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. Service to Texas began in the 2018–2019 winter season[1] while the 2019–2020 winter season saw the introduction of California routes.[2]
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Founded | 2018 (2018) Taos, New Mexico, United States | ||||||
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Commenced operations | December 20, 2018 (2018-12-20) | ||||||
Hubs | Taos Regional Airport | ||||||
Fleet size | 2 | ||||||
Destinations | 5 | ||||||
Parent company | Taos Ski Valley, Inc. | ||||||
Website | taosair |
On 20 December 2018, Taos Air began service with scheduled flights from Taos Regional Airport to Dallas and Austin, Texas, 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.[1] Taos Air is owned by Taos Ski Valley, Inc., which pays for operation and upkeep of the aircraft, with the Town of Taos providing terminal access, marketing, de-icing service, and a hangar.[1][3] The aircraft was operated on a charter basis by Ultimate Jetcharters,[4] 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 Transportation Security Administration security checks were required.[5]
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.[6] On 9 April, Taos Air received final approval to operate summer flights.[7] 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.[8]
Texas flights resumed on 19 December 2019, using a 328JET, now operated by Advanced Air.[2] In January 2020, service to Hawthorne Municipal Airport and McClellan-Palomar Airport in California was introduced.[9] Service for the 2019–20 ski season was intended to continue until 29 March 2020[2][9] but was terminated on 15 March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[10]
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.[11] In early 2021, Taos Ski Valley announced that the resort would reopen on 26 November 2021 and Taos Air service would restart around that time.[12] In May of 2021, the airline announced summer service from 1 July to 27 September 2021.[13]
Taos Air flights were operated by Ultimate Jetcharters for the 2018–2019 season.[4] Flights have been operated by Advanced Air from the 2019–2020 season.[2][14]
The Taos Air fleet consists of the following aircraft:[15]
Taos Air serves the following destinations:
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.”