The airline was established as Gulfstream International Airlines (GFT) in October 1988 and started operations on December 1, 1990. It was founded by Thomas L. Cooper, a former Boeing 727 captain for Eastern Air Lines during the pilots' strike in 1989. Initially it operated as an on-demand air taxi between Miami, Florida and Cap-Haïtien, Haiti, but was relocated to the Bahamas, when the political climate in Haiti forced the operation to halt. The airline also flew diplomatic mail to the U.S. Interest in Havana on a weekly basis. In May 1994, a codeshare agreement was signed with United Airlines. In December 1995 Gulfstream began the transition from a FAR 135 carrier to FAR 121, allowing operation of larger aircraft such as leased Short 360s. Its parent company, G-Air Holdings, acquired Paradise Island Airlines in August 1998 and continued to operate its de Havilland Canada Dash 7s. Prior to TWA's acquisition by American Airlines, Gulfstream operated as a part of the Trans World Connection network as TWConnection. In August 2003, Paradise Island Airlines' operating certificate was sold to US Airways Group. In 2004, a long-term codeshare agreement with Continental Airlines was signed. Thomas L. Cooper sold his stake in the company to Gulfstream International Group, Inc., a Delaware corporation in March 2006. Gulfstream had approximately 600 employees as of April 2009.
2009 FAA InvestigationIn 2009, Gulfstream International Airlines came under additional scrutiny due to three fatal crashes that all involved pilots that were trained at the Gulfstream Training Academy (its sister company), the last one in February 2009, where 50 died on Colgan Air Flight 3407 near Buffalo, NY.
In May 2009, the federal government issued a fine of $1.3 million against Gulfstream International Airlines after the Federal Aviation Administration found that it had falsified flight time records, allowing crews to fly longer hours than allowed by law, and providing below standard aircraft maintenance. In response, CEO Dave Hackett stated that "the airline does not have safety violations" and "the vast majority of findings were not violations at all".
2010 bankruptcy and acquisition by Victory ParkOn November 4, 2010, Gulfstream International Airlines, Inc. filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. In May 2011 Victory Park Capital (“Victory Park”) acquired Gulfstream International Airlines when it bought the assets of Gulfstream International Group. Victory Park also purchased 21 of Gulfstream’s Beechcraft 1900D aircraft from Raytheon Aircraft Credit Corporation.
Late 2011 to CurrentOn December 15, 2011, the airline was rebranded as Silver Airways and welcomes one of six recently purchased Saab 340B+ aircraft.
On January 19, 2012, Gainesville Regional Airport announced that Silver Airways would be moving its maintenance facilities from Ft. Lauderdale to Gainesville, taking over the former Eclipse Aviation facility that had remained vacant since 2009.
On March 7, 2012, Silver Airways announced the purchase of 6 more Saab 340B+ aircraft bringing the Saab fleet to 12 by September 2012.
On March 29, 2012, Silver Airways received approval from the FAA to operate Saab 340B aircraft. Scheduled service started early that day on the Florida and Bahamas routes.
On April 11, 2012, Silver Airways announced officially that it will offer daily passenger flights from Gainesville Regional Airport to Orlando International Airport and Tampa International Airport beginning from April 15, 2012.
On August 1, 2012, Silver Airways expanded to Washington Dulles International Airport starting scheduled service to 2 destinations in Pennsylvania (Altoona & Johnstown), 4 destinations in West Virginia (Beckley, Clarksburg, Lewisburg/Greenbrier, and Morgantown), and Staunton/Shenandoah, Virginia.
On August 13, 2012, Silver Airways expanded its Florida route network with adding daily scheduled service to Jacksonville, Florida.
On October 1, 2012, Silver Airways expanded at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport starting daily service to destinations in Mississippi (Greenville, Tupelo, Hattiesburg-Laurel and Meridian) and Alabama (Muscle Shoals).
