For the original airline that operated from 1926 until ceasing operations in 1991, see Eastern Air Lines. For the company currently using the name, see Eastern Airlines, LLC.
Eastern Air Lines Group, Inc.[2] was an American low-cost airline[3] based in Miami, Florida, founded in 2015. It operated charter flights between Miami and destinations in the United States, Caribbean and Latin America.[4]
In 2017, Swift Air acquired the Boeing 737-800 assets of Eastern Air Lines stating, "Eastern Air Lines’ name, assets, and associated trademarks will be retained within the transaction."[2]
The new Eastern Air Lines operated from Building 5A at Miami International Airport. The building used to house the system and maintenance control centers of the original airline.[13]
Swift Air stated in regards to the acquisition of the new Eastern Air Lines, "The transaction is not a purchase of one certificate or merger of two certificates."[2]
Eastern Air Lines conducted its last flight September 2017.[citation needed] Swift completed its asset purchase and all remaining Eastern aircraft were transferred to the Swift certificate. In September 2017 Eastern surrendered its certificate to the FAA.[citation needed] The Eastern name will be transferred to Dynamic International Airways, an airline co-owned by Swift ownership and now operating as Eastern Airlines, LLC.[2]
The airline ceased operations on September 7, 2017.
Eastern Air Lines operated charter flights in the U.S. and also between Miami and Cuba, in a partnership with Havana Air. Other destinations in the Caribbean and Latin America were planned, pending contract signing.[13]
The Eastern Air Lines Group placed orders for ten Boeing 737-800s, with the rights to purchase an additional ten Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft. The company announced in July 2014 that it had placed an order for 20 Mitsubishi MRJ90s, with rights to an additional 20 of the regional jet.[23][24] The first used Boeing 737-800 was delivered in December 2014.[13] It is named the Spirit of Captain Eddie Rickenbacker, after the early leader of the original Eastern Air Lines.[25] On February 6, 2016, Eastern took delivery of its fifth aircraft, a used Boeing 737-800. This completed its first phase of aircraft acquisition.[26]
Configuration plans called for 12 business class and 150 economy class seats in the Boeing aircraft, with room for 90 passengers in the Mitsubishi aircraft.[13]
On October 27, 2016: Eastern Air Lines Flight 3452, a Boeing 737-700 (N278EA), carrying then-Republican vice presidential candidate Mike Pence, skidded off the runway and settled on the concrete arrestor bed after taking too long to stop on the runway at LaGuardia Airport. It was only lightly damaged and Pence along with his team were transferred to aircraft N277EA.[27][28] The final NTSB report was issued in September 2017.[29]
^"Eastern Confirms MRJ Order". Aviation Week & Space Technology. 6 October 2014. p. 13. ... Eastern Air Lines ... has confirmed its order for 20 Mitsubishi Aircraft 92-seat MRJ90 regional jets. Deliveries were due to begin in 2019 ...