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Eastern Airlines, LLC

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For the original airline that operated from 1926 to 1991, see Eastern Air Lines. For the charter airline that operated from 2015 to 2017, see Eastern Air Lines (2015).
Eastern Airlines, LLC
IATA ICAO Call sign
2D EAL EASTERN
FoundedOctober 2010; 14 years ago (2010-10)
(as Dynamic Airways)
Commenced operationsApril 2018; 6 years ago (2018-04)
(as Eastern Airlines)
AOC #2DYA074Q[1]
HubsKansas City
SubsidiariesEastern Air Express
Fleet size15
Parent companyEastern Air Holdings Inc.
HeadquartersKansas City, Missouri
Key peopleBrian Randow (President & COO)[2]
Dragan Djordjevic (CFO)
Steve Kasteler (EVP)[2]
Websitegoeasternair.com

Eastern Airlines, LLC is an American airline founded in 2010. It began as Dynamic Airways and later added "International" to its name to reflect its transition from a charter airline into scheduled international services. Under the Dynamic name, the airline was headquartered in High Point, North Carolina, offering service from New York to South America. It used to operate from Fort Lauderdale, Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York to the Caribbean, Cancún, and South America.

Following a successful bankruptcy restructuring in April 2018, Dynamic International Airways obtained a license to use the Eastern intellectual property from Swift Air, and the leases of two aircraft from the 2015 Eastern Air Lines startup. Dynamic was rebranded as Eastern Airlines.

History

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Dynamic Airways

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Dynamic Airways' former logo
A Dynamic Airways Boeing 767-300ER at JFK Airport Terminal 1, in the former livery, registered N740JM

Dynamic Airways was established by Dynamic Aviation with its first aircraft being a second-hand McDonnell Douglas MD-88 delivered a year before operations started in 2009.[3] The airline officially started operations in early October 2010 after receiving its air operator's certificate.[4]

In November 2010, the airline started to operate for Direct Air. The company's first aircraft was re-painted in livery and leased to Direct Air.[5]

As the airline approached its second year of operations, its first Boeing 767-200 was delivered to the airline, followed by the approval for another MD-88 to take to the skies.[citation needed]

Not long after the purchase of the second MD-88, Dynamic announced a three-year partnership flying for Hoda Air Services in South Korea. The deal, which included an MD-88 supported by a full crew, was the airline's first in Asia. The airline continued to expand when its first 767 entered service and the second was delivered, which was, according to the airline, available for ACMI wet lease, full charter and corporate shuttle programs for private and government organizations.[6]

In March 2012, Direct Air temporarily suspended its operations and canceled all charter flights, subsequently filing for bankruptcy. It ceased operations completely shortly after, having been found to have racked up millions in debts. The MD-88 was returned to Dynamic as a result. A third 767 was delivered to Dynamic on March 6.[citation needed] This 767 entered operations in early 2013.[citation needed]

Dynamic operated a successful wet-lease ACMI for EZjet, operating regular flights from New York City to Georgetown utilizing their 767-200. This operation ceased in 2012, prompting Dynamic's move into regularly scheduled services, starting with the resurrection of the New York to Georgetown route in June 2014, competing with Caribbean Airlines and Fly Jamaica Airways on that route, the latter two flying the route as a fifth-freedom service.[7]

In 2015, Dynamic also added services from Fort Lauderdale, flying to both Caracas and Rio de Janeiro[citation needed]. In 2016, Dynamic added new routes from New York to the Caribbean and Latin America, commencing service to Caracas (filling a void left after American Airlines canceled that same route) Cancún, and Punta Cana, and entered both the Chicago and Los Angeles markets, with service from Chicago to both Punta Cana and Cancún, and from Los Angeles to Cancún and San Juan. However, the latter was later withdrawn before launch. By August 2016, however, all of the new routes except for the New York to Caracas route had been canceled and the Fort Lauderdale to Caracas service. Soon after those cancellations, Mexican low-cost carrier Interjet began operating some of the canceled routes to and from Cancún.

