Insel Air
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| Founded |
1993 (INC) 2013 (NLU) | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Commenced operations |
2006 (INC) 2014 (NLU) | ||||||
| Hubs |
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| Focus cities | |||||||
| Frequent-flyer program | Insel Star Miles | ||||||
| Airport lounge | Plesman Lounge | ||||||
| Alliance | Pan Caribbean Alliance | ||||||
| Subsidiaries | Insel Air Aruba | ||||||
| Fleet size | 16 | ||||||
| Destinations | 22 | ||||||
| Company slogan | Reaching Higher | ||||||
| Headquarters | Maduro Plaza, Dokweg 19, Willemstad, Curaçao | ||||||
| Key people |
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| Revenue |
 US$ 245 million (2015)[1] | ||||||
| Employees | 750 (2016) | ||||||
| Website |
Fly-InselAir | ||||||
Insel Air (formally Insel Air International B.V.) is a Dutch Caribbean carrier that serves as the national airline of Curaçao. It is headquartered in Maduro Plaza, Willemstad.[2]
Insel Air currently serves 22 destinations throughout the Caribbean, South America and North America.[1] Its fleet consists of McDonnell Douglas MD-82 and MD-83, Fokker 70 and Fokker 50 aircraft. The airline's main hubs are Hato International Airport (Insel Air Curaçao) and Queen Beatrix International Airport (Insel Air Aruba) with a secondary hub at Princess Juliana International Airport.[3] Insel Air was incorporated as a private limited liability company (Dutch: Besloten Vennootschap) on September 8, 1993 and is registered with the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Curaçao under number 64577. Insel Air is the largest Caribbean-based airline and expects to carry 1.4 million passengers in 2016.[4]
History
Early years
Insel Air started operations on August 28, 2006 with one Embraer 110-P1 Bandeirante flying out of Curaçao to the neighboring island of Aruba. Soon afterwards, Insel Air began flights to the neighbouring island of Bonaire and also to Las Piedras in Venezuela.
Starting in January 2007, the airline began serving the Eastern and Northern Caribbean via Sint Maarten with a McDonnell Douglas MD-83 and with an additional McDonnell Douglas MD-82 in June 2008. Insel Air also added services to Miami via Curaçao and Bonaire at this time.
In September 2009, Insel Air took delivery of a second MD-82 aircraft. The aircraft arrived at Curacao as N434AG, being the only MD-80 with the known "screwdriver tail" at the time. Insel took delivery of its third MD82 on December 4, 2009 and fourth MD82 in May 2011. At this time Insel Air began operating four new destinations – Medellin, Charlotte, Barquisimeto and Caracas.
Development since 2011
Following the introduction of new services to Medellin and Charlotte, the airline added a fifth MD-80 on May 12, 2011. Apart from the new flights to Charlotte and Medellin, Insel Air is now flying to Manaus in Brazil and Barranquilla (Colombia). The Company also completed the IATA operational safety audit (IOSA) and joined ALTA, the Latin American and Caribbean Air Transport Association in November 2011.[5]
On November 16, 2012, Insel Air inaugurated its Curacao-Maracaibo route and began regular operations on December 14. Mr Kluyver (CEO of Insel Air) said a sixth MD80 series aircraft will enter service in December 2012 and a seventh aircraft is slated to enter service in May 2013. The capacity generated by the forthcoming expansion of the MD-80 fleet will be directed by the Aruba venture. Insel Air was originally planning to expand its MD-80 fleet in early 2012 but delayed the project due to delays in launching Insel Air Aruba.[6] In 2012 Insel Air Aruba received its AOC certificate, giving the airline official authorization to perform services out of Aruba. Insel Air Aruba will begin operating 13 new routes - Miami, Santo Domingo, Cuba, St. Maarten, Puerto Rico, Bonaire, Curacao, Caracas, Valencia, Maracaibo, Ecuador, Belem, Manaus.
