Prinair

Prinair

IATA ICAO Callsign PQ COLORBIRD, PRU
Founded	1964, as Aerolíneas de Ponce (Ponce Airlines)
Commenced operations	1966
Ceased operations	1 June 1985
Operating bases	Mercedita Airport
Hubs	Ponce
Focus cities	San Juan
Fleet size	39
Destinations	St. Thomas St. Croix Mayaguez San Juan Aguadilla Tortola Antigua St. Kitts St. Martin Santo Domingo Santiago, D.R. Caicos Islands
Company slogan	Flying the colorful Caribbean Fly the One We serve the Caribbean best The Airline of Puerto Rico
Parent company	Aerolíneas de Ponce
Headquarters	Ponce, Puerto Rico
Key people	Jaime S. Carrión, President (1972) Cesar Toledo, President (1979) Juan C Hernandez, President 2014 (actual)
Employees	600

Prinair was a Puerto Rican airline. It was Puerto Rico's domestic and international flag carrier airline for almost two decades.

Service began in 1966 under the name Aerolíneas de Ponce (Ponce Airlines) with Aero Commander aircraft. The initial service flew from Mercedita Airport in Ponce to Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport (then known as Isla Verde International Airport) in San Juan. The company's name was changed to Prinair the following year (Puerto Rico INternational AIR lines).

The airline later used de Havilland Heron piston-engined aircraft for its services. The livery reminded the public of Braniff International Airways because of the many different colors used. During the 1970s, expansion saw the airline start cargo freighter services to Opa-locka (a Florida location close to Miami) as well as passenger service to Santo Domingo, the Virgin Islands (U.S. and British), Martinique, Barbados, Puerto Plata, and many other Caribbean destinations, as well as Vieques, Mayagüez, Culebra and Aguadilla on the domestic side.

During 1978, Nicolas Nogueras, a famed Puerto Rican politician, sought a writ of certiorari against Prinair at the United States Supreme Court; he was denied.

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