Z Air
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (January 2019) |
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| Founded | May 2000 | ||||||
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| Operating bases | |||||||
| Fleet size | 5 | ||||||
| Destinations | 9 | ||||||
| Headquarters | Curaçao | ||||||
| Key people | Rene Winkel (CEO) | ||||||
| Founder | Captain Rene Winkel | ||||||
| Website | flyzair | ||||||
Z Air B.V. (formerly EZ Air) is a small regional airline and Air Ambulance provider BES, founded in May 2000. It is based in Bonaire, with ticket offices in the southern Caribbean Sea islands of Bonaire and Curaçao.
Services
[edit] | This article needs to be updated. (December 2024) |
Z Air operated five daily flights between Bonaire and Curaçao, with additional charter flights to sister island Aruba. The Bonaire-Curaçao flights last around 20 minutes.
Since 2012, it has operated Learjet dedicated Air Ambulance primary transfers to Medellín and Bogotá, Colombia medical Crew outsourced to Fundacion Mariadall. It is in the process of acquiring an additional Learjet 55.[citation needed] It is awaiting the return of FAA category 1 status to service the mainland United States for air ambulance flights.[citation needed]
The airline operates flights between Aruba, Bonaire, and Curaçao as medical flights transporting passengers between the islands utilizing the BN2. They also operate Learjet flights between the islands and the United States and Colombia.
On June 14, 2018, the board of the Pension Fund for Caribbean Netherlands (PCN) announced, that after a preparatory period of almost 18 months, to invest in the purchase of aircraft for the airline EZ Air. With the loan provided to Bonaire-based Medicair N.V., through the Participation Company Caribbean Netherlands (PMCN), established by PCN, two Beechcraft 1900D aircraft will shortly be purchased that will take care of regional flights. In addition, the required working capital is also provided for the start-up of the EZ-Air operation.
The aircraft in question was, until recently, used for flight operations on behalf of Air Canada Express. The aircraft, with 19 seats each, will be used under the brand name EZ-Air for flights between the ABC islands, flights between Bonaire and St. Eustatius and flights to Colombia. The aircraft have been specially selected for their ability to fly directly to various destinations, within an acceptable time and with sufficient comfort. The relatively long distances, for example on the route between Bonaire and St. Eustatius, brought about several requirements for the aircraft, which among other things have a toilet and reasonable baggage capacity.
Rene Winkel, director of Medicair and EZ Air, has enormous experience in local aviation. He previously flew as a captain for both the Winair and ALM Antillean Airlines. In addition, with his company Medicair, he has been carrying out ambulance flights between Bonaire and Colombia since the year 2000. The name EZ-Air is not new on the islands. In the past, Winkel has been executing flights between Bonaire and Curaçao for several years with two Britten-Norman aircraft.
For PCN there were various considerations to invest in EZ Air. “First, it must be said that this is a solid business case,” said PCN chairman Harald Linkels. “Over the past few months, we have worked intensively with the EZ Air team and together we have looked at the type of aircraft, the routes that can be served, and the commercial plan. From the very start we noticed in a positive sense the solidity and the level of detail in the business plan,“ says Linkels.[citation needed]
In addition, Linkels says that the fund mainly wants to invest locally in matters that benefit the islands and the residents. “Although it is regularly stated that aviation is a risky industry, it is also a fact that we as islands can’t do without aviation,” says Linkels. The PCN chairman says it is extremely sour that every time the island picks the bitter fruits of the malaise in aviation on the neighboring island of Curaçao. “Let’s be honest. Bonaire is not the priority of most airlines based in Curaçao. As soon as something goes wrong there, as in the case of ALM, DCA, DAE and now Insel Air, this has dramatic consequences for Bonaire. People can’t leave the island, doctor visits have to be canceled, and doing business out of Bonaire in Curaçao or Aruba has become nearly impossible“ says Linkels. It is also important for St. Eustatius to have a direct and reliable connection with Bonaire.
On August 9, 2019, the EZ Air executed a charter flight between Bonaire and Barranquilla, Colombia. The airline has in the meantime received approval to execute scheduled flights between Curaçao and Barranquilla and expects this route in the last quarter of 2019.
EZ Air was granted its air operator's certificate (AOC) and started regular flights on December 23, 2019, executing daily flights between Curaçao, Bonaire, and Aruba.
In June 2022, the company announced it had acquired two Saab 2000 aircraft. These 50-seat planes are planned for use in longer routes, such as to Sint Maarten from either Bonaire or Curaçao; their speed and higher cruising altitude will make these destinations more practical than the previous fleet.[1]
In October 2023, the airline was renamed to Z Air, to avoid legal actions from British company EasyGroup over trademark infringement.[2]
Destinations
[edit]Fleet
[edit]Current
[edit]As of December 2024, Z Air consists of the following:[4]
| Aircraft | In service |
Orders | Passengers | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Embraer ERJ 140 | — | 2[5] | 50 | |
| Learjet 31A | 1 | — | 6 | Ambulance |
| Learjet 35A | 1 | — | 6 | Ambulance |
| Saab 340 | 3 | — | 34 | |
| Total | 5 | 2 | ||
Former
[edit]Over the years, the airline has operated the following aircraft types:
- 2 Beechcraft 1900D[6]
- 2 Britten-Norman BN-2A Islander
- 1 Cessna 182Q
- 1 Learjet 55
- 1 Piper Chieftain PA31-350
- 2 Piper Seneca II PA34-200
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "EZ Air adds larger Saab2000 aircraft to fleet".
- ^ Hilka Birns (October 16, 2023). "Curaçao's EZ Air to rebrand after complaint from easyGroup". Ch-aviation.com.
- ^ Dominik Sipinski (January 17, 2020). "Bonaire's EZAir launches first route outside of ABC islands". Ch-aviation.com.
- ^ "Z Air Fleet Details and History". Planespotters.net. Retrieved December 1, 2024.
- ^ Daniel Martinez Garbuno (December 3, 2024). "Curaçao's Z Air set to add first E140". Ch-aviation.com.
- ^ Hilka Birns (April 19, 2022). "Bonaire's EZAir ends Beech 1900D operations". Ch-aviation.com.
External links
[edit]
Media related to Z Air at Wikimedia Commons