Insel Air and KLM Royal Dutch Airlines consolidated their cooperation with a code-sharing agreement, offering customers greater comfort and options and thereby enabling them to travel to destinations served by the two partners without having to re-check luggage. Additionally, flight schedules will be closely coordinated so that travel time is minimized. In August 2013 Insel Air celebrated its first ‘in house’ heavy maintenance (C-Check) in Curacao on an MD-82. It was for the first time that the airline performed the check on its aircraft using its in-house expertise. In the past, the check was carried out abroad. The C-check is a big overhaul that needs to be conducted every year and a half according to regulations.[7]
Insel Air inaugurated its first four services from Aruba operated by Insel Air Aruba in the first half of 2014. Insel Air Aruba began operations to Miami, Valencia, Caracas, which were already served by via Insel Air's Curacao hub and Georgetown, Guyana was introduced in the network via Aruba in June 2014. Insel Air had also introduced Barranquilla, Colombia in June 2014 and La Romana, Dominican Republic in July 2014 from the airline's Curacao hub.[8] The airline had also acquired 3 ex-KLM Cityhopper Fokker 70's with the first aircraft having arrived on July 12, 2014. The Fokker jets are planned to be operated out of both the Aruba and Curacao hubs.[9] The Embraers were retired early in 2014. In December Insel Air introduced two new services from its hub in Curacao: Port-of-Spain (in Trinidad) was relaunched on December 15, 2014 and Georgetown was added on December 18, 2014. On January 14, 2015 Insel Air Aruba introduced its direct flight to Manaus, Brazil.[10] In 2015 the airline employs around 650 people, offers approximately 52 daily flights to 23 destinations and plans to grow to 27 destinations in 2015.[11]
In the third quarter of 2015 Insel Air made its first serious announcement about the acquisition of a new aircraft type including a target time frame. According to the CEO, InselAir is targeting 2017 as the year it hopes to acquire one or more Airbus 319s. For a couple of years already Insel Air was hinting about the acquisition of a new aircraft type, however a serious announcement did never hit the light. With the acquisition of this aircraft type; new destinations in Canada, USA and South America like Argentina and Brazil can become a serious option for the growing network of the airline.[12]
Destinations
Insel Air operates scheduled flights to 22 destinations across Brazil, the Caribbean, Colombia, the United States and Venezuela from its hubs in Curacao and Aruba. The airline operates Seasonal flights to additional destinations as well as charter flights on demand.[13] In December 2015 Insel Air started charter flights from Miami to 5 different destinations in Cuba. These destinations are Santiago de Cuba, Camaguey, Havana, Santa Clara and Holguin.[14] Furthermore, Insel Air is planning to introduce Antigua, Barbados and Santiago de Cali (Colombia) to its network.[15]
| [Hub] | Base and Hub |
| † | Hub |
| ¤ | Focus city |
| [S] | Seasonal |
| [F] | Future destination |
| # | Terminated destination |
| 7I/INC | Insel Air Curacao |
| 8I/NLU | Insel Air Aruba |
Codeshare agreements
Insel Air has not established itself with any airline alliance, but did have a codeshare agreement with KLM, as well as interline agreements with the following airlines:
As of March 27, 2011, passengers carrying a KLM ticket can now also fly to all Insel Air destinations. Passengers will be transported on one ticket with automatic baggage transfer via Insel Air's hubs in Curacao and Sint Maarten. This interline agreement pertains to five destinations - Kingston, San Juan, Santo Domingo, Port-au-Prince and Las Piedras. On December 1, 2012, codeshare flights began between both carriers.[16] The consolidation and expansion of this cooperation between KLM and InselAir enables KLM to establish better connections to Caribbean destinations via Curacao. It also allows Insel Air to better accommodate this growing need and to offer passengers greater convenience and additional destinations.
