Flying High in Turbulent Times
BVI Airways Owner Luke Smith took a big risk when he entered the airline industry last May.
At the time, many entrepreneurs and investors were holding checkbooks tightly clasped, questioning the direction that an unstable economy would unravel. But Luke saw an opportunity in the Caribbean aviation industry and went for it. I recently sat down with the business owner, who told me he couldn’t be happier with the direction BVI Airways has gone.
“We’re starting to find our identity,” he said. “We’re seeing the different bands and the spectrums of the market; we know what to expect.”
Luke said BVI Airways has benefited from the niche they’ve settled in within a relatively limited Caribbean flight industry. The company offers its clients a flexible schedule—able to cater to the businessman on a daytrip, or the weekend vacationer. But Luke said what makes the company truly special is its ability to offer its clients a friendly, personable product.
“I don’t know of another airline—certainly in the Caribbean, maybe in the world—where you can call [the airline owner] and get a response where we respond to your needs. … You can readily interact with the guy who calls the shots.”
Luke said the success he has experienced over the last 10 months has now afforded him the ability to grow his business to allow for more destinations and flight options to his clients. Recently, the company purchased another 19-seat Jetstream 32 to add to its growing fleet. Luke told me that the company plans to expand even further, but when I probed him for more details, he simply grinned.
“Last year we showed up and did what we said, so when I tell you we’re going to do something big, you’ll just have to see,” he said. “And that growth’s a real milestone for an airline company—to even live for a year—in an economic climate that’s been so challenging, but somehow we’ve done it; we haven’t got much sleep, but we’ve done it.”
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Contact Luke or a BVI Airways representative directly for further information at [email protected]
