Does anyone know if Royal Aruban Air has finally started flying? (Their website indicates they may have started in late May.) If they are flying, has anyone tried them yet and what was your experience?

Mark,

Did you get any response, I would like to know too. Thanks Lydia

To all,
I called Royal Aruban Airlines yesterday afternoon in Aruba and they said their target startup has been pushed back to July. The only way to get from Aruba to Bonaire and back is Avia Airlines , they only fly late, or Dutch Caribbean. There is a charter ,Divi Divi, but they only fly between Curacao and Bonaire.

To All
I spoke with RAA today and was told that they would not be flying until the 15th to 18th(?) of July I hope this helps.
Will Young
SC

Here's what we propose to do to serve Bonaire out of Aruba once we obtain our Air Operating Certificate (AOC) from the local Civil Aviation Authority:

Have TWO daily flights:
1. V5-573 leaves AUA 9:45 - arrives BON 10:25 am
2. V5-577 leaves AUA 6:30 - arrives BON 7:10 pm

Return flights:
1. V5-574 leaves BON 10:50 - arrives AUA 11:30 am
2. V5-578 leaves BON 7:35 - arrives AUA 8:15 p.m.

According to officials of Civil Aviation the tentative date for granting the AOC is this Friday 07/19. Once we have that in hand we must proceed in requesting landing permits in Bonaire and Curaçao. This process will take a couple of days, and should not be a problem.
So, if all goes well and without any [further]delays we plan to launch our first flight to Bonaire and Curaçao on August 1, 2002.

Keep your fingers crossed.
Rory Arends _ Royal Aruban Airlines.

Yes, there was news about Royal Aruban Airlines in the local Aruban Newspapers yesterday (12/10) and today (12/11). We are still there - and not out of business as many have thought - and making bigger plans than before. Why?
The three daily flights to Curaçao and the two daily flights to Bonaire granted to RAA last July did not justify the start up of operations. The total flying hours under this grant would have been less than 4 hours per day. Nobody can run an airline profitably under these circumstances. So it was decided to keep our plane on the ground and loose less money.
We were quiet these last few months, as we were preparing better plans for the airline and it's future customers - our passengers.
The decision has been taken to do away with "Phase One" of the project (fly two 30 passenger aircraft in the region), and go directly into "Phase Two". This implies:
1. Returning the Emb 120 turbo-prop to its owner;
2. Lease two DC9-15 jet aircraft with a seating capacity for 75 passengers (very comfortable), of which the first one will be in Aruba before the end of this month/year. These aircraft used to be TWA's and have just undergone their D-Check. They are in excellent condition.
3. Taking into consideration the time required for the Aruba Civil Aviation Department to inspect the aircraft and register it under the Aruba P4 sign, we expect to be flying commercially sometime in February 2003.
At first our two flights to Bonaire (from Aruba) will be at 6:00 pm and 7:45 pm however, approximately a month after the schedule will change.
Flights to Bonaire [from Aruba] are then planned for: 8:50am; 6:15pm/7:15pm. Return flights BON-AUA will be at 10:30am and 7:20pm/8:55pm.
Royal Aruban Airlines will also be serving: Curaçao, St. Maarten, Colombia, Venezuela, Trinidad, the Dominican Republic and Haiti.
In the "Third Phase" [larger aircraft] we will go further south in South America (Ecuador) and further north to Florida, USA.
More news will follow as the developments take shape.

Hi Rory,

Thanks for the update. We wish you success with your efforts, and look forward to having it operational!

Jake