Tradewind Aviation at Twenty-Five

Now in its 25th year of operations, Tradewind Aviation offers flights built around a single aircraft type, the Pilatus PC-12, provides two complementary service offerings, both private charter and scheduled flights, and a geographic focus.

This article looks at Tradewind's background, its aircraft, the three broad geographic markets it serves, and the key features of both its private charter and scheduled semi-private flights.

Twenty-Five Years of Growth

Tradewind Aviation was founded in 2001 by brothers Eric and David Zipkin, both pilots and aviation enthusiasts who identified a gap in regional air service - specifically, the underserved demand for quality short-haul flying to destinations such as Cape Cod and the islands of Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard.

As the company expanded, it added scheduled services, some of them year-round and some seasonal, and added new markets in the Caribbean, South Florida, and the Bahamas. These scheduled destinations expanded progressively and now stand at sixteen destinations across these three geographic regions.

In 2022 Tradewind signed an order for 20 new PC-12s, with deliveries starting later that year, and continuing over the next five years at a rate of three to four per year.

More recently, in December 2024, Tradewind launched scheduled services from Florida to the Bahamas, followed in December 2025 by the addition of Fort Lauderdale departures to the Abacos and North Eleuthera.

2026 marks the company’s 25th anniversary and Tradewind now operates a fleet of over 30 PC-12 aircraft.

The Pilatus PC-12

The Pilatus PC-12, a single-engine turboprop, is one of the most popular business aircraft, with well over 2,000 delivered worldwide since its introduction.

The PC-12’s technical characteristics are well-suited to the short-to-medium-range regional routes Tradewind operates. The latest variant in Tradewind’s fleet, the PC-12 NGX, offers a cruise speed of 300 mph, a range of approximately 1,700 miles, and a pressurized, air-conditioned cabin with seating for 6-8 people, and a large amount of luggage space.

A practical advantage of the PC-12 is its short-field performance. With takeoff and landing distances under 2,500 feet, the aircraft can access smaller regional airports that are simply out of reach for jets, including Gustaf III Airport in St. Barthélemy, which has one of the shortest commercial runways in the world at approximately 2,100 feet. This performance capability is central to Tradewind’s strategy, enabling the company to serve destinations where no airline equivalent is available.

Destination Network: Three Core Regions

1. The Northeast

Tradewind’s Northeast operations center on Westchester County Airport, from which the company has built a regular scheduled service to Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard. Multiple daily departures operate to both islands during the peak season with prices starting under $500 per seat one-way. The Northeast network also includes private charter access to destinations such as Cape Cod, the Hamptons, Boston, Teterboro, Farmingdale, Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C., giving private charter clients the ability to fly directly to or from a wide range of airports in the region. Any private charter flights within 300 nautical miles from Westchester County Airport (HPN) are charged only for the time you fly, so there are no empty leg fees.
Hudson Valley Regional Airport near Poughkeepsie serves as a maintenance and base facility for Northeast operations.

2. The Caribbean

Tradewind’s Caribbean network is anchored in San Juan, PR and has grown substantially over the past few years. Scheduled service currently serves St. Barthélemy year-round from San Juan, St. Thomas, and Antigua, alongside seasonal service to Anguilla, Tortola, and Virgin Gorda. The Caribbean scheduled network is explicitly designed around the same high-end leisure destinations that attract the company’s target clientele - quiet, access-restricted islands where the difficulty of the journey has historically been a deterrent.

3. Florida and the Bahamas

Tradewind’s Southeast operations, based at Witham Field (SUA) in Stuart, Florida, cover scheduled service to Nassau, Marsh Harbour, and North Eleuthera in the Bahamas, with Fort Lauderdale serving as a secondary departure point for these year-round operations. Florida also functions as a private charter base, giving clients access to the PC-12 fleet on a pay-only-for-the-time-you-fly basis throughout the Southeast region within 350 nautical miles of Palm Beach International Airport (PBI).

Private Flights

Private charter at Tradewind is a straightforward proposition: the client books the entire PC-12 for their party, sets their own schedule, selects their departure and arrival airports. The PC-12 in private configuration features a four-person club arrangement, and four additional forward-facing seats, and a fully enclosed lavatory.

Private charter can be arranged from any airport within Tradewind’s operational regions, and the company’s client services team coordinates custom catering, ground transportation, and logistics for each itinerary.

For itineraries requiring larger cabin aircraft or greater range than the PC-12 provides, Tradewind uses vetted partner operators that offer light jets through to large-cabin aircraft.

The Goodspeed Card is Tradewind’s pre-purchase flight card program for frequent private charter travelers. The program offers fixed, hourly rates on the PC-12 fleet, which are pay-only-for-the-time-you-fly, with no repositioning fees within the three service areas. Rates start at $5,450 per hour, for a 10-hour card, and are fully inclusive of federal excise taxes and fuel fees. Hourly rates are lower for 25-hour and 40-hour cards. There are no peak-day surcharges and no blackout dates. The minimum flight time is 0.8 hour (48 minutes), which includes 0.2 hour (12 minutes) of taxi time.

Goodspeed Card holders also receive a discount on Tradewind’s scheduled flights and access to curated partner offers, including preferred rates and discounts at select island properties in the Caribbean.

Scheduled Flights: The Semi-Private Experience

Tradewind’s scheduled service occupies an unusual position in the market. It operates as a formally certificated scheduled carrier under FAA Part 135, but the product bears little resemblance to commercial aviation. Passengers book one of the eight individual seats on fixed-schedule flights, depart from private FBO terminals rather than commercial concourses, and experience a cabin that closely approximates private charter at a significantly lower per-person cost.

The model has been described by Tradewind as “the comfort and convenience of a private charter for the cost of a single seat.”

Private Lounges and Ground Experience

A consistent feature across Tradewind’s operations is the use of Fixed Base Operator (FBO) terminals rather than commercial airline facilities. Departing from private terminals eliminates the security and check-in lines, and gate-area congestion that define the commercial airport experience. In several locations, Tradewind has its own dedicated private lounge, just for its passengers.

Commercial Airline Partnerships

Tradewind has “interline partnerships” with American Airlines, United Airlines, JetBlue Airways, and British Airways. Under these arrangements, a traveler’s entire itinerary - from their home city to a Caribbean island served by Tradewind - can be booked on a single ticket. For instance, after arriving in San Juan on a commercial flight with one of these partners, luggage is automatically transferred to Tradewind and passengers can relax in the private lounge before boarding their PC-12 flight.

David Zipkin, Co-Founder and Chief Commercial Officer of Tradewind Aviation said, “Celebrating our 25th anniversary this year, Tradewind Aviation continues to build on the founding principle that travel should be personal. Recent expansions and enhancements, including tripled flight capacity in the Bahamas and year-round Nantucket service, reflect sustained demand for refined, guest-centered travel across the Northeast, Bahamas, and Caribbean. Looking ahead, we remain dedicated to deliberate growth, connecting more travelers with the destinations they love while upholding the exceptional, personalized experience Tradewind has long been known for.”