After summer of 2017, Dynamic withdrew from scheduled services and re-focused as an ACMI operator. In November 2017, Dynamic and its affiliated airline Swift Air went bankrupt.[8]

Eastern Airlines

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The same aircraft as above in a bare Eastern livery, now registered N703KW, also at JFK Airport, taxiing out for departure on Runway 4L
An Eastern Airlines Boeing 767-200ER in a hybrid Eastern/Swift Air livery, arriving at Toronto Pearson International Airport in 2019

Dynamic exited bankruptcy, and with the rights held by Swift Air, renamed itself as Eastern Airlines in April 2018. The company adopted plans similar to the prior Eastern Air Lines Group. The airline's viability was to be based on route selection, mostly secondary locations in South America and China. But while the destinations were under-served, there may not have been enough demand to be profitable. The company applied for four non-stop routes, three international, from its proposed JFK New York hub. It assembled a fleet of eight Boeing 767s and used them to furnish charter services in North America and Europe. With the Boeing 737 MAX groundings, Eastern provided charters for Sunwing Airlines.[8]

On September 1, 2019, the company moved into its new Systems Operations Control center in Wayne, Pennsylvania.[9][8] At the end of the month, Eastern joined the British Civil Aviation Authority in the largest-ever peacetime repatriation of British citizens after the collapse of Thomas Cook Airlines, operating flights to bring stranded overseas holidaymakers back to the UK.[10]

On January 12, 2020, Eastern Airlines completed its inaugural flight to New York from Guayaquil, Ecuador.[11] By May 2020, Eastern planned to purchase several Boeing 767s, with at least five used 777-200s.[8] On September 1, 2021, Eastern Airlines announced the creation of a new cargo subsidiary named Eastern Air Cargo and the addition of 35 Boeing 777 Freighters to their fleet.[12][13][14]

In May 2023, Eastern Airlines announced its plans to acquire charter airline Hillwood Airways to enter the luxury charter market.[15] It was officially purchased on August 15, 2023, but Hillwood continued to operate under its existing brand[16] until it was renamed as Eastern Air Express on November 13, 2023.[17] The subsidiary plans to use its Boeing 737s, as indicated in the job vacancies on the website.

In July 2023, the New England Patriots filed a lawsuit against Eastern Airlines over an alleged breach of contract.[18] Eastern had been the operator of the team's two Boeing 767s since late 2020 until 2024.

In February 2024, Eastern announced that it had moved its headquarters from Pennsylvania to Kansas City, Missouri, to be close to its cargo and overhaul presence at Kansas City International Airport, and to create more jobs there.[19]

Ownership

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Until 2017, Dynamic Airways was owned as follows,[20]

  1. Kenneth M. Woolley (50%) - founder and chief information officer (and former CEO) of Extra Space Storage. Woolley also co-owns Swift Air, another Part 121 carrier, in association with Swift Transportation, and is the owner of KMW Leasing, an aircraft leasing firm.
  2. Paul Kraus (50%) - owner of Jet Midwest Group, an aircraft leasing firm.

After a successful bankruptcy restructuring in 2017, Dynamic Airways was owned by Olga Alauof (70%) and Woolley (30%).

Destinations

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Since February 2024, Eastern Airlines does not operate scheduled flights after canceling its once-monthly Miami to Santo Domingo route.[21]

Country City Airport Notes Refs
 Dominican Republic Santo Domingo Las Américas International Airport Terminated [21]
 Ecuador Guayaquil José Joaquín de Olmedo International Airport Terminated
 Guyana Georgetown Cheddi Jagan International Airport Terminated [22]
 Nicaragua Managua Augusto C. Sandino International Airport Terminated
 Paraguay Asunción Silvio Pettirossi International Airport Terminated [23]
 United States Boston Logan International Airport Terminated
Miami Miami International Airport Hub
Terminated
New York City John F. Kennedy International Airport Terminated
 Uruguay Montevideo Carrasco International Airport Terminated [24]

Fleet

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Current

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As of March 2024, the Eastern Airlines fleet includes the following aircraft:[citation needed]

Eastern Airlines fleet
Aircraft In service Orders Passengers Notes
W Y Total
Boeing 767-300ER 4 — 30 212 242
Boeing 777-200ER 2 — – 380 380
Total 6 —

Former

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As Dynamic Airways, the airline formerly operated the following aircraft:[citation needed]

Eastern Airlines former fleet
Aircraft Total Introduced Retired Notes
Boeing 767-200 4 2011 2024
Boeing 767-200ER 5 2011 2023
Boeing 767-200ER/BDSF 2 2014 2016 Operated for 21 Air
Boeing 777-300ER 2 2022 2023 Never entered into service
McDonnell Douglas MD-88 2 2010 2012

