Tailwind Air LLC was an American commuter scheduled air carrier and charter airline based in Westchester Airport and Sikorsky Memorial Airport. Its main seaplane base was New York Skyports Seaplane Base (NYS) and it also owned its own Boston Harbor seaplane base (MA17), near Logan International Airport in Boston.[5] The airline had a sister company named Tailwind Air, LLC, which charters and manages a fleet of land planes.
Tailwind operated scheduled and charter seaplane services out of the 23rd Street Seaplane base in Manhattan (NYS).[1] Tailwind serviced Boston Logan Airport, Boston Harbor Seaplane Base, Shelter Island, Bridgeport, and the East Hampton Airport and Nantucket Airport[1] with multiple shuttle flights.[2] Initial competitors on these routes included Amtrak and Delta's and American Airlines' hourly shuttle services. Tailwind intended to move its routes to all water airports after regulatory approval. The routes were not serviced by any existing seaplane operator. In-flight service included complimentary snacks and beverages.
Tailwind Air ceased scheduled services in early 2024 and is currently charter-only. The airline reported that scheduled operations had not reached profitability, and they failed to get a large enough investment to continue slow growth in ticketing.[6]
Tailwind operated flights to the following destinations:[7][8]
| City | Country (subdivision) | Code | Airport | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York City | United States (New York) | NYS | New York Skyports Seaplane Base | |
| Shelter Island | United States (New York) | SH1 | Sunset Beach | |
| Bridgeport | United States (Connecticut) | BDR | Sikorsky Memorial Airport | |
| Boston | United States (Massachusetts) | BNH | Boston Harbor Seaplane Base | Service began on August 3, 2021[9] |
| Nantucket | United States (Massachusetts) | ACK | Nantucket Memorial Airport | Service began on May 17, 2023[10] |
| Plymouth | United States (Massachusetts) | PYM | Plymouth Municipal Airport | |
| Provincetown | United States (Massachusetts) | PVC | Provincetown Municipal Airport | Service began on May 25, 2022[11] |
| Newport | United States (Rhode Island) | NPT | Newport State Airport | |
| Dulles | United States (Virginia) | IAD | Dulles International Airport | Service began on October 14, 2022.[12] |
The Tailwind Air fleet consisted of the following aircraft:
