The company was founded on 29 December 1998, by Colombian businessman Hassan Tannir and began operations on 13 November 1999. Originally based in
San Andrés, it began operations as a charter with four
Let L-410 Turbolets that served San Andrés and Providencia Island as the first destinations. In 2000, West Caribbean Airways added flights to Cartagena, Monteria, and Barranquilla with leased
ATR 42s and also expanded to international routes to
Varadero, Cuba;
Panama City, Panama; and
San Jose, Costa Rica. The next year, a group of investors acquired the airline and relocated its headquarters to Medellín. This put it in competition with
ACES and
Avianca. The airline expanded very rapidly and acquired two
McDonnell Douglas MD-80s, which operated various international and regional routes. By 2005, serious financial and procedural problems were evident at West Caribbean Airways. It posted $6 million in losses in 2004. In January, the airline was fined $45,000 by Colombia's civil aeronautics government agency,
UAEAC, for 14 safety violations, including lack of training for pilots, pilots flying too many flight hours, and flight data not being properly logged in. Operations ended in September 2005, when the airline could no longer sustain them. A month later, crew members indicated to passengers that the airline would remain on the ground due to the poor economic conditions and that it could not meet its financial obligations. The airline's operating licence was formally revoked by the UAEAC on 17 October 2006. ==Subsidiaries==