Aviation in Puerto Rico

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Aviation in Puerto Rico has a complex and long history, almost as long as the history of aviation itself. Puerto Rican aviation history has been filled with events, well-known characters and airline companies which have shaped the country's transportation services and the way people travel between cities and to other countries.

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History of aviation in Puerto Rico

Before aviation became a popular means of travel in Puerto Rico, most Puerto Ricans and foreigners in the Puerto Rican archipelago did their travel to cities on the Puerto Rican islands by train [1] (and sometimes by horse or carriages), except when boats were needed (such as travel to the island-cities of Culebra and Vieques) from around the 1870s to around 1926.

Félix Rigau Carrera, a Puerto Rican, became the first Hispanic pilot in the United States Marine Corps and is considered to be the first Puerto Rican airplane pilot. [2]

During 1911, Ted Schrive and George Smith, two American pilots, landed an airplane in Puerto Rico, becoming the first two pilots to land a plane in the Caribbean country. [3]

On February 2, 1928, American pilot Charles Lindbergh flew to San Juan on his Spirit of St. Louis airplane, as part of a goodwill tour through the Americas. He arrived from St. Thomas, United States Virgin Islands and took off on February 4 on a flight to Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. [4]

Clara Livingston, an American aviator, moved to her father's property in the town of Dorado during the 1930s, eventually receiving her friend Amelia Earhart at that property (see below). Ms. Livingston began flying for the Women's Army Corps and she made flights to Puerto Rico for the U.S. Army Air Corps, which led to her letting the Air Corps build an airport at her Dorado property, the Dorado Airport. [5] Dorado Airport later became a commercial airport that received airline flights by Caribair and by Crown Air (later to become Dorado Wings). During the 2000s, Dorado Airport was bulldozed and an aviation-themed community park exists in the area now, which commemorates Ms. Livingston and the area's past as a commercial airport.

In 1936, ANPRI, later known as Puertorriqueña de Avíacion, started services from an airport in what later became Residencial Las Casas to other Puerto Rican cities (including some that lacked airports like Guanica and Guayama), and to other nearby islands, using a hydroplane for water landings. [6]

By 1938, Dennis Powelson, who was a company pilot for the famed Don Q Puerto Rican rum brand, had established his own airline, Powelson Airlines (the later to be known as Caribair). The airline would provide Aerovías Nacionales (ANPRI) with stiff competition; from May 15 to May 21, 1938, the USPS organized a race between the two airlines in order to give the winning airline air mail routes. Aerovías Nacionales' airplane was not able to perform its duty and Felix Juan Serrallés Sanchez (1911-1985), who took off from Mercedita Airport in Ponce, won the race for the Powelson Airlines.

Pan American World Airways was operating services to the island using an air strip located in Isla Grande, San Juan, (near Cataño), late in the 1930s before, during World War II, the United States military decided to build an air station there, Naval Air Station Isla Grande. Shortly after the end of that war, in 1945, the air station, since known as Isla Grande airport, started getting used by other commercial airlines. Airlines such as Deutsche Luft Hansa, Iberia and Delta flew to Isla Grande airport.

In 1937, Amelia Earhart made a stop at Isla Grande airport, which had yet to be known by that name. [5] Earhart spent the night at her friend Livingston's Dorado property.

In 1939, an air field was inaugurated in Aguadilla, at Puerto Rico's northwest coast. This air field would become the Ramey Air Force Base in 1948, and, later yet, in 1973, the Rafael Hernandez Airport.

Isla Grande airport handled propeller-driven aircraft that were in use during the 1930s and 1940s, but it was not prepared to receive jet aircraft such as the Boeing 707 that would become the staple of the fleets of many airlines worldwide in the up-coming years, so the Puerto Rican government began construction of a new airport, to be located in Isla Verde, a Carolina area near Carolina's city border with San Juan. The new airport, Isla Verde International airport, opened in 1954 with an inauguration address by governor Luis Muñoz Marin; it would be renamed after Marin in 1985, five years after his death. The Luis Muñoz Marin International airport allowed for jets such as Boeing 747, Douglas DC-10, Lockheed L-1011 Tri-Stars and others, such as Airbus A320, Boeing 727 and 737, etc. to land from North, Central and South America, Europe and other Caribbean countries in Puerto Rico, and thus, subsequently, additional airlines like Aerolineas Argentinas and KLM started services to the island.

Pan Am used Isla Verde airport as a hub; starting in 1969, Puerto Rico's unofficial flag carrier, Prinair, also used that airport as a hub, until it ceased operations in 1984. Prinair had started flying initially from Ponce Airport during 1966; it has restarted operations twice since it ceased flying in 1984 and as of 2022 was flying from Rafael Hernandez Airport in Aguadilla. Other airlines that have used Luis Muñoz Marin International airport as a hub include Eastern Airlines, American Airlines, JetBlue, Caribair, Aeronaves de Puerto Rico, Trans Caribbean Airways, Oceanair, Diaz Aviation (also known as Air Puerto Rico and by other names) and TWA.

