BWIA West Indies Airways

BWIA West Indies Airways Limited, known locally as "Bee-Wee" and previously as British West Indian Airways and BWIA International Airways,[2] was the flag carrier of Trinidad and Tobago. At the end of operations, BWIA was the largest airline operating out of the Caribbean, with direct service to the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. Its main hub was Piarco International Airport (POS), Piarco, with major hubs at Grantley Adams International Airport (BGI) in Barbados and Cheddi Jagan International Airport (GEO) in Guyana during 2006. It was headquartered in the BWIA Administration Building in Piarco, Tunapuna–Piarco on the island of Trinidad.[3] The company slogan was Sharing our warmth with the world.

The company announced on 8 September 2006 that the airline would be shut down on 31 December 2006. All of the approximately 1700 employees were separated from the company but applied for new contracts with a new entity, Caribbean Airlines.[4]

History

Early history

British West Indian Airways was established on 27 November 1939 by New Zealander Lowell Yerex. Operations started on 27 November 1940 with a piston powered Lockheed Lodestar twin engine aircraft 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), after a few months operating as British International Air Lines the 'BWIA' name was restored on 24 June 1948 for operating routes among the Caribbean Islands using Vickers Viking twin piston-engined airliners.

In 1949, BSAA merged with British Overseas Airways Corporation and BWIA became a subsidiary of BOAC. Vickers Viscount four engine turboprops were introduced in 1955 with Bristol Britannias leased in 1960 to fly the long-haul route to London, via New York City. In 1960 BWIA had its head office in Port of Spain, Trinidad.[5] On 1 November 1961, the government of Trinidad and Tobago acquired 90% of the shares in the airline and achieved complete ownership by 1967.

For BWIA the jet age began in 1964 with the introduction of new Boeing 727-100 jetliners billed as the Sunjet,[6] which replaced the Viscount turboprops on the New York route. According to its timetable, in 1968 the airline was operating nonstop Boeing 727 flights from New York to Antigua with continuing no change of plane 727 service to Barbados, St. Lucia and Port of Spain as well as nonstop 727 flights from Miami to Grand Cayman and Montego Bay with continuing no change of plane 727 service to Kingston, San Juan, Puerto Rico, Antigua, St. Lucia, Barbados and Port of Spain, and was also serving Caracas, Guyana, Suriname and Tobago with the 727.[7] In early 1971 four second-hand Boeing 707 series 200 airliners were purchased from Braniff International Airways and operated on US and intra-Caribbean services until their disposal in late 1975.[8]

Later history

The London route was restarted in 1975 using Boeing 707 jets. In 1976 Peter Look Hong replaced Sven-Erik Svanberg as CEO of BWIA.[9] BWIA became BWIA International Airways 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. BWIA aircraft livery had the 'Trinidad and Tobago Airways' adjacent to the 'BWIA International' after the merger. The same year also saw the Boeing 707s replaced on the London service with long-range Lockheed L-1011-500 TriStar wide-body jetliners. In 1986, BWIA bought its first McDonnell Douglas MD-83. The airline also operated stretched McDonnell Douglas DC-9-50 jetliners as well as a Boeing 747-100 jumbo jet at one point.

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.

airline	BWIA West Indies Airways Ltd.
iata	BW
icao	BWA
callsign	WEST INDIAN
founded	November 27, 1939 (as British West Indian Airlines)‡R1R‡
commenced	November 27, 1940‡R1R‡
ceased	December 31, 2006 (re-organized as Caribbean Airlines)
hubs	Port of Spain
secondary hubs	Barbados Georgetown–Cheddi Jagan
frequent flyer	BWEE Miles
subsidiaries	Tobago Express (2001–2006)
parent	50% ownership by private investors, 15% by employees, and 35% by the Trinidad and Tobago government‡R1R‡
headquarters	Tunapuna–Piarco, Trinidad and Tobago

BWIA West Indies Airways

History

Early history

Later history

Destinations

Fleet

Former fleet

Awards

Bibliography

External links

References