BWIA West Indies Airways
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BWIA West Indies Airways, called "B-wee" by locals, is the national airline of Trinidad and Tobago. It is the largest airline operating out of the Caribbean, operating direct services to the USA, Canada, and the UK. Its main base is Piarco International Airport (POS), Port of Spain, with a hub at Grantley Adams International Airport (BGI) and Cheddi Jagan International Airport (GEO) as of 2006.
History
British West Indian Airways was established on 27 November 1940 by New Zealander Lowell Yerex. 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 name 'BWIA' 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 Viscounts were introduced in 1955 with Bristol Britannias 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.
For BWIA the jet age began in 1967 with the introduction of Boeing 727s, 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 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.
By 1994 the airline had become partially privatised. A substantial reorganisation of its route network left London and Frankfurt the only European 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.
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In the early 2000s BWIA changed its livery to a new colorful Caribbean green/blue color with its famous steelpan trademark, the national musical instrument of its home base. The fleet has 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 provides 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 earns roughly US$276 million per year, employs 2,350 staff, has 70 daily flights, and carries 8,100 tonnes (17,900,000 pounds) of air cargo per year. Its inflight magazine, Caribbean Beat, is well-regarded. However, BWIA has also been plagued by losses and has a history of continuous injections of funds from the government of Trinidad and Tobago. The airline has filed for an IPO, although no date has been set.
The airline is now owned by the Government of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago (75%) and private shareholders (25%) and has 2,588 employees (at January 2005). It also has holdings in other airlines: Tobago Express (45%) and LIAT (23.6%).
BWIA's Pilots are represented by the Trinidad and Tobago Air Line Pilots' Association (TTALPA), which is affiliated to IFALPA. TTALPA is also part of the regional Caribbean Air Line Pilots' Association (C-ALPA), whose web site is located at http://www.caribbeanalpa.com/
Network/ Destinations
BWIA operates the following services (at November 2005):
- Domestic scheduled destinations: Port of Spain and Tobago.
- International scheduled destinations: Antigua, Grenada, Barbados, Georgetown, Kingston, London Heathrow, Miami, New York (JFK), Paramaribo, St Lucia, St. Maarten, St. Vincent, Toronto and Washington (IAD).
Fleet
The BWIA fleet consists of the following aircraft (at November 2005):
- 2 Airbus A340-300 (Leased from Air Canada & Virgin Atlantic Airways)
- 7 Boeing 737-800 (Leased from the ILFC and GECAS Leasing agencies)
External links
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