Meanwhile, one year after Isla Verde Airport was inaugurated in the northern city of San Juan, to the south, at Puerto Rico's second largest city, the city of Ponce, Mercedita Airport was inaugurated in 1955. Mercedita airport became an international airport in 1990.

In 1983, Eastern Airlines opened a major terminal at Luis Muñoz Marin International Airport which it would use as a major operations center for Eastern's and Eastern Metro Express Airlines' operations from Puerto Rico to the United States and some Caribbean nations, and to domestic destinations in Puerto Rico. In 1987, American Airlines would obtain that terminal from Eastern and American and American Eagle Airlines used the terminal in the same role as Eastern had before.

During the early 1990s, a group of enthusiasts dedicated themselves to find one of Delta Airlines's five original DC-3s to restore it to flying conditions and found one, Delta Ship 41, (the airline's second DC-3) in Puerto Rico flying for Diaz Aviation (under the name Air Puerto Rico). Delta bought the airplane back and it was returned to the airline in June 1993. [7] During 2018, Delta celebrated its 65th year of non-stop services to Puerto Rico, which had become the Latin American spot that had received Delta services non-stop for the longest time in the airline's history. [8]

Commercial airports

Puerto Rico has a number of commercial airports located through the archipelago. Below is a list of those:

Closed commercial airports

Major accidents and incidents

Puerto Rico has been the scene of a number of aviation accidents and incidents. The following is a list of some of the most notable ones:

See also

Related Research Articles

Transportation in Puerto Rico includes a system of roads, highways, freeways, airports, ports and harbors, and railway systems, serving a population of approximately 4 million year-round. It is funded primarily with both local and federal government funds.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport</span> Airport near San Juan, Puerto Rico

Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport is a joint civil-military international airport located in suburban Carolina, Puerto Rico, three miles (5 km) southeast of San Juan. It is named for Luis Muñoz Marín, Puerto Rico's first democratically elected governor, and was known as Isla Verde International Airport until it was renamed in February 1985. It is the busiest airport in the Caribbean region by passenger traffic. Over 4 million passengers board a plane at the airport per year according to the Federal Aviation Administration, making it the 48th busiest airport overseen by said federal agency.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Prinair</span> Puerto Rican airline company

Prinair is a Puerto Rican charter operator airline. It was Puerto Rico's domestic and international flag carrier airline for almost two decades from the mid-1960s to the mid-1980s. Despite previously ceasing scheduled commercial operations twice, it restarted charter flights in 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vieques Air Link</span> Puerto Rican airline

Vieques Air Link is a small Puerto Rico-based airline that links Vieques and Culebra with mainland Puerto Rico.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mercedita International Airport</span> Airport in Ponce, Puerto Rico

Mercedita International Airport is a public use international airport located three nautical miles (6 km) east of the central business district of Ponce, Puerto Rico. The airport covers 270 cuerdas of land and has one runway. It was inaugurated as an international airport on 1 November 1990. It was built with combined funds from the Municipality of Ponce and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rafael Hernández Airport</span> Airport in Aguadilla, Puerto Rico

Rafael Hernández International Airport is a joint civil-military airport located in Aguadilla, Puerto Rico. It is named after the Puerto Rican composer Rafael Hernández Marín. It is Puerto Rico's second largest international airport in terms of passenger movement. It is located in Porta del Sol tourist region, in Puerto Rico's west coast. It is also home to Coast Guard Air Station Borinquen and to the Caribbean Branch of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Air and Marine Operations. The airport has the longest runway in the Caribbean region.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fernando Luis Ribas Dominicci Airport</span> Airport in San Juan, Puerto Rico

Fernando Luis Ribas Dominicci Airport, also commonly known as Isla Grande Airport, is an airport in Isla Grande, a district in the municipality of San Juan, Puerto Rico. It is owned by the Puerto Rico Ports Authority and is adjacent to the Puerto Rico Convention Center, the San Juan Bay, and the Pan American Cruise Ship Terminal, and overlooks Cataño. While Isla Grande's main activity is general aviation, it is still a commercial airport, handling domestic and international commercial flights.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Antonio Rivera Rodríguez Airport</span> Airport on the island of Vieques in Puerto Rico

Antonio Rivera Rodríguez Airport is a public airport on the island of Vieques in Puerto Rico. Because a large amount of Vieques's yearly revenue comes from the tourism industry, this airport plays an important part in the Vieques economy. For decades, the airport has been the hub of Vieques Air Link, and also a destination for a number of small airlines.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fina Air</span> Airline of Puerto Rico

Fina Air was an airline based in San Juan, Puerto Rico named after Josefina Canto who was the mother of Lazaro Canto. It operated charter flights to the Dominican Republic from Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport in San Juan, Rafael Hernández Airport in Aguadilla and Eugenio María de Hostos Airport in Mayagüez. The airline has now ceased operations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Prinair Flight 191</span> 1972 aviation accident

Prinair Flight 191 was a Prinair flight from Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport in San Juan, Puerto Rico, to Mercedita Airport in Ponce, Puerto Rico. At approximately 11:15pm on June 24, 1972, the aircraft crashed while attempting to land at Mercedita Airport. Five people died in the accident. and the remaining people were injured.

