BREAKING NEWS: Island Airlines Abruptly Shuts Down Operations

PHOTO COURTESY: IslandAir.net

NANTUCKET – Island Airlines and Cape and Islands Air Freight ceased operations without notice Friday afternoon.

A message on the company’s website said it was “with great sadness that we are forced to announce that Island Airlines and Cape and Islands Air Freight will be closing its doors effective immediately.”

The company has been serving Nantucket for more than 24 years. Their message goes on to say that they “sincerely apologize” for any inconvenience caused to their customers.

No further reason was given for the closure.

An official with the Nantucket Chamber of Commerce said one of their main concerns about the closure of the company will be the loss of freight service between the island and Hyannis.

“One of the biggest impacts is going to be the loss of the freight service. Whenever I have a flat tire, they fly one over on Island Air’s freight service and I get a tire that afternoon. So that expedited service will be greatly missed,” said Nantucket Chamber of Commerce Interim Executive Director Janet Schulte.

A message on Island Airline’s phone line indicates the company is closed, but did not give further information.

“It’s not good news for visitors to the island and for island residents. We always like to have options for getting on and off,” said Schulte.

Barnstable Municipal Airport Manager Bud Breault said they’re hoping some other company can come and pick up the void.

“Hopefully Cape Air will be able to pick up some of the slack, is you will. And I know there’s going to a lot of disappointed passengers out there,” Breault said.

Breault said the closure of Island Airlines comes as a time when total passenger volume at the airport has been declining. He’s already opened up conversations with Cape Air to see how much of Nantucket Airline’s capacity they can pick up.

“We need to make sure that all of our modes of transportation between the Cape and Islands are viable,” he said.

Cape Air and Wiggins Airline also carry freight, but it was unclear how much of the service Cape and Islands Air Freight was carrying could be picked up by the other two companies.

By MATT PITTA, JUSTIN SAUNDERS and ADAM FORZIATI, CapeCod.com NewsCenter