Air St. Thomas
Air St. Thomas is an airline based on the island of St. Thomas, in the United States Virgin Islands. It operates regular and charter passenger services. Its main base is Cyril E. King Airport (STT), St Thomas.
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History
The airline was established in 1970 and was known as Virgin Air until 1993. Through the 1970s and well into the 1990s, Air St. Thomas faced stiff competition from Puerto Rico International Airlines, Aero Virgin Islands and Vieques Air Link, among others. Because of this, the airline concentrated mainly on intra island flights, to St Croix and St John.
Puerto Rico International Airlines flew from 1966 to 1984, and Aero Virgin Islands flew until 2000. While Vieques Air Link still flies, Air St. Thomas does not face that airline directly, as Vieques Air Link does not fly to St. Thomas. One of Air St. Thomas largest current competitors is American Eagle, however. American Eagle is financially backed by American Airlines.
After Puerto Rico International Airlines and Aero Virgin Islands began to slowly pull away from the market, Air St. Thomas began to grow, adding flights, specifically to Puerto Rican airports, and to some other areas. The airline officially became an international airline when it added flights to the British Virgin Islands. Air St. Thomas operates nine airplanes. The airline is owned by Paul Wikander (51%) and M Wikander (49%).
Services
Air St Thomas operates services to the following international scheduled destinations (at January 2005): Culebra, Fajardo, San Juan and Virgin Gorda.