Air Freedo

Air Freedo is the main commuter carrier within Fairman Island, operating out of Freedo's International Airport. It is an instrumental component of the state's transport infrastructure, having established and maintained air links to remote towns and settlements, helping to provide daily essential supplies as well as fast passenger connections to these towns from Freedo. Established in 1991 as a two-aircraft operation, the airline has since grown into a major regional carrier, operating 14 aircraft to 11 destinations throughout the state.

History
Prior to 1994, regional connections within the state of Fairman island were highly regulated by the state's Transport Department, where an "air-loop" service (Freedo-Grangeham-Brickport-New Bristol-Queenstown), connecting the five major towns in one large loop service, was chartered out to carriers on a five-year basis. This meant that separate organisations were formed every five to ten years, operating the same standard equipment (Fokker F-27s, as well as Vickers Viscountsin the earlier years). In 1991, the last round of bidding was held for the operation of the important route, and it was awarded to the carrier, newly formed to bid for the air route. It inherited 2 Fokker F-27s from the previous carrier, and began operating the "air loop".

Ridership on the route began to increase steadily, and soon demand for seats outstripped supply. Thus, the carrier made arrangements with the state government to increase the frequencies of the "air loop" shuttle, a request which was promptly approved. As a result, 2 aircraft joined the fleet, Embraer EMB 110 Bandeirantes that had been operated by WestAir Commuter Airlines. Despite being both slower and smaller than the F-27s it supplanted, they brought about a major boost to the carrier's ability to handle the high demand for the route it operated.

In 1994, the regional aviation sector in Fairman Island was liberalised, which left Air Freedo the ability to chart it's own course regarding routes, destinations and aircraft. The ageing Fokker F-27s were promptly retired from service, and 2 additional Bandeirantes were brought in to replace them. The airline also ditched the existing loop-based route network in favour of the more efficient and simple hub-and-spoke route network. This freed up time for the aircraft to serve additional destinations, such as Baselton and Ogden Peak.

Demand continued to rise for the air links between Freedo and the cities that were once on the "air loop route". Even though efforts were undertaken to reduce turnover times and maximise the number of flights within a day to these destinations, it was simply not enough to cope with the rising passenger numbers. The airline began to grow exponentially, adding 5 Beechcraft 1900Ds into the fleet, more than doubling the carrier's passenger carriage capacity. It also aggressively expanded into new regions, connecting St. Augustine island as well as Newton on Fairman Island.

In 2005, TransIslandic attempted to take over control of the fast-growing commuter carrier, but the deal fell through on issues of share buyout.

In 2012, the carrier moved its hub from the now-closed Freedo Cityside Airport to the new Freedo International Airport. This has allowed the carrier to further expand the frequencies of flights.

Destinations
Ar Freedo currently serves 11 destinations.


 * Baselton
 * Brickport
 * Freedo
 * Grangeham
 * New Bristol
 * Newton
 * Ogden Peak
 * Queenstown
 * St. Augustine Island
 * St. Jacqueline Island
 * Tennery Port

Current
As of August 2012, Air Freedo operates these aircraft:





Retired
Since its formation in 1991, the carrier has retired these aircraft:


 * Fokker F-27 (2)
 * Vickers Viscount (2, in storage at time of formation)