Silver Airways' Caribbean flights will soon be on brand-new ATR turboprops

Regional carrier Silver Airways plans to operate all flights at its hub in San Juan, Puerto Rico, with new ATR turboprops from July, as it works towards retiring its fleet of Saab 340 turboprops.

The transition begins March 4, when Fort Lauderdale-based Silver will introduce its ATR 72-600s on flights between San Juan (SJU) and both St. Croix (STX) and St. Thomas (STT) in the U.S. Virgin Islands, according to Cirium schedules. The aircraft have 70 seats in a 2-2 configuration.

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Silver will then replace Saab 340Bs, which have 34 seats, on San Juan flights on a mostly one-for-one basis over the next four months:

• Anguilla (AXA): ATR 42s operate four-times weekly service starting July 6.
• Antigua (ANU): ATR 42s operate twice-weekly service starting July 5.
• Dominica (DOM): ATR 42s operate daily service starting June 5.
• St. Croix (STX): ATR 42s and 72s operate up to two of three daily flights starting March 4, all flights starting July 5.
• St. Kitts (SKB): ATR 42s operate four of seven weekly flights starting April 5, daily starting July 5.
• St. Maarten (SXM): ATR 42s operate twice-weekly service starting June 6.
• St. Thomas (STT): ATR 72s operate twice daily service starting March 4.
• Santiago, Dominican Republic (STI): ATR 42s operate five-times weekly service starting June 5.
• Tortola (EIS): ATR 42s operate up to three of four daily flights starting April 5, all flights starting July 5.

Silver's shift to ATR turboprops from Saabs in San Juan was first reported by PaxEx.Aero.

American Airlines codeshares with Silver on the latter's flights from San Juan, including those operated with ATRs, Cirium schedules show. That might feel like something of a throwback for those who remember American's former San Juan hub. ATRs featured prominently in that operation until the mainline carrier retired the last of them in 2013.

Related: Silver Airways brings the ATR 72 back to the mainland U.S.

Delta Air Lines is also due to codeshare with Silver on the regional operator's Caribbean flights from San Juan.

Silver first introduced the ATR 72 last November, and the ATR 42-600 in April 2019. It operates 10 ATR aircraft, including seven ATR 42s and three ATR 72s, and has an order for up to another 40 of the turboprops, Silver spokeswoman Misty Stoller told TPG.

The airline plans to have four ATRs based in San Juan by July.

Silver aims to replace its fleet of 22 Saab 340Bs with ATRs in the future.

Related: American Airlines expands Caribbean reach with Silver codeshare