Isla Nena Air Service, Inc., is an
airlineAn airline provides air transport services for passengers or freight, generally with a recognized operating certificate or license. Airlines lease or own their aircraft with which to supply these services and may form partnerships or alliances with other airlines for mutual benefit.Airlines vary...
from
ViequesVieques , in full Isla de Vieques, is an island-municipality of Puerto Rico in the northeastern Caribbean. Although Puerto Rico is a U.S. Commonwealth, Vieques, like the rest of Puerto Rico, retains strong Spanish influences from 400 years of Spanish ownership.Vieques lies about to the east of the...
,
Puerto RicoPuerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is a self-governing unincorporated territory of the United States located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of the Virgin Islands...
. The airline operates small aircraft, as Vieques airport is not prepared to handle
jet aircraftA jet aircraft is an aircraft propelled by jet engines. Jet aircraft generally fly much faster than propeller-powered aircraft and at higher altitudes — as high as 10,000 to 15,000 meters . At these altitudes, jet engines achieve maximum efficiency over long distances...
.
Isla Nena Air was formed during the middle 1990s, as a competitor of
Vieques Air LinkVieques Air Link is a small Puerto Rican airline company that links Vieques with Culebra and mainland Puerto Rico.- Airline code and callsign :* IATA Code: VI* ICAO Code: VES* Callsign: Vieques- History :...
, which had a monopoly on routes to Vieques because it was the only airline of name that was operating to the small
Puerto RicanPuerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is a self-governing unincorporated territory of the United States located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of the Virgin Islands...
island-municipality's airport.
Eventually, Isla Nena Air became known to Puerto Rican travellers, as it opened routes to Culebra Airport in
CulebraIsla Culebra is an island-municipality of Puerto Rico originally called Isla Pasaje and Isla de San Ildefonso. It is located approximately east of the Puerto Rican mainland, west of St. Thomas and north of Vieques. Culebra is spread over 5 wards and Culebra Pueblo...
, Fajardo Airport in
FajardoFajardo is a small but popular city in Puerto Rico located in the east region of the island, bordering the Atlantic Ocean, north of Ceiba and east of Luquillo.Fajardo is spread over 7 wards and Downtown Fajardo , which serves as the administrative center of the city...
and
Luis Muñoz Marín International AirportLuis Muñoz Marín International Airport is a public airport located in Carolina, Puerto Rico , three miles southeast of San Juan...
in
San JuanSan Juan is the capital and largest municipality in Puerto Rico. As of the 2000 census, it has a population of 433,733, making it the 42nd-largest city under the jurisdiction of the United States. San Juan was founded by Spanish colonists in 1521, who called it Ciudad de Puerto Rico...
.
With the protests of several Puerto Rican, as well as international, celebrities and regular people alike, of the
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
militaryA military is an organization authorized by its nation to use force, usually including use of weapons, in defending its country by combating actual or perceived threats. As an adjective the term "military" is also used to refer to any property or aspect of a military...
's presence in Vieques, Isla Nena Air, like Vieques Air Link, benefitted economically, as the airline saw a growth in its number of yearly travellers.
Isla Nena Air Service, Inc., is an
airlineAn airline provides air transport services for passengers or freight, generally with a recognized operating certificate or license. Airlines lease or own their aircraft with which to supply these services and may form partnerships or alliances with other airlines for mutual benefit.Airlines vary...
from
ViequesVieques , in full Isla de Vieques, is an island-municipality of Puerto Rico in the northeastern Caribbean. Although Puerto Rico is a U.S. Commonwealth, Vieques, like the rest of Puerto Rico, retains strong Spanish influences from 400 years of Spanish ownership.Vieques lies about to the east of the...
,
Puerto RicoPuerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is a self-governing unincorporated territory of the United States located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of the Virgin Islands...
. The airline operates small aircraft, as Vieques airport is not prepared to handle
jet aircraftA jet aircraft is an aircraft propelled by jet engines. Jet aircraft generally fly much faster than propeller-powered aircraft and at higher altitudes — as high as 10,000 to 15,000 meters . At these altitudes, jet engines achieve maximum efficiency over long distances...
.
History
Isla Nena Air was formed during the middle 1990s, as a competitor of
Vieques Air LinkVieques Air Link is a small Puerto Rican airline company that links Vieques with Culebra and mainland Puerto Rico.- Airline code and callsign :* IATA Code: VI* ICAO Code: VES* Callsign: Vieques- History :...
, which had a monopoly on routes to Vieques because it was the only airline of name that was operating to the small
Puerto RicanPuerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is a self-governing unincorporated territory of the United States located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of the Virgin Islands...
island-municipality's airport.
Eventually, Isla Nena Air became known to Puerto Rican travellers, as it opened routes to Culebra Airport in
CulebraIsla Culebra is an island-municipality of Puerto Rico originally called Isla Pasaje and Isla de San Ildefonso. It is located approximately east of the Puerto Rican mainland, west of St. Thomas and north of Vieques. Culebra is spread over 5 wards and Culebra Pueblo...