Dorado Wings was a small commuter airline that operated from Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport in San Juan, Puerto Rico to Dorado Airport in the tourist center of Dorado, Puerto Rico. Dorado Wings was the only commercial operator at Dorado Airport. Dorado Wings existed under that name from 1964 to 1981. In early 1981, the airline was purchased and its name was changed to Crown Air which operated until 1988.

Air St. Thomas was an airline based on the island of St. Thomas, in the United States Virgin Islands. It operated regular and charter passenger services. Its main base was Cyril E. King Airport, St Thomas. It ceased operations in December 2005. The company, founded in 1975, was banned in March 2004 on the French airports and is since then blacklisted. This commuter air carrier had a very small fleet and did not operate long haul routes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Four Star Air Cargo</span> Former cargo airline based in San Juan, Puerto Rico

Four Star Air Cargo was a cargo airline based in San Juan, Puerto Rico. It operated cargo services within the U.S. and British Virgin Islands and to Puerto Rico. Its main base was Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport.

Borinquen Air, also doing business as Amber Service, Air Puerto Rico or Diaz Aviation, is a charter airline from Puerto Rico, which operates regional passenger and cargo flights. The company was founded in 1961 and is based at Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport.

Air Flamenco is a commuter airline operated by Air Charter, Inc., based in Puerto Rico.

Puertorriqueña de Aviación, previously known as Aerovías Nacionales de Puerto Rico was an airline company that operated during the 1930s. It was the first documented attempt by Puerto Ricans to have a flag carrier in the country.

Air Caribbean was an airline that served from Isla Verde International Airport, in San Juan. The 1970s and 1980s were decades when several Puerto Rican airlines existed and competed against each other, including Prinair, Vieques Air Link and Dorado Wings. Believing a share of the market profits could be gained, Air Caribbean was created in 1975.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Prinair Flight 277</span> Airline accident in 1969 in Puerto Rico

Prinair Flight 277 was a regular passenger flight by Puerto Rican airline Prinair, between Cyril E. King International Airport in Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas, United States Virgin Islands, and Isla Verde International Airport in Carolina, Puerto Rico, a suburb of San Juan. On March 5, 1969, the flight, operated by de Havilland Heron 2D N563PR, crashed into a mountain near Fajardo, killing all 19 occupants on board.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Air Caribbean Flight 309</span> Fatal 1978 airliner crash in Barrio Obrero, Puerto Rico

Air Caribbean Flight 309 was a domestic, non-scheduled airline flight by Puerto Rican airline Air Caribbean, which on September 26, 1978, crashed as it was preparing to land at Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport in San Juan, after a flight from Ramey Air Force Base in Aguadilla, killing all six occupants of the aircraft and injuring several customers of a Barrio Obrero bar over which the airplane fell.

Aeronaves de Puerto Rico was a short-lived Puerto Rican airline company which operated from November 1982 to 1983. The airline was initially certified to fly between Rafael Hernandez Airport in Aguadilla and the United States city of Newark, New Jersey. Later on, flights were begun from Luis Munoz Marin International Airport in San Juan to John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York, New York, using a Boeing 707 jet.

References

  1. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2006-01-27. Retrieved 2022-10-12.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  2. ↑ Wayback Machine
  3. ↑ INICIOS DEL CORREO AEREOEN EL CARIBE Y PUERTO RICOPor Luis Gonzбlez La aviaciуn tiene sus orнgenes para el siglo XVII utilizand
  4. ↑ "The Man Who Crossed the Seas: Charles Lindbergh's Goodwill Tour, 1927-1928".
  5. 1 2 "Ms. Clara Livingston | National Air and Space Museum".
  6. ↑ "Aerovias NPR - Aerovias Nacionales Puerto Rico".
  7. ↑ "DC-3 Ship 41".
  8. ↑ "Delta celebrates 65 years connecting Puerto Rico to the world".
  9. ↑ Gero, D. (1999). Military Aviation Disasters: Significant Losses Since 1908. United Kingdom: Patrick Stephens Limited. pp 21-22.
  10. ↑ Accident Description Pan Am Flight 526A Archived 2012-10-13 at the Wayback Machine , Aviation Safety Net
  11. ↑ Ranter, Harro. "ASN Aircraft accident de Havilland DH-114 Heron 2D N563PR San Juan". aviation-safety.net. Retrieved 2016-05-04.
  12. ↑ "Prinair Flight 191 Accident Description". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 4 March 2010.
  13. ↑ "Aircraft Accident Report – Puerto Rico International Airlines (Prinair), Inc., DeHavilland DH-114, N554PR, Ponce, Puerto Rico, 24 June 1972" (PDF). National Transportation Safety Board. 17 December 1975. Retrieved 4 March 2010.
  14. ↑ Karan, Tim. "21 Facts You May Not Know About Roberto Clemente on the Anniversary of His Debut". Bleacher Report.
  15. ↑ "Accident Beechcraft D18S N500L, 26 Sep 1978".
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