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'''BWIA West Indies Airways Limited''', (anche nota col nomignolo "Bee-wee") è stata la [[compagnia aerea di bandiera]] di [[Trinidad and Tobago]]. Al 2006, era una delle più grandi ed importanti aerolinee dei [[Caraibi]], operante un ampio raggio di voli per gli [[USA]], il [[Canada]] e il [[Regno Unito]]. Era basata al [[Piarco International Airport]] (POS) di [[Port of Spain]], con basi secondarie al [[Grantley Adams International Airport]] (BGI) e al [[Cheddi Jagan International Airport]] (GEO). La sede si trovava presso il ''BWIA Administration Building'' di [[Piarco]] ([[Regione di Tunapuna-Piarco|Tunapuna-Piarco]])<ref>"World Airline Directory." ''Flight International''. March 23, 1999. [http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1999/1999%20-%200518.html 66]. Consultato il 30 settembre 2009.</ref>
L'8 settembre 2006 l'azienda annunciò che avrebbe interrotto le operazioni il 31 dicembre 2006. Circa 1700 dipendenti furono poi riassunti nella compagnia che la sostituì, la [[Caribbean Airlines]].<ref>[http://www.trinidadexpress.com/index.pl/article?id=161011319 Trinidad Express: Bye Bye BWEE, Hello Caribbean Airlines]</ref>
== HistoryStoria ==
'''La British West Indian Airways''' wasfu establishedfondata onil 27 Novembernovembre 1939 by Newdal Zealanderneozelandese [[Lowell Yerex]]. OperationsLe startedoperazioni ondi volo iniziarono il 27 November 1940 withcon aun [[Lockheed Lodestar]] twinsulla on daily services betweentratta [[Trinidad]] and -[[Barbados]]. ByVerso il 1942, the airlinela hadcompagnia threepossedeva aircrafttre ofdi thisquesti typeaerei. InNel 1947, BWIAla wasBWIA takenfu overrilevata bydalla [[British South American Airways]] (BSAA), aftervenendo a few months operating asrinominata British International Air Lines. theIl nome 'BWIA' namefu wasripristinato restored onil 24 Junegiugno 1948. forLa operatingflotta routesin amongquesto theperiodo Caribbeanera Islandscostituita usingda velivoli [[Vickers VC.1 Viking|Vickers Viking]] twin-piston types.
InNel 1949, la BSAA mergedsi withunì alla [[British Overseas Airways Corporation]] ande la BWIA becamedivenne auna subsidiarycompagnia ofsussidiaria della BOAC. Tra il 1955 e il 1960 la flotta fu arricchita da velivoli [[Vickers Viscount]]s were introduced in 1955 withe [[Bristol Britannia]]s, leasedper inoperare 1960la totratta fly the longTrinidad-haul route to [[LondonLondra]], via [[New York City]]. InNel 1960 la BWIA hadaprì itsla headsua officesede instabile a [[Port of Spain]], Trinidad.<ref>"World Airline Directory." Flight International''. 8 April 1960. [http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1960/1960%20-%200494.html 494].</ref>. OnIl 1° Novembernovembre 1961 theil governmentgoverno ofdi Trinidad ande Tobago acquiredacquisì il 90% ofdelle theazioni sharesdella in the airlinecompagnia, ande achievedraggiunse completeil ownership100% bynel 1967.
[[File:BWIA Boeing 747-100 Maiwald.jpg|thumb|right|BWIA [[Boeing 747-100]] indella BWIA nel 1987.]]
ForIl BWIA1967 thesegnò jetanche agel'inizio begandell'era del [[jet]], in 1967quanto withla thecompagnia introductionacquistò ofi newnuovi [[Boeing 727-100]] jetliners, whichche replacedrimpiazzarono thei Vickers Viscount turbopropssulle ontratte thea Newlungo York routeraggio. TheNel London1975 routearrivarono wasanche restarted in 1975 usingdei [[Boeing 707]], jetsche furono usati nei voli per [[Londra]]. La BWIA becamefu rinominata '''BWIA International Airways''' innel 1980 afterdopo ala mergerfusione withcon [[Trinidad and Tobago Air Services]] (whichfondata haddal beengoverno formed by the government in Junenel 1974), becomingdiventando unica thecompagnia nationaldi airlinebandiera. Nello Thestesso sameanno year also saw thei Boeing 707s replaced on the London707 servicefurono withsostituiti longdai rangetrireattori [[Lockheed L-1011-500]] TriStar [[wide body jetliners]]. InNel 1986, la BWIA boughtacquisì il itssuo firstprimo [[McDonnell Douglas MD-83]]., Theche airlineaffiancò alsoi operated McDonnellpreesistenti [[Douglas DC-9]]-50 jetliners at one point.
ByNel 1994, thela airlinecompagnia hadfu becomein partiallyparte privatisedprivatizzata. Una Aristrutturazione substantialdel reorganisationnetwork oflasciò itssolo routeLondra network left London ande [[FrankfurtFrancoforte]] thecome only [[Europe]]andestinazioni destinationseuropee. Furono Theemessi airlineordini orderedper velivoli [[Boeing 757]] ande [[Boeing 767|767]] aircraft, then canceled thepoi ordercancellati in favorfavore ofdegli [[Airbus A321]] anded [[Airbus A340]] jets; in turn, this order was dropped after only two A321s were delivered. OnIl 22 Februaryfebbraio 1995, theil governmentgoverno ofdi Trinidad ande Tobago completed the privatisation of BWIA by turning over majority control of the common stock and management of the airline to a private group of UScompletò andla Caribbeanprivatizzazione investorsdell'azienda.
[[Image:Bwia.a340-300.9y-tjn.arp.jpg|thumb|right|BWIA [[Airbus A340#A340-300 series|Airbus A340-300]] indella BWIA nel 2002]]
In the early 2000s, BWIA changed its livery to a new Caribbean green and blue color scheme with its famous [[steelpan]] trademark, the national musical instrument of its home base. The fleet had been upgraded to seven Boeing 737-800 Next Generation aircraft, two Airbus A340-300s, and two [[Bombardier Aerospace|Bombardier]] [[De Havilland Canada Dash 8|de Havilland Canada DHC-8 Q300 Dash 8]] twin turboprop regional aircraft flown by BWIA's sister airline [[Tobago Express]], which provided service on the short hop between Port of Spain and Trinidad's sister island Tobago as well as other destinations in the region.
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