, Fajardo Airport in
FajardoFajardo is a small but popular city in Puerto Rico located in the east region of the island, bordering the Atlantic Ocean, north of Ceiba and east of Luquillo.Fajardo is spread over 7 wards and Downtown Fajardo , which serves as the administrative center of the city...
and
Luis Muñoz Marín International AirportLuis Muñoz Marín International Airport is a public airport located in Carolina, Puerto Rico , three miles southeast of San Juan...
in
San JuanSan Juan is the capital and largest municipality in Puerto Rico. As of the 2000 census, it has a population of 433,733, making it the 42nd-largest city under the jurisdiction of the United States. San Juan was founded by Spanish colonists in 1521, who called it Ciudad de Puerto Rico...
.
With the protests of several Puerto Rican, as well as international, celebrities and regular people alike, of the
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
militaryA military is an organization authorized by its nation to use force, usually including use of weapons, in defending its country by combating actual or perceived threats. As an adjective the term "military" is also used to refer to any property or aspect of a military...
's presence in Vieques, Isla Nena Air, like Vieques Air Link, benefitted economically, as the airline saw a growth in its number of yearly travellers. The protest ended in 2003, when the American military decided to leave Vieques.
During the late 1990s, another stiff competitor,
Air CulebraAir Culebra, established in 1998, is a small Puerto Rican airline company that flies out of the island of Culebra, in Puerto Rico, and the Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport, in San Juan....
, began flights to Vieques, making the new airline Isla Nena Air's second competitor on the lucrative Vieques to Culebra air bridge route.
American EagleAmerican Eagle Airlines is a brand name used by American Eagle Airlines, Inc. , based in Fort Worth, Texas, and Executive Airlines based in San Juan, Puerto Rico, in the operation of passenger air service as regional affiliates of American Airlines. All three airlines are wholly-owned subsidiaries...
is expected to enter the Vieques market in 2005, bringing Isla Nena Air yet another competitor.
Not everything in the future looks bleak for the airline, however: after the military pull-out, several hotels have opened in Vieques, and several other hotel chains have announced plans to open hotels there, to make Vieques a tourist center, which could, as a consequence, turn more profits for the airline.
Despite all the advances in Vieques and in Isla Nena Air's structure, the airline remains a relatively small operation, not having, for example, an
internetThe Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standardized Internet Protocol Suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
websiteA website is a collection of related web pages, images, videos or other digital assets that are addressed with a common domain name or IP address in an Internet Protocol-based network...
or some other mechanisms or forms of advertising from which modern air passengers can benefit.
Destinations
Isla Nena provides service at the following locations in Puerto Rico:
- Ceiba
Ceiba is a small town in northeast Puerto Rico. It is named after the famous Ceiba tree. Ceiba is located in the east coast of the island, bordering the Atlantic Ocean, north of Naguabo, south of Fajardo, and east of Río Grande. It is located about one hour's driving distance from San Juan...
(RVR) - José Aponte de la Torre AirportJosé Aponte de la Torre Airport is a public use airport owned by Puerto Rico Ports Authority and located two nautical miles from the central business district of Ceiba, a town in Puerto Rico....
- Culebra
Isla Culebra is an island-municipality of Puerto Rico originally called Isla Pasaje and Isla de San Ildefonso. It is located approximately east of the Puerto Rican mainland, west of St. Thomas and north of Vieques. Culebra is spread over 5 wards and Culebra Pueblo...
(CPX) - Benjamín Rivera Noriega AirportBenjamín Rivera Noriega Airport is a public airport located on the island of Culebra in Puerto Rico. It is owned by the Puerto Rico Ports Authority.- Facilities and aircraft :...
- San Juan
San Juan is the capital and largest municipality in Puerto Rico. As of the 2000 census, it has a population of 433,733, making it the 42nd-largest city under the jurisdiction of the United States. San Juan was founded by Spanish colonists in 1521, who called it Ciudad de Puerto Rico...
(SJU) - Luis Muñoz Marín International AirportLuis Muñoz Marín International Airport is a public airport located in Carolina, Puerto Rico , three miles southeast of San Juan...
- Vieques
Vieques , in full Isla de Vieques, is an island-municipality of Puerto Rico in the northeastern Caribbean. Although Puerto Rico is a U.S. Commonwealth, Vieques, like the rest of Puerto Rico, retains strong Spanish influences from 400 years of Spanish ownership.Vieques lies about to the east of the...
(VQS) - Antonio Rivera Rodríguez AirportAntonio Rivera Rodríguez Airport is a small commercial air facility on the island of Vieques, Puerto Rico. Because a large amount of Vieques' yearly revenue comes from the tourism industry, this small airport plays an important part in Vieques' economic outlook.The airport has been for decades the...
External links