Air Show in 1999, and entering production in 2002, the aircraft series...
- 1 GAF N24A NomadGAF NomadThe GAF Nomad is a twin-engine turboprop, high-winged, "short take off and landing" aircraft . It was designed and built by the Australian Government Aircraft Factories at Fishermens Bend, Melbourne. Major users of the design have included the Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia, the...
- 3 Dornier 228-200Dornier Do 228The Dornier 228 is a twin-turboprop STOL utility aircraft, manufactured by Dornier GmbH from 1981 until 1998. In 1983, Hindustan Aeronautics bought a production licence and manufactures the 228 for the Asian market sphere. Approximately 270 Do 228 were built at Oberpfaffenhofen, Germany and...
configured for Y19
The airline also operated the following aircraft in the past:
- 1 Cessna CitationCessna CitationThe Cessna Citation is a marketing name used by Cessna for its line of business jets. Rather than one particular model of aircraft, the name applies to several "families" of turbofan-powered aircraft that have been produced over the years...
configured for Y7 - 3 Cessna 208 CaravanCessna 208The Cessna 208 Caravan is a single turboprop engine, fixed-gear short-haul regional airliner and utility aircraft built in the United States by Cessna. The airplane typically seats nine passengers, with a single person crew, although with a FAR Part 23 waiver, it can seat up to fourteen passengers...
configured for Y9 - 1 DHC-6-300 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...
configured for Y18
Incidents and accidents
Twenty people died after an Air Caraïbes DHC-6 Twin Otter crashed on 24 March 2001 into a house on the "Col de la Tourmente" in the upmarket French holiday island of St Barts killing all 19 adult people on board (17 passengers and two pilots) and Augustin Questel, an 81-year old man in the house. The man's wife was injured http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0CWU/is_2001_May_9/ai_74358715.Flight TX1601 was scheduled to leave at 1600 from Princess Juliana International Airport
Princess Juliana International Airport
Princess 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,...
(SXM), St Maarten, for the 15-minute flight to Gustaf III Airport
Gustaf III Airport
-Charter:-Incidents and accidents:*A Piper PA-23 Aztec attempted the tricky runway 10 landing on May 23, 2009, eventually touching down from the departure end of the runway. Amateur video of the crash sequence shows the plane approaching higher and faster than usual before making the dive for the...
in Saint-Barthélemy, and crashed about 1,000 feet from the St Jean airport while on approach to the airport's Runway 10 in clear visibility at about 1630. The airport's runway is particularly short - about 2,170 feet - and pilots have to obtain a special DGAC certification to land there. Planes approaching the runway must make a quick descent and fly low over houses before landing. The airport's control tower gave the plane permission to land shortly before the crash. That was the last communication with the plane, which did not send out any distress signal. The aircraft had no cockpit voice recorder
Cockpit voice recorder
A cockpit voice recorder , often referred to as a "black box", is a flight recorder used to record the audio environment in the flight deck of an aircraft for the purpose of investigation of accidents and incidents...
, which may hamper the accident investigation. Most of the passengers are believed to be French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, though there was an American woman, a Dutch woman, two Belgians and one person with dual French and American citizenship. A pilot from Guadeloupe
Guadeloupe
Guadeloupe is an archipelago located in the Leeward Islands, in the Lesser Antilles, with a land area of 1,628 square kilometres and a population of 400,000. It is the first overseas region of France, consisting of a single overseas department. As with the other overseas departments, Guadeloupe...
was on board and another crew member, whose nationality was unknown. The aircraft registration was F-OGES, construction number was 254 and the build date was 1969.