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Air Jamaica was formed in 1968 as a joint venture of Jamaica government and Air Canada which initially owned 40% stake in the airline.
Air Jamaica started operations following year using DC-9 and DC-8 on flights to Miami and New York using airplanes provided by Air Canada. In 1974 first inter-continental service to London was inaugurated using DC-8 jets. Once the DC-8's were retired, London route was suspended. Air Jamaica has returned to London in May 1999 when it leased its first Airbus A340. Airbuses A320 serve the Caribbean and points in North America along with A310's. Airline's main hubs are Montego Bay and Kingston. Airline has subsidiary Air Jamaica Express that operate domestic routes and short intra-caribbean flights using Dornier 228s and De Havilland DHC-8s.
In 2004 Air Jamaica was nationalized. Air Jamaica closed unprofitable routes and returned its long-haul Airbus A340s. Instead, Air Jamaica formed partnership with Virgin Atlantic to code share on London Gatwick - Kingston and Montego Bay routes.
Air Jamaica currently (2009) serves Havana, Orlando, Ft Lauderdale, Baltimore, Philadelphia, Chicago, Toronto, Nassau and Curacao. It also operates New York - Barbados and New York - Grenada routes.
On April 27, 2010, Caribbean Airlines (Trinidad and Tobago) entered into an agreement to acquire a majority shareholder of Air Jamaica, and the two airlines began to combine operations. The deal closed on May 27, 2011, where Jamaican government traded Air Jamaica for a 16% stake in Caribbean Airlines. The airlines merged on July 1, 2011. Air Jamaica branded airplanes continued to fly, however they were used on traditional Air Jamaica routes as well as Caribbean Airlines routes. The Trinidad and Tobago Civil Aviation Authority ruled in 2012 that Caribbean had to stop using the Air Jamaica name.
founded - demised (age)
January 1 1968 - July 1 2011 (43)
headquarters
76 Harbour St., Kingston
web
base airports
related operators
current /stored fleet (0)