Accidents and incidents

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  • On July 15, 2020, a Boeing 767-300ER (registered N706KW), from New York City to Georgetown, Guyana, taxied off the taxiway at Cheddi Jagan International Airport upon landing, after it vacated Runway 24.[27] Almost immediately after turning onto Taxiway Charlie, the aircraft’s right main landing gear rolled off the pavement and became stuck in the grass. All 201 passengers and 10 crew members were safely evacuated from the aircraft with no injuries.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Federal Aviation Administration - Airline Certificate Information - Detail View". av-info.faa.gov. Archived from the original on 2023-04-04. Retrieved 2019-06-27.
  2. ^ a b "Newly Appointed President of Eastern Airlines". Mychesco.com. 23 April 2023. Retrieved April 23, 2023.
  3. ^ "New Charter Airline Dynamic Airways Launches with MD-88". Sun-sentinel.com. Retrieved October 27, 2010.
  4. ^ "Dynamic Airways to start operations in early November". World Airline News. October 27, 2010. Retrieved 4 October 2013.
  5. ^ "Direct Air Will Use MD-88 For Lakeland Service". The Ledger. June 15, 2011. Archived from the original on 5 October 2013. Retrieved 5 October 2013.
  6. ^ "Dynamic Airways Boeing 767". Dynamic Airways/Facebook. June 28, 2012. Archived from the original on 2013-10-05. Retrieved 5 October 2013.
  7. ^ "Dynamic Airways to launch regular flights next month". Saipan Tribune. September 16, 2013. Archived from the original on 5 October 2013. Retrieved 4 October 2013.
  8. ^ a b c d Perrella, Enrique (August 23, 2019). "Eastern Airlines Comes Back: New Logo, JFK Hub, Triple Sevens". Airways Magazine. Retrieved July 6, 2020.
  9. ^ "Triad Charter Airline Service Moving Headquarters to Pennsylvania, Cutting 50 Jobs". WFMY. 30 May 2019. Retrieved 2019-07-31.
  10. ^ "Thomas Cook has ceased trading | UK Civil Aviation Authority".
  11. ^ Lastoe, Stacey (January 21, 2020). "The return of the legendary US airline you've probably never heard of". CNN. Retrieved July 6, 2020.
  12. ^ Eric Kulisch (3 September 2021). "Eastern Airlines enters air cargo market with 'freighter-light' model". Flyingmag.com. Retrieved September 3, 2021.
  13. ^ "Eastern Airlines orders 35 Boeing 777 conversions and dives into the cargo market". Aviacionline.com. September 2021. Retrieved September 1, 2021.
  14. ^ "Eastern Airlines: Converting to air cargo". Aircargonews.net. November 2021. Retrieved November 1, 2021.
  15. ^ "Eastern Airlines Acquires Hillwood Airways: Expanding Operations and Entering Luxury Charter Market". Aviacionline.com. 6 May 2023. Retrieved May 6, 2023.
  16. ^ "US's Eastern Air Holdings acquires Hillwood Airways". Ch-aviation.com. August 24, 2023.
  17. ^ "Eastern Air Holdings, INC, acquires Hillwood Airways effective November 13, 2023. Now servicing customers and missions as Eastern Air Express! arrow". Go Eastern.
  18. ^ "Patriots file $22 million lawsuit against Eastern airlines". cbssports.com. 8 October 2023. Retrieved Oct 8, 2023.
  19. ^ Valeski, Lucy (February 22, 2024). "Eastern Airlines moved its headquarters to Kansas City, expecting to create 165 jobs". Kcur.org.
  20. ^ Dynamic Airways application for scheduled service, May 12, 2014
  21. ^ a b "EASTERN TEMPORARILY SUSPENDS SEASONAL SERVICE TO SANTO DOMINGO". Go Eastern. Archived from the original on August 13, 2024.
  22. ^ "Eastern Airlines ends scheduled services to Guyana". stabroeknews.com. Retrieved June 14, 2021.
  23. ^ "Eastern Airlines cancels flight resumption to Asunción". Aviacionline.com. 13 July 2022. Retrieved July 13, 2022.
  24. ^ "Eastern Airlines cancels flights between Miami and Montevideo". Aviacionline.com. 31 December 2021. Retrieved December 31, 2021.
  25. ^ "BSO: 24 hurt after plane catches fire at FLL". wsvn.com. 29 October 2015. Archived from the original on 30 October 2015. Retrieved 30 October 2015.
  26. ^ "Accident description". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved November 12, 2015.
  27. ^ "Accident description". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved July 16, 2020.
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