Taos Air

Taos Air is a virtual airline that operates seasonal scheduled public air charter service between Taos Regional Airport in Taos, New Mexico and several airports in California and Texas. The airline is owned by Taos Ski Valley, Inc. and operates the Fairchild Dornier 328JET.

Taos Air
IATA ICAO Callsign
various various see Operators
Founded2018 (2018)
Taos, New Mexico, United States
Commenced operationsDecember 20, 2018 (2018-12-20)
HubsTaos Regional Airport
Fleet size2
Destinations5
Parent companyTaos Ski Valley, Inc.
Websitehttps://www.skitaos.com/taos-air

Service to Texas began in the 2018–2019 winter season. Summer service in 2019 was planned but subsequently canceled. The 2019–2020 winter season saw the introduction of the California routes[1][2] and the early cancellation of service due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[3]

History

On 20 December 2018, Taos Air began service with scheduled flights from Taos Regional Airport in New Mexico using a 30-seat Dornier 328JET, with flights expected to run through March 2019. The service was introduced primarily to promote skiing in the Taos area, and free shuttle service to Taos Ski Valley was offered.[4] Taos Air is owned by Taos Ski Valley, Inc., which pays for operation and upkeep of the single aircraft; the Town of Taos provides terminal access, marketing, de-icing service, and a hangar.[4][5] The aircraft was operated on a charter basis by Ultimate Jetcharters,[6] an FAR Part 135 air charter company that also operates scheduled charter flights under the Ultimate Air Shuttle brand name.

During its inaugural season, the carrier used a private terminal at Dallas Love Field; no TSA security checks were required.[7]

In March 2019, the Taos County Board of Commissioners and the Town of Taos voted to give Taos Air grants totaling $850,000 to provide summer service to promote tourism.[8] On 9 April, Taos Air received final approval to operate summer flights.[9] Despite this, on 7 June 2019, Taos Ski Valley Vice President Chris Stagg announced that summer flights had been canceled due to unavailability of aircraft and pilots from the charter company, and consequently, the grant money had not been disbursed.[10]

On 11 October 2019, it was announced that the Texas flights would resume on 19 December 2019 and continue until 29 March 2020 using a 328JET, but with the operator changing to Advanced Air.[1]

Taos Air announced plans 20 November 2019 to begin serving Hawthorne Municipal Airport in Hawthorne, California, near Los Angeles, and McClellan-Palomar Airport in Carlsbad, California, near San Diego, beginning 9 January and continuing until 29 March 2020.[2]

On 15 March 2020, Taos Air service for the remainder of the 2019–20 ski season was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[3]

Operators

Taos Air flights were operated by Ultimate Jetcharters for the 2018–2019 season.[6] Flights were operated by Advanced Air for the 2019–2020 season.[1][11]

Fleet
Fairchild Dornier 328JET in Taos Air livery on approach to Dallas Love Field

The Taos Air fleet consists of the following aircraft:[12]

Destinations

Taos Air serves the following destinations:

See also

References
  1. Vitu, Teya (11 October 2019). "Taos Air to resume flights between Austin, Dallas on Dec. 19". The Santa Fe New Mexican. Santa Fe, New Mexico. Retrieved 15 October 2019.
  2. "Taos Air launching round-trip flights to LA and Carlsbad, Calif". Albuquerque Journal. Albuquerque, New Mexico. 20 November 2019. Retrieved 21 November 2019.
  3. "Coronavirus Update". skitaos.com. Ski Taos. 15 March 2020. Retrieved 20 March 2020.
  4. Moya, Jesse. "New charter flight service for Texas skiers generates buzz". taosnews.com. The Taos News. Retrieved 25 April 2019.
  5. Moya, Jesse. "Taos Council OKs liquor license, property transfer and revises Taos Air". taosnews.com. The Taos News. Retrieved 25 April 2019.
  6. "Ultimate JetCharters is operating a Dornier 328JET in full Taos Air brand". worldairlinenews.com. Retrieved 25 April 2019.
  7. Shine, Conor. "New Dallas-to-Taos flights will make hitting the ski slopes easier this winter". Dallasnews.com. Retrieved 5 March 2019.
  8. Hooks, Cody. "Taos Air picks up $200K from county coffers". taosnews.com. The Taos News. Retrieved 25 April 2019.
  9. Moya, Jesse. "Town finalizes Taos Air flights". taosnews.com. The Taos News. Retrieved 24 April 2019.
  10. Moya, Jesse (7 June 2019). "Taos Air summer flights canceled". The Taos News. Taos, New Mexico. Retrieved 3 July 2019.
  11. "Taos Air FAQ's / Terms & Conditions". skitaos.com. Ski Taos. Retrieved 15 October 2019.
  12. McMurtry, Ian (13 December 2019). "Dornier Disappearing: Tracking The Remaining Dornier 328 Commercial Operators". AirlineGeeks.com. Retrieved 20 December 2019.
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