On November 17, 2016, KLM announced it would suspend it's codeshare agreement with Insel Air until further notice. This is due to Insel Air's recent struggle with maintenance issues and diminished performance.[17]
Fleet
As of November 2016, the fleet of Insel Air and Insel Air Aruba consists of the following aircraft:[18][19]
| Aircraft | In Service | Orders | Passengers | Notes | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7I | 8I | Y+ | Y | Total | ||||
| Fokker 50 | 6 | — | — | 8 | 42 | 50 | 4 in maintenance | |
| Fokker 70 | — | 4 | 3 | 15 | 65 | 80 | Deliveries start in 2016 2 in maintenance | |
| McDonnell Douglas MD-82 | 1 | 1 | — | 15 | 137 | 152 | 1 in maintenance | |
| 8 | 137 | 145 | ||||||
| McDonnell Douglas MD-83 | 1 | 3 | — | 15 | 137 | 152 | 1 in maintenance | |
| — | 150 | 150 | ||||||
| Total | 8 | 8 | 3 | |||||
Previously operated
Over the years, Insel Air and Insel Air Aruba operated the following types:
| Aircraft | In Service | Passengers | Notes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7I | 8I | Y+ | Y | Total | ||
| Embraer 110-P1 Bandeirante | 2 1 |
— | — | 15 19 |
15 19 |
Planned for re-introduction |
| Fokker 50 | — | 1 | 8 | 42 | 50 | |
| McDonnell Douglas MD-82 | 1 | 1 | 15 | 137 | 152 | |
| McDonnell Douglas MD-83 | 1 | — | 15 | 137 | 152 | |
| Total | 5 | 2 | ||||
Livery
The initial livery which was introduced on the Embraer 110's and the first 5 McDonnell Douglas MD80's, was a simplified livery of a white fuselage with the Insel Air logo near the front and a blue tail with a yellow curved line and 2 white stars representing the Curacao flag. The MD80's received a modified logo and a lighter blue color on the tail while the Embraers (with the exception of the first delivered aircraft) remained unchanged.
The McDonnell Douglas MD80's later received a new livery when the acquisition for the Fokker 50's were finalised and when Insel Air Aruba was established. The livery, which was introduced on the airline's 6th MD80, consisted of the same simplified white fuselage with the new updated Insel Air logo and three (yellow, red and blue) wave-like curves near the front and with an even lighter blue tail, but three (yellow, red and blue) wave-like curves replaced the yellow curved line and two white stars on the tail. This livery has also been applied to the rest of the MD80 fleet as well as the Fokker 70's that were delivered in 2014.
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One MD82, which is operated by Insel Air Aruba, featured a similar livery, but the official Aruba logo is located near the front while the Insel Air logo is closer to the center emergency exit doors and bears an Aruban registration. The MD83's operated by Insel Air Aruba still wears the standard livery but with an Aruban registration.
The Fokker 50's are also having some of their aircraft updated with the standard livery consisting of the white fuselage featuring the Insel Air logo and the blue tail containing the three colored waves. Two Fokker 50's have somewhat of a similar to the Insel Air Aruba MD82. The aircraft wears an enlarged version of the official Aruba logo in the front of the aircraft with a light blue and light green stripe running across the fuselage to the back. The aircraft also has the same light blue tail resembling the MD80's but includes the Insel Air logo with the three (yellow, red and blue) wave-like curves. The forward part of the tail includes an even lighter shade of blue blending into white. All six Fokkers still wear Curacao registrations.
Before being retired, the first Embraer operated by Insel Air received a new livery resembling that of the MD80's. The aircraft was named Elis Juliana, after a popular author and poet from Curacao.
Services
Onboard
Insel Air and Insel Air Aruba offers inflight service on flights longer than 45 minutes. For customers seated in Comfort class are offered Alcoholic beverages, Premium food, Local newspapers and a Comfort Class travel kit. For Economy class, customers are offered free food and beverages, local newspapers and also a chance to win back your ticket raffle.[20] Insel Air's inflight magazine INsights, are available onboard all aircraft and available for personal possession.
