Sunshine Skies Historic Commuter Airlines of Florida and Georgia, written by David P. Henderson

SHAWNEE AIRLINES

Shawnee had a turbulent history that covered three distinct periods. It initially operated a large intrastate commuter network in Florida beginning in 1968. Florida Airlines purchased Shawnee in 1975 and briefly operated it as a subsidiary with routes from Florida to the Bahamas. After a brief shut down, Shawnee was resurrected by Air Miami in 1978 and continued to fly on a much smaller scale to the Bahamas and Keys until 1980. Click HERE
to download the free Sunshine Skies chapter on Shawnee Airlines. Read Randy Jackson's amazing account of a Shawnee Airlines DC-3 crash HERE !

Shawnee Beechcraft B-99 in 1968.

Shawnee Airlines Beech 99

Twin Otters were purchased in the early 1970s and provided service to Walt Disney World's STOLport and major Florida cities.

Shawnee Airlines Twin Otter

Shawnee operated a sizable DC-3 fleet in the mid 1970s.

Shawnee Airlines Douglas DC-3 in 1974

Shawnee introduced this stunning tropical paint scheme when it became a subsidiary of Florida Airlines in 1975.

Shawnee DC-3

Martin 404s joined the fleet in 1976 and were used on lucrative routes to the Bahamas.

Shawnee Airlines Martin 404

DC-3 N45366, seen at Sarasota in 1977, sports yet another variation of the hot pink / yellow paint scheme.

Shawnee Airlines DC-3

Shawnee was purchased by Air Miami in 1978 and was rechristened Shawnee International Airlines. The airline flew between Florida and the Bahamas using Aero Commanders (below) , de Havilland Herons, and a single DC-3.

Shawnee International Aero Commander

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For additional timetable images and information, visit the Shawnee pages at Air Times and Timetable Images.