Dorado Wings was a small

commuter airline A regional airline is a general classification of airline which typically operates scheduled passenger air service, using regional airliner, regional aircraft, between communities lacking sufficient demand or infrastructure to attract Mainline ...

that operated from

Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport (Spanish language, Spanish: ''Aeropuerto Internacional Luis Muñoz Marín'') , previously known as Isla Verde International Airport (Spanish language, Spanish: ''Aeropuerto Internacional de Isla Verde''), ...

San Juan, Puerto Rico San Juan ( , ; Spanish for "Saint John the Baptist, John") is the capital city and most populous Municipalities of Puerto Rico, municipality in the Commonwealth (U.S. insular area), Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the ...

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. Commuter turboprop and prop aircraft operated by Dorado Wings during its existence included: * 13

Britten-Norman BN-2 Islander The Britten-Norman BN-2 Islander is a British light utility aircraft and regional airliner designed and originally manufactured by Britten-Norman of the United Kingdom. Still in production, the Islander is one of the best-selling commercial air ...

(BN-2A models) * 5 de Havilland Canada DHC-6-300 Twin Otter * 3 Handley Page Jetstream * 1

Piper Navajo The Piper PA-31 Navajo is a family of twin-engined low-wing tricycle gear utility aircraft designed and built by Piper Aircraft for small cargo and feeder airlines, and as a corporate aircraft. Production ran from 1967 to 1984. It was licen ...

* 1 Swearingen Metroliner Flights from San Juan to Dorado took 15 minutes. Because of the shortness of their flights, Dorado Wings airplanes were a constant sight every day at many airports throughout this part of the Caribbean. Airports served in Puerto Rico were San Juan International (SJU), Isla Grande (SIG), Dorado Beach (DBA), Mayagüez (MAZ), Palmas Del Mar (PDM) and

Aguadilla Aguadilla (, ), founded in 1775 by Luis de Córdova, is a city and municipality located in the northwestern tip of Puerto Rico, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, north of Aguada, and Moca and west of Isabela. Aguadilla is s ...

(BQN) (former Ramey Air Force Base). Other Caribbean airports served were St. Thomas (STT), St. Croix (STX), Tortola/Beef Island BVI (EIS), Virgin Gorda BVI (VIJ), St. Kitts (SKB), St. Maarten/St. Martin (SXM), St. Barts (SBH) and Anguilla (AXA). Still more airports were served on a charter basis.

Incidents and accidents

In 1981, a Dorado Wings airplane suffered an accident on a non revenue flight after takeoff at San Juan airport. There were no major injuries or fatalities, though the aircraft was totaled. The airline was, at the time, part of a group of smaller Puerto Rican airlines that were seen commonly at San Juan's international airport. These also included Flamenco Airways, Prinair,

Oceanair Oceanair was a regional airline that was based at Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport in San Juan, Puerto Rico. It competed on domestic routes with Prinair; and on routes to the Virgin Islands with Prinair and with Aero Virgin Islands; ...

and

Vieques Air Link Vieques Air Link (VAL, IATA code: V4) is a small VFR (Visual Flight Rules) Puerto Rico-based airline that operates under FAR Part 135, that links Vieques, Puerto Rico, Vieques and Culebra, Puerto Rico, Culebra with mainland Puerto Rico. Hist ...

, of which, as of 2012, only Vieques Air Link and Flamenco Airways survived (Prinair returned to the skies during 2019).

References

Defunct airlines of Puerto Rico Airlines established in 1964 Airlines disestablished in 1982 Companies based in San Juan, Puerto Rico 1964 establishments in Puerto Rico {{US-airline-stub

Incidents and accidents

See also

References