Former Penta Airlines Caravans at Santarem Brazil

I was upset to see these ex- Penta Airlines Grand Caravans: PT-MPB, PT-MPD and PT-MPG piled up in a field in Santarem Brazil, seen in the photo below. They should be in a hangar or at least properly tied down on a ramp. It obviously was not a pilot that ordered them to be tossed into the weeds like that. According to my friend Gustavo Bonato these "Caravans are waiting for a court decision before being sold. That decision has been delayed for at least 7 years and there's no perspective of it happening soon."

Photo by Michael Rodrigues da Silva

Penta Airlines was a Brazilian airline that operated from 1995-2005. They offered domestic flights all over Brazil and to neighboring French Guiana. It started out as an air taxi company named Pena Taxi Aereo and is where it derived its name Penta from. At its peak in 1998, it was servicing 34 cities and flew 235,000 passengers in: 7 Cessna Grand Caravans, 3 Embraer Brasilias, 2 Embraer Bandeirantes and 2 Bombardier Dash 8s.

Photo by Ricardo Hebmuller

The airline went out of business because of two main reasons. A currency exchange devaluation crisis that occurred in 1999 and then a year later the Brazilian Civil Aviation Agency temporarily suspended their operational license because of supposed maintenance issues.

New Grand Caravans and routes for Mokulele Airlines

Last month Mokulele Airlines began its expansion plans for 2014 by offering nonstop flights between Kahului, Maui and Honolulu, O'ahu. Mokulele will also start offering service between Kalaeloa Airport/ John Rodgers Field (formerly Naval Air Station Barbers Point) and Kahului, Maui starting July 1st.

Route map Mokulele Airlines

According to Mokulele, "Kalaeloa, will provide hassle free commuting between O'ahu and the rest of the Hawaiian Islands. This includes: avoiding heavy traffic on the H1, no TSA screening and free parking with a valid permit. Kalaeloa will also provide an easier access to the Aulani Disney Resort & Spa on the southwestern coast of O'ahu."

The airline is also reminding its customers that they are not part of Go! Airlines, a company that stopped operating on April 1st. TransPac Aviation, Mokulele's parent company purchased the turbo prop division of Mesa Air Group, the operator of Go! Airlines.

Mokulele has added 3 new Grand Caravans to its fleet to accommodate the new routes.