Loyalty programme
Insel Air's frequent flyer/loyalty programme is called "Insel Star Miles" in which members earn points for miles flown, with benefits such as priority check-in and free bagagge allowances. Membership levels include Basic, Silver, Gold and Diamond.
Recent Issues
Insel Air has a 4 out of 10 star quality rating. It suffers from regular delays for short flights and does not notify its customers of these delays.[21]
Accidents and incidents
Insel Air International and Insel Air Aruba has never had any major accidents, the following are incidents accidents and incidents that occurred with the two companies.
- On August 29th, 2015, Insel Air International, flight 7I533 operated by a McDonnell Douglas MD-82, was enroute from Princess Juliana International Airport in Sint Maarten to Toussaint Louverture International Airport in Haiti when the crew received an fire indication for the left engined east of Santo Domingo prompting the crew to shut down the engine, causing the flight to divert. The aircraft landed safely at Las Americas International Airport.Emergency services did not detect any evidence of an engine fire.[22]
- On September 2nd, 2015, Insel Air International, flight 7I901 operated by a McDonnell Douglas MD-82, was enroute from Curaçao's Hato International Airport to Miami International Airport when the crew received an engine indication enroute near Santo Domingo prompting the crew to shut down the engine, causing the flight to divert. The aircraft landed safely at Las Americas International Airport.[23]
- On November 18th, 2015, Insel Air International, flight 7I534 operated by a McDonnell Douglas MD-82, encountered problems while climbing out of the Princess Juliana International Airport of Sint Maarten and had to shut down an engine due to loss of oil pressure. The aircraft returned to Sint Maarten and landed safely, 20 minutes after departure.[24]
References
- 1 2 "InselAir cements leading position in Dutch Caribbean with further expansion in Aruba and Curacao". CAPA Centre for Aviation. June 23, 2014. Retrieved November 10, 2014.
- ↑ "General conditions" (Archive) Insel Air. Retrieved on 21 March 2014. "Our Registered Address is Dokweg 19, Maduro Plaza, Willemstad, Curacao."
- ↑ "Profile on InselAir - CAPA - Centre for Aviation". centreforaviation.com.
- ↑
- ↑ Insel Air joins ALTA as IOSA certified airline
- ↑ "Curacao's InselAir targets Miami-Venezuela market with launch of new Aruba subsidiary". centreforaviation.com.
- ↑ Insel Air conducts in-house C-check
- ↑ "Nieuws - InselAir". fly-inselair.com.
- ↑ "Surinam's Blue Wing and Insel Air acquire ex-KLM cityhopper Fokker 70s". ch-aviation.
- ↑ News Department - GJ. "Insel air ta lansa vuelo inaugural Aruba - Manaus". 24ora.com - Prome den Noticia.
- ↑ "About InselAir". fly-inselair.com.
- ↑ "INSELAIR TARGETS 2017 FOR A319 ACQUISITIONS: CEO". magazine.airlineprofits.com.
- ↑ "Destinations - InselAir". fly-inselair.com.
- ↑ "InselAir Paving Its Way To The Future". curacaochronicle.com.
- ↑ "Route map". fly-inselair.com.
- ↑ "KLM and InselAir To Initiate Code-Sharing". KLM and InselAir To Initiate Code-Sharing.
- ↑ KLM suspends codeshare agreement with Insel Air]
- ↑ ch-aviation.com - Insel Air retrieved 19 December 2015
- ↑ ch-aviation.com - Insel Air Aruba retrieved 19 January 2016
- ↑ "Travel classes, fare rules & seating plans". fly-inselair.com.
- ↑ "http://www.airlinequality.com/airline-reviews/insel-air/". www.airlinequality.com. Retrieved 2016-10-27. External link in
|title=(help) - ↑ Insel Air Incident Aug 29, 2015
- ↑ Insel Air Incident Sep 02, 2015
- ↑ Insel Air Incident Nov 18, 2015
External links
Media related to Insel Air at Wikimedia Commons