FAA Suspends St. Croix-Based Island Airlines After Company’s Failure To Allow Inspection Of Its Aircraft And Records

ST. CROIX — The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) last week issued an emergency order of suspension against Island Airlines, LLC of the U.S. Virgin Islands, for not allowing the agency to inspect the company’s aircraft and records.

According to information found on its Facebook page, Island Airlines was established in 2006 on St. Croix and provides air charter, air ambulance and pet travel services. The company’s Facebook page includes a picture of one of its aircraft with a Medical Air Services Association (MASA) Assist logo. In another picture, Island Travels shows an ambulance flight from Anguilla with a patient being placed into one of its aircraft — also with the MASA Air Assist logo.

An attempt to visit the company’s website, http://islandairlinesllc.com, leads to a page that says the site is under maintenance.

On March 14, 2017, the FAA received information alleging the St. Croix-based company was operating a Beech B200 while an inspection was overdue for one of its engines. Between March 15, 2017 and Nov. 29, 2017, the FAA tried numerous times to contact Island Airlines by email and certified letters to alert the company it was opening an investigation and to schedule an inspection of its aircraft and records.

Additionally, the FAA sent inspectors to St. Croix to inspect Island Airlines’ records and aircraft in April 2017 and November 2017.

The company did not respond to the FAA’s various communications and did not make a representative available to allow the inspectors access to its operations base, the FAA alleges.

Because Island Airlines did not allow access to its operations base for inspection of its records and aircraft, the FAA said alleged that it could not verify the company’s qualifications to hold an Air Carrier Certificate. The FAA has determined that the safety of the flying public requires the suspension of Island Airlines’ certificate until it allows inspection of its records and aircraft to establish the company’s qualifications.

The emergency order of Suspension is effective immediately, and the company cannot conduct operations while the order is in effect. Island Air surrendered its certificate.