EC Air Flights to Link San Juan to St. Thomas and Tortola
SAN JUAN, PUERTO RICO, Apr 21, 2006 (MARKET WIRE via COMTEX) -- Eastern Caribbean Airlines (EC Air), having recently received its final certification from the FAA, today announced the initial markets it will serve. Flight operations by EC Air, a subsidiary of Viva International, Inc. (OTC BB: VIVI), are planned to debut on May 1, 2006 or soon thereafter.
According to EC Air President Jose Nieves, the carrier's initial routes will link San Juan's close-in airport at Isla Grande to St. Thomas in the neighboring U.S. Virgin Islands and to Tortola in the British Virgin Islands. Two daily round-trip flights will be operated on weekdays to St. Thomas along with one round trip to Tortola on the same days. On weekends, charter flights will be operated from Isla Grande to the El Portillo Wildlife Reserve in the Dominican Republic.
EC Air indicated that as it prepares to restart its operations that it is going through mandatory pilot training and is securing the necessary approvals or renewals for its planned initial routes. The Company indicated that each of these items are routine and will not interfere with its forward plan.
The initial flights will be operated with a twin-engine Cessna 402 "island hopper" turboprop seating seven passengers. Another 402 is expected to join the fleet later in May. "This is the perfect aircraft to test the demand for our particular market niche," said Nieves. "Depending on customer demand, we can add more 402s in certain profitable but relatively thin markets, and deploy larger equipment on more heavily traveled routes."
He said additional markets under study include short-haul hops from Isla Grande to intra-Puerto Rican destinations such as Ponce and Mayaguez and the nearby island of Vieques. Company planners are also looking at a future route from Aquadilla at the western end of Puerto Rico to the popular resort destination of Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic.
Nieves also said: "We have the best employees of any airline on the island, and that will soon be evident in the quality service we'll be delivering to our passengers, and in the quality product we'll be offering in conjunction with our tour operators, retail travel agents and other industry partners."
Viva International, at present based in Traverse City, Mich., is a holding company with a number of airline and aviation-related interests including EC Air and Viva Air Dominicana, S.A., a carrier now in the late development stage based in the Dominican Republic.
Viva International President Rudy Dominguez added: "The upcoming launch of EC Air will be a major milestone in our strategic plan to create a network of regional carriers across the Caribbean." Future plans of the company, he noted, include linking the individual carriers' flight hubs to key points along the Caribbean rim, and eventually to markets in the U.S., Latin America, South America and Europe.
About Viva International
Viva International has a number of airline and aviation-related interests including two developmental-stage carriers being readied to operate in regional markets from hubs in Puerto Rico and Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.
The Company plans to create a network of regionally based airlines across the Caribbean, eventually to be linked to key points in the United States, Latin America, South America, and Europe.
At present, the Company maintains executive offices in Michigan.
Contact:
Christine Hanneman
(303) 220-8476
(866) 755-8484
SOURCE: Viva International, Inc.
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