Florida West International Airways

Florida West International Airways, Inc. (often abbreviated as FWIA) was an American cargo airline based at Miami, Florida.[1] It operated scheduled and charter services worldwide, with its main markets in Latin America, the Caribbean and the United States. The airline later became a subsidiary of the Atlas Air Worldwide Holdings.

Florida West International Airways
IATA ICAO Call sign
RF FWL FLO WEST
FoundedJanuary 1984 (as Florida West Airlines)
Ceased operationsFebruary 28, 2017
HubsMiami International Airport
SubsidiariesTradewinds Airlines (1994-1995)
Fleet size2
Destinations15
Parent companyAtlas Air Worldwide Holdings
HeadquartersMiami, United States
Key peopleMansour Rasnavad (President and CEO)
Employees66 (2014)
Websitewww.fwia.com

History

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The airline was founded in 1981 as a repair station at Miami Airport named Pan Aero International. It changed its name in January 1984 to Florida West Airlines.[2]

On February 28, 1994, Florida West acquired Tradewinds Airlines.[3] After the airline filed for bankruptcy on October 11, 1994, its assets were sold and it was rebranded as Florida West International Airways the following year, restarting operations on March 12, 1996.

In December 2000, LAN Airlines purchased 25% stake of the airline.

On April 7, 2016, Atlas Air Worldwide Holdings, along with Southern Air, acquired Florida West International.[4] On February 28, 2017, Atlas Air Worldwide Holdings shut down Florida West International, with the U.S. Department of Transportation cancelling their cargo carrier's certificates of authority on March 27.[5]

Destinations

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A Florida West Boeing 707-320C at Miami International Airport in 1992
 
A Florida West Boeing 767-300F at the Old Mariscal Sucre International Airport in 2002
Country City Airport Notes
Bolivia Santa Cruz de la Sierra Viru Viru International Airport
Brazil Curitiba Afonso Pena International Airport
Manaus Eduardo Gomes International Airport
Chile Santiago Arturo Merino Benítez International Airport
Colombia Bogotá El Dorado International Airport
Medellín José María Córdova International Airport
Costa Rica San José Juan Santamaria International Airport
Ecuador Guayaquil José Joaquín de Olmedo International Airport
Quito Mariscal Sucre International Airport
Guatemala Guatemala City La Aurora International Airport
Panama Panama City Tocumen International Airport
Paraguay Asunción Silvio Pettirossi International Airport
United States Miami Miami International Airport Hub
New York City John F. Kennedy International Airport
Uruguay Montevideo Carrasco International Airport

Fleet

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A Florida West Boeing 767-300F landing at Miami International Airport in 2013

Florida West International Airways operated the following aircraft:[6]

Florida West International Airways fleet
Aircraft Total Introduced Retired Notes
Boeing 707-320C 14 1984 1995
Boeing 727-100F 1 1994 1994
Boeing 727-200F 4 1993 1995
Boeing 767-300F 2 2001 2015
Douglas DC-8-61F 1 1996 2000 Transferred to Mas Air
Douglas DC-8-71F 2 1999 2002

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Home page Archived 2005-11-06 at the Wayback Machine. Florida West International Airways. Retrieved on January 7, 2010.
  2. ^ "Directory: World Airlines". Flight International. 2007-04-03. p. 83.
  3. ^ "MIAMI COMPANY TO BUY IT / CHANGE IN AIR FOR TRADEWINDS". Greensboro.com. December 19, 1993. Retrieved January 25, 2015.
  4. ^ "Atlas completes Southern Air purchase as strike threat looms". aircargoworld.com. 8 April 2016. Archived from the original on 16 April 2016. Retrieved 13 April 2018.
  5. ^ "Florida West Int'l Airways formally shut down". 2017-03-29. Retrieved 2017-09-08.
  6. ^ "Florida West International Airways Fleet Details and History". Planespotters.net. Retrieved March 3, 2021.
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