VINCY AVIATION 5 YEARS

5 years – a major milestone

Five years is a celebration point most start-up businesses never get to. Statistics show that before the coveted fifth year of existence, many businesses are long forgotten, relics in the graveyard of business failure.

Not so Vincy Aviation Services.

Started in November of 2000, the entity which was conceived at a social gathering has not just survived in the vicious jungle of entrepreneurship start-up, but is approaching critical mass and poised for take-off to become a genuine one hundred percent locally owned, Vincentian success.{{more}}

When the late Roddy Grant, former manager of LIAT, Ricky Drayton and George Francis, expressed their dream at the Bar aided perhaps by the inspiration of a few drinks, they had simply thought of Vincy Aviation being an aviation handling company.

Today, Vincy Aviation offers a range of services from handling airline companies to a soon-to-be launched personal shopping service in the U.S. targeted at persons without a credit card.

Five years ago, 20 persons formed the staff of the fledgling start-up. Today, that number has grown to 50.

Just about the time VAS launched its business, a new regional airline was also just about to get off the ground. VAS landed the contract to represent Caribbean Star which was launched by Texan billionaire Allen Stanford, a citizen of Antigua, as a direct competition to LIAT.

That relationship has broadened and deepened with the launch earlier this year of Caribbean Sun which provides airlift from the U.S. jurisdiction.

According to Technical Director, Ricardo Drayton, it was the rapid expansion of Caribbean Sun during their second year of business that presented VAS with its sharpest birth pangs.

‘In our second year,’ Technical Manager Drayton shared, ‘when Caribbean Star decided to expand its schedule rapidly, we were forced into a situation where we had to increase our staff introducing persons who were new to the airline industry.’

This exposed these staff members to regular outbursts from irate customers, frustrated by the flaws in the new, rapidly expanding schedule. ‘Admittedly,’ Drayton said, ‘there were numerous delays and some cancellation of flights, creating a very tense working environment.’

Vincy Aviation has survived the challenges of start-up and rapid growth to become recognized as a professional outfit offering a suite of services, the latest of which is to have all necessary agreement with BWEE. Passengers can now purchase BWEE airline tickets through VAS.