Airline Name
Air Santo Domingo (Aerolineas Santo Domingo S.A.)IATA: EX / ICAO: SDO / CALLSIGN: AERO DOMINGO
Founded and commenced operations in 1996, ceased operations in 2005; revitalized operations in 2013 (Oct.), ceased operations once more in 2021
(Merged into Servicios Aereos Profesionales, its parent company)NOTE: Just wanted to add this note in, this airline’s history is quite notable, with it ceasing most activity in 2005 and being merged into its parent company - however SAP briefly had plans to restart and expand upon the airline many years later in the 2010s, and actually made some progress in doing so, more specifically through putting both a Jetstream 31/32 and Saab 340 into service. Despite being a far smaller fleet compared to before, the aircraft kept the airline running for a few years.
However, by 2021 all of such aircraft were listed as inactive, with the Saab 340 leaving in April of that year, and the Jetstreams already gone since 2020 - with no further updates since then, I think it’s best to assume this airline has become inactive once again.(Most of their fleet was retired in the 2005 cessation of operations, with the exceptions being the Jetstreams and Saab 340 mentioned, which will see their own sections and additional context.)
Country of Origin
Dominican Republic, Caribbean / Central America ()
Main Hub(s): La Isabela International Airport (JBQ), Las Americas International Airport (SDQ)
Aircraft Types Used (from those available in WoA)
(For this airline, some types operated are already available in WoA, some not.)Aircraft operated (already in-game):
Boeing 757 (-200, B752) - 2 former.
(Pictured below: N522NA)Looking into it, it would seem as if their 757s were leased from the now-defunct charter airline TransMeridian Airlines, hence the American registration.
Let L-410 Turbolet (UVP-E, L410) - 5 former.
(Pictured below: HI-681CT)Saab 340 (340B, SF34) - 1 former.
(Pictured below: HI1046)
Little media seems to exist of this lone Saab 340, which was operated by the airline in its “revival” period around the late 2010s, more specifically from March 2020 (technically July 2019, but it was listed as entering into service in the former date provided), to April 2021.
Anyways though, with that, I believe that’s all this airline has to offer when it comes to what’s in-game, so here’s the rest of their fleet that isn’t:Aircraft operated (not in-game):
BAe Jetstream (Jetstream 31, Jetstream 32, JS31/JS32) - 2 former.
(Pictured below: BAe Jetstream 31 HI918)(Pictured below: BAe Jetstream 32 HI856)
Now, these two aircraft was brought on during the revitalization period of the airline, and they appear to be in the primary livery of their parent company, SAP. However, there are still a few bits to show that they were intended for the airline, specifically the small logos on the tail.
I was a little unsure whether or not to include them, honestly, but I figured I’d do so just for the record. Anyways though, next aircraft:Beechcraft 1900 (Raytheon 1900D, B190) - 4 former.
(Pictured below: HI-717CT)It seems as if - from all the shots I saw of their Beechcraft/Raytheon 1900Ds - that they had differing flags on each side, one of Puerto Rico (left) and one of the Dominican Republic (right). I’m not 100% sure as to why, however.
Anyways, on another note, here’s an alternative livery for the type, appearing to be leased out from an American operator:
(Pictured below: N23317)Information on this aircraft is pretty scarce, unfortunately, so I wasn’t sure where its original American registration came from.
As for the next aircraft type:Boeing 727 (-200 Adv, B722) - 1 former.
(Pictured below: N906PG)Similar to the 757s above, it seems as if this 727 was also leased from TransMeridian Airlines, explaining its case of the American registration.
Moving on though, here’s another, rather unique type:Cessna 208 (208B Grand Caravan, C208) - 2 former.
(Pictured below: HI-760CT)Little media seems to exist of this aircraft and livery, though I was able to find a nice shot I just wanted to throw in:
(Pictured below: Cessna 208B Grand Caravan N1326D and Let L-410UVP-E Turbolet HI-680CT)Now, here’s the next, and final, aircraft type:
Short 360 (-100, -300, SH36) - 2 former.
(1 of each variant.)
(Pictured below: Short 360-100 HI-657CT)(Pictured below: Short 360-300 N729PC)
Apparently, the aircraft just above was previously part of USAir before ending up with this airline years afterwards (I wasn’t aware USAir operated the SH36, honestly), hence the original American registration - though I’m not 100% sure about it, because sources are a bit scarce.
Why should this airline be added?
I would say that this airline should be added as it had quite a diverse fleet and storied history, with types like the L-410 and 757 being rarer sights in the general Caribbean / Central American region, and thus I believe they’d make for awesome events/special arrivals.
Additionally, the airline restarting operations in the 2010s allows for a few select aircraft of theirs to be eligible for normal contracts, too, being the Saab 340 and the Jetstreams (if the type is implemented in the future).It’s an airline that’s definitely more on the obscure side of things, yet one that I found intriguing looking into, and one I feel would be quite fun and interesting see in-game.
SOURCES:
Air Santo Domingo’s Planespotters.net Page
Air Santo Domingo’s Wikipedia Page