On February 11, 2013, Victory Park Capital announced it had hired industry veteran Dave Pflieger to strengthen and grow the airline.[15] On June 28, 2013, Silver Airways announced that it would cease Montana operations over the next few months.[16] The announcement came on the heels of the Department of Transportation's (DOT) decision to eliminate subsidized service in two key Montana communities, Lewistown and Miles City. Service ended after the last flights on July 15, 2013, for Lewistown and Miles City.[16] To ensure no interruption of service and a smooth transition for the flying public in the remaining Montana markets serviced by Silver Airways, Silver continued its operations in those communities until such time as the DOT awarded the routes to another airline and the new carrier started service to those communities.[16] In September 2013, Silver Airways announced an expansion of its intra-Florida and Florida-Bahamas network.[17] In 2013, Silver Airways was named one of the Top 10 Best U.S. Airlines in the Condé Nast Traveler's 26th annual Readers' Choice Awards.
Interior cabin of the ATR 72-600
In the first half of 2014, Silver Airways made several network changes. It ended Beechcraft 1900 operations in Cleveland's EAS network.[19] Then, Silver Airways closed much of its Atlanta network and redeployed its aircraft to other markets.[20] In February 2014, the airline and its owners, Victory Park Capital, announced they had obtained up to $73 million in additional financing from GB Credit Partners, LLC, the investment management affiliate of Gordon Brothers Group and Crystal Financial LLC. In February 2014, Silver Airways announced it planned to exit its Cleveland Network, retire its Beech 1900Ds, and strengthen its core network and Saab 340B Plus fleet. In March 2014, Silver Airways completed its first ever IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA). In May 2014, Silver announced a new partnership with JetBlue. In May 2014, Silver Airways announced it was a new stand-alone airline after the launch of its own independent reservations system, CEO Dave Pflieger described the airline as a hybrid carrier, part start-up, part turnaround, both independent and a partner to a larger airline (United). He also noted that it was "rationalizing" its fleet and network and "only flying where it makes sense", so the airline could not only meet but exceed guests' expectations and continue to grow the airline.
In January 2015, Silver Airways added Panama City, Florida, to its list of destinations, by starting services to Orlando and Tampa from the Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport. It also announced the launch of a direct service between Jacksonville and Tampa.[26] On February 27, 2015, Silver Airways previewed its new maintenance headquarters at Orlando International Airport. The project is a complete renovation that will be home to a 38,000 square-foot maintenance, repair and overhaul facility that includes two large aircraft hangars each capable of housing three to four aircraft, as well as office space. Silver Airways has committed to a long-term 30-year lease from the Greater Orlando Aviation Authority to headquarter its new maintenance facility in Orlando. In August 2015, Silver Airways ended its Gainesville service, several months after missing and restructuring payments on its Gainesville maintenance hangar.
On March 2, 2016, Silver Airways filed an application with the U.S. Department of Transportation to provide service from five Florida cities to ten Cuban cities.[29][30] However, later, Silver Airways was only granted nine Cuban cities, being denied the Havana route. On June 2, 2016, Silver Airways, Great Lakes Airlines and Frontier Airlines announced a partnership for recruiting pilots. On September 13, 2016, it was announced that a majority stake of Silver Airways has been acquired by a private equity firm Versa Capital Management LLC in Philadelphia. On August 1, 2017, Silver Airways announced an order for 20 ATR-42-600 aircraft, with options for up to 30 more.
On April 23, 2018, Silver Airways announced the acquisition of Seaborne Airlines, a San Juan-based airline serving the Caribbean. In November 2019, Silver Airways created a codeshare partnership with Delta Air Lines and American Airlines to provide single ticket booking with baggage transfers to destinations in the Caribbean.
In February 2020, Silver Airways announced new services to Charleston International Airport from its hubs in Fort Lauderdale, Orlando, and Tampa, however due to the COVID-19 pandemic and its impacts on aviation, the services were initially postponed until November 2020 when service was started. In March 2020, the airline announced the introduction of its own services to its San Juan base previously acquired along with its subsidiary Seaborne Airlines, with routes from San Juan launching in phases between March and July 2020 as more of the airline's ATR 42-600 aircraft would be delivered.
On November 9, 2021, Silver Airways began contract flying for Amazon Air with feeder flights from Albuquerque, New Mexico and Des Moines, Iowa to Amazon's hub at the Fort Worth Alliance Airport near Fort Worth, Texas. Silver is using two ATR-72-500 aircraft configured for airfreight operations and painted with Amazon's "Prime Air" logo. However, Amazon cut ties with Silver in July 2023, ending the airline's cargo services.
