Prinair

Prinair
IATA code :	PQ
ICAO code :	PRN
Call sign :
Founding:	1966
Operation stopped:	1984
Seat:	Puerto Rico
Turnstile :	San Juan Airport
Home airport :	San Juan Airport
Fleet size:	39
Aims:	International
	Prinair ceased operations in 1984. The information in italics refer to the last status before the end of operation.

Prin Air was a Puerto Rican airline . As the country's flag carrier , it operated national and international flights for almost two decades.

history

Flight operations began in 1966 under the name Aerolíneas de Ponce (Ponce Airlines) with a fleet of Aero Commander 500 aircraft. The first flight connection ran from Mercedita Airport near Ponce to Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport (then Isla Verde International Airport) near San Juan . The following year, the name of the airline was changed to Prinair derived from P uerto Ri co In ternational Air lines.

Later, the airline used the reciprocating engine- powered De Havilland Heron aircraft to operate its routes , which were reminiscent of Braniff International Airways aircraft due to their brightly colored paintwork . In the 1970s the expansion followed and the route network was expanded to various destinations in the Caribbean such as Martinique , the Virgin Islands , Santo Domingo , Barbados , Puerto Plata and domestic connections to Vieques , Mayagüez and Aguadilla , as well as to Opa-locka near Miami in Florida expanded.

In the 1980s , Prinair introduced larger, more powerful Convair 580 turboprop aircraft. These mainly served the route from San Juan to the Virgin Islands , where they were initially able to increase profits. However, due to increasing competition from Aero Virgin Islands and Oceanair on this route and various accidents that damaged Prinair's image, the airline had to cease operations in November 1984. Prinair was re-established in early 2000, but had to cease flight operations after a short time.

Incidents

Prinair has suffered three serious accidents and two aircraft hijackings in its history .

On March 5, 1969, Prinair Flight 277 took off from Saint Thomas for a flight to San Juan when the cockpit crew telephoned the approach control of San Juan 17 minutes after take off. The air traffic controller on duty - in training - replied: "Prinair Two Seven Seven, San Juan Approach Control, your position according to radar is three miles east of Isla Verde, stay at 4000 feet" ( "Prinair Two Seven Seven, San Juan Approach Control, radar contact three miles east of Isla Verde ... maintain four thousand. ” ) However, the aircraft was three miles east of the Fajardo waypoint instead of the Isla Verda waypoint 19 miles west of it. The plane crashed six minutes later at an altitude of 2,400 feet in the Sierra de Luquillo Mountains , killing all 19 occupants. The accident investigations revealed that air traffic control was responsible for the accident.

On June 24, 1972, Prinair Flight 191 crashed at Mercedita Airport in Ponce after touchdown and a failed go - around. A total of five of the twenty inmates, including the two pilots, were killed. In an accident investigation it was determined that a vehicle on the runway was obstructing the go-around maneuver. An investigation carried out three years later revealed that there was no vehicle on the runway at the time and that the go-around had taken place for no reason.

Prinair Flight 610 had an accident a few seconds after taking off from Saint Croix on July 24, 1979, killing 8 people. The accident investigation found that the aircraft was overloaded at 480 kg (1060 pounds ) and the center of gravity was 8 inches (approximately 20 cm) beyond the maximum limit.