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.
Websitewww.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] The ongoing pandemic prompted the cancellation of service for the 2020–2021 ski season[4] but flights will resume for the 2021–2022 season.[5]

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. The service was introduced to promote skiing in the Taos area, and free shuttle service to Taos Ski Valley was offered.[6] 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.[6][7] The aircraft was operated on a charter basis by Ultimate Jetcharters,[8] 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.[9]

In March 2019, the Taos County Board of Commissioners and the Town of Taos voted to give Taos Air grants totaling $850,000 for summer service to promote tourism.[10] On 9 April, Taos Air received final approval to operate summer flights.[11] Despite this, the flights were canceled in June 2019 due to unavailability of aircraft and pilots from the charter company, and consequently the grant money was not disbursed.[12]

Texas flights resumed on 19 December 2019, using a 328JET, now operated by Advanced Air.[1] In January 2020, service to Hawthorne Municipal Airport and McClellan-Palomar Airport in California was introduced.[2] Service for the 2019–20 ski season was intended to continue until 29 March 2020[1][2] but was terminated on 15 March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[3]

On 6 November 2020, citing "the uncertainty of current and future travel restrictions to New Mexico" due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Taos Ski Valley canceled Taos Air service for the 2020–2021 winter season.[4] Taos Ski Valley subsequently announced that the resort is scheduled to reopen on 26 November 2021 and Taos Air service will restart around that time.[5]

Operators

Taos Air flights were operated by Ultimate Jetcharters for the 2018–2019 season.[8] Flights were operated by Advanced Air for the 2019–2020 season.[1][13]

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

The Taos Air fleet consists of the following aircraft:[14]

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. Hooper, Will (6 November 2020). "Taos Air takes a season hiatus". taosnews.com. The Taos News. Retrieved 9 November 2020. The statement went on to say that because of the ski valley's B Corp ethos – which involves partaking in the local community – it has acknowledged the reality that “the uncertainty of current and future travel restrictions to New Mexico made it impossible to deliver a reliable Taos Air service this year.”
  5. "Taos Air (suspended) | Taos Ski Valley". www.skitaos.com. Retrieved 4 January 2021.
  6. Moya, Jesse. "New charter flight service for Texas skiers generates buzz". taosnews.com. The Taos News. Retrieved 25 April 2019.
  7. Moya, Jesse. "Taos Council OKs liquor license, property transfer and revises Taos Air". taosnews.com. The Taos News. Retrieved 25 April 2019.
  8. "Ultimate JetCharters is operating a Dornier 328JET in full Taos Air brand". worldairlinenews.com. Retrieved 25 April 2019.
  9. Shine, Conor. "New Dallas-to-Taos flights will make hitting the ski slopes easier this winter". Dallasnews.com. Retrieved 5 March 2019.
  10. Hooks, Cody. "Taos Air picks up $200K from county coffers". taosnews.com. The Taos News. Retrieved 25 April 2019.
  11. Moya, Jesse. "Town finalizes Taos Air flights". taosnews.com. The Taos News. Retrieved 24 April 2019.
  12. Moya, Jesse (7 June 2019). "Taos Air summer flights canceled". The Taos News. Taos, New Mexico. Retrieved 3 July 2019.
  13. "Taos Air FAQ's / Terms & Conditions". skitaos.com. Ski Taos. Retrieved 15 October 2019.
  14. McMurtry, Ian (13 December 2019). "Dornier Disappearing: Tracking The Remaining Dornier 328 Commercial Operators". AirlineGeeks.com. Retrieved 20 December 2019.
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