History Service began in 1966 under the name Aerolíneas de Ponce (Ponce Airlines) with Aero Commander aircraft.Prinair history page. Retrieved: August 13, 2008. The initial service flew from Mercedita Airport in Ponce to Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport (then known as Isla Verde International Airport) in San Juan. The company's name was changed to Prinair the following year (Puerto Rico International Airlines).Aerosite.net Prinair page. Retrieved: August 13, 2008. thumb|right|De Havilland Heron freighter of Prinair at Opa-locka Airport near Miami in 1987 The airline later used de Havilland Heron piston-engined aircraft for its services. Prinair introduced their own version of the Heron by converting the aircraft to use 300 hp Continental IO-520 engines in place of the original 250 hp Gipsy Queen 30-2 engines."The DH104 Dove and DH114 Heron" p.4, Air-Britain, 1973 The Prinair fleet which grew to over 20 aircraft was the largest Heron fleet in the world. During the 1970s, expansion saw the airline start cargo freighter services to Opa-locka (a Florida location near Miami) as well as passenger service to Santo Domingo, the Virgin Islands (U.S. and British), Martinique, Barbados, Puerto Plata, and other Caribbean destinations, as well as Vieques, Mayagüez, Culebra and Aguadilla on the domestic side.
History Service began in 1966 under the name Aerolíneas de Ponce (Ponce Airlines) with Aero Commander aircraft.Prinair history page Retrieved: August 13, 2008. The initial service flew from Mercedita Airport in Ponce to Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport (then known as Isla Verde International Airport) in San Juan. The company's name was changed to Prinair the following year (Puerto Rico International Airlines).Aerosite.net Prinair page. Retrieved: August 13, 2008. thumb|right|De Havilland Heron freighter of Prinair at Opa-locka Airport near Miami in 1987 The airline later used de Havilland Heron piston-engined aircraft for its services. Prinair introduced their own version of the Heron by converting the aircraft to use 300 hp Continental IO-520 engines in place of the original 250 hp Gipsy Queen 30-2 engines."The DH104 Dove and DH114 Heron" p.4, Air-Britain, 1973 The Prinair fleet which grew to over 20 aircraft was the largest Heron fleet in the world. During the 1970s, expansion saw the airline start cargo freighter services to Opa-locka (a Florida location near Miami) as well as passenger service to Santo Domingo, the Virgin Islands (U.S. and British), Martinique, Barbados, Puerto Plata, and other Caribbean destinations, as well as Vieques, Mayagüez, Culebra and Aguadilla on the domestic side.