Paradise Island Airlines

Paradise Island Airlines was an American airline that connected Florida with Paradise Island in the Bahamas in the 1990s.^[1][2] According to the Official Airline Guide (OAG), the airline's two letter code was "BK".^[3]

Merv Griffin Enterprises' Resorts International owned hotels and other resort amenities on Paradise Island, as well as Chalk's Ocean Airways, which carried tourists to the island. However, Chalk's seaplanes were restricted to daylight operations due to the difficulty of landing on water at night. Accordingly, Resorts International launched Paradise Island Airways in March 1989, to handle increased vacation traffic from Florida to the Bahamas.^[4] The airline primarily operated the STOL (short takeoff and landing) de Havilland Canada DHC-7 Dash 7 turboprop which was well suited for the service given the relatively short 3,000 foot runway at the Paradise Island Airport. However, around this time, Resorts International was in severe financial distress and filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in December 1989.^[5]

After financial difficulties and a series of ownership changes for the two airlines, Paradise Island Airlines ceased operations in May 1999.