Canarias Airlines

Canarias Airlines Compañía de Aviación S.L., marketed as Canair, is a Spanish regional airline based in the Canary Islands. It was established in 2011 as a low-fare subsidiary of Binter Canarias and began operating in September of that year. The airline was created as part of Binter’s broader strategy to maintain reliable air links within the Canary Islands and support the provision of regional public services. Canair’s initial operation was deliberately focused on the inter-island market rather than long-haul or international flying. It began with two ATR 72-500 turboprop aircraft and operated routes between the major island airports. Its initial schedule included 24 daily flights linking Gran Canaria and Tenerife, two of the archipelago’s principal aviation markets. The airline initially employed 22 pilots and 24 flight attendants. The Canair brand operates within the Binter group structure and has been used alongside Binter Canarias in the provision of domestic Canary Islands services. Its role is therefore best understood as that of a regional operating airline rather than an independent nationwide network carrier. The company’s aircraft and service model are suited to short sectors between islands, where turboprop aircraft can provide frequent and economical operations. Canair is associated with bases at Gran Canaria Airport, also known as Las Palmas Airport, and Tenerife-North Airport. These airports are important connecting points for the Canary Islands’ inter-island transport system. The airline’s activity supports links among the islands and complements Binter’s wider regional network. In June 2023, Binter Canarias established a second subsidiary airline, Naysa Servicios Aéreos, reviving the name of a former airline. Naysa operates exclusively on behalf of Binter alongside Canair. This development expanded the group’s operating structure but did not replace Canair, which continued to form part of Binter’s regional airline platform. As of August 2025, Canair remained an operating airline with a fleet based on regional aircraft. Publicly available reference material identifies its business primarily with scheduled regional passenger air transport in the Canary Islands. Detailed information on its ownership structure, financial performance, senior executives, independent website, and exact fleet composition is not established in the supplied sources.

Canarias Airlines Compañía de Aviación S.L. was founded in 2011 by Binter Canarias as a low-fare regional subsidiary. The company adopted the Canair brand and commenced operations in September of that year. Its creation formed part of Binter’s strategy for safeguarding air services within the Canary Islands, an archipelago where air transport is an important component of inter-island mobility and public-service connectivity. Canair’s launch was centered on short regional routes. It began operations with two ATR 72-500 aircraft, a type suited to frequent flights over relatively short distances and to the airport infrastructure used across the islands. The airline initially employed 22 pilots and 24 flight attendants. Its opening schedule comprised 24 daily flights between Gran Canaria and Tenerife, establishing a focused presence on one of the archipelago’s principal inter-island corridors. The airline’s bases are identified as Las Palmas Airport, also known as Gran Canaria Airport, and Tenerife-North Airport. From these locations, Canair has operated within the Binter group’s regional network. Rather than presenting itself as a broad independent international airline, it has functioned as an operating component of Binter’s Canary Islands aviation system, with an emphasis on scheduled passenger transport and regional connectivity. The group’s operating structure changed in June 2023 when Binter Canarias opened Naysa Servicios Aéreos as a second subsidiary airline. Naysa used the name of a former airline and operated exclusively on behalf of Binter alongside Canair. The creation of this additional subsidiary broadened Binter’s corporate and operating platform while leaving Canair as an active part of the group’s regional service structure. Reference material available through August 2025 continues to identify Canair as an operating regional airline and lists a fleet for the company. The supplied sources do not provide a complete fleet table, detailed route inventory, financial data, executive roster, ownership percentages, or a standalone corporate website. Accordingly, the documented history of Canarias Airlines is primarily the history of its creation by Binter, its initial ATR-based operations, and its continuing role in the provision of Canary Islands regional air services.

• 2025

  Continued regional operations

  [1]Canarias Airlinesen.wikipedia.org

  As of August 2025, Canair continued to operate as a regional airline within the Binter group.

• 2023

  Binter adds Naysa as a second subsidiary

  [1]Canarias Airlinesen.wikipedia.org

  Binter Canarias established Naysa Servicios Aéreos as another subsidiary operating exclusively for Binter alongside Canair.

• 2011

  Founded as a Binter Canarias subsidiary

  [1]Canarias Airlinesen.wikipedia.org

  Canarias Airlines was founded as a low-fare subsidiary of Binter Canarias to support regional air services in the Canary Islands.

• 2011

  Commencement of operations

  [1]Canarias Airlinesen.wikipedia.org

  The airline began operating in September with two ATR 72-500 aircraft, 22 pilots, 24 flight attendants, and an initial schedule of 24 daily Gran Canaria–Tenerife flights.

A low-fare regional operator within the Binter Canarias group, focused on maintaining frequent and dependable inter-island air connections in the Canary Islands.

• Regional air transport · 2011

  Inter-island scheduled passenger services

  Canair’s principal offering is scheduled passenger transportation between airports in the Canary Islands. The airline was launched around frequent short-haul services, initially including the Gran Canaria–Tenerife route, and uses regional aircraft appropriate for the archipelago’s inter-island market.

• Aircraft-based service platform · 2011

  ATR regional aircraft operations

  The airline began operations with two ATR 72-500 turboprop aircraft. This aircraft platform supports economical, frequent flights on short sectors and is consistent with Canair’s role as a regional operator serving island airports.

• 2023

  Expansion of Binter’s subsidiary operating structureStrategy

  Background

  Binter Canarias added another subsidiary to its regional aviation platform while Canair was already operating within the group.

  Action taken

  Binter opened Naysa Servicios Aéreos, which operated exclusively on behalf of Binter alongside Canair.

  Aftermath

  Canair continued as an operating subsidiary, while Naysa provided an additional company within Binter’s operating arrangement.

  Source

• 2011

  Creation of a low-fare regional subsidiaryStrategy

  Background

  Binter Canarias sought to reinforce the provision of air services within the Canary Islands and created Canair as a dedicated regional subsidiary.

  Action taken

  Canair was established and launched with two ATR 72-500 aircraft, an initial workforce, and frequent inter-island services.

  Aftermath

  The airline became part of Binter’s continuing regional operating structure and remained active alongside the group’s later Naysa subsidiary.

  Source

1. 1Canarias Airlinesen.wikipedia.org