Silver Airways Corporation (Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood and Gainesville) announced that CEO Darrell Richardson (below) plans to retire from the company, capping a long and distinguished career in aviation. Mr. Richardson informed the Board of Directors of his decision and has received its full support. Silver’s board of directors is actively conducting a search for a new CEO; Mr. Richardson will remain in a consulting capacity until a transition is finalized. Richardson has also accepted an offer to join the Company’s board of directors.

Copyright Photo: Silver Airways.

Matthew Ray, Chairman of the Board for Silver Airways, commented on Richardson’s retirement, saying: “Darrell has played an integral role in building Silver Airways and we have realized many accomplishments under his leadership. His dedication and contributions, both strategically and operationally, have positioned us for continued future success. We now have a strong operating platform and bright future ahead. We could not be more thankful for Darrell’s leadership.”

The former CEO of Air Turks & Caicos and Pace Airlines, Mr. Richardson’s career in aviation spans more than 40 years and includes posts with such notable former and current carriers as Continental, Air Florida and Mesaba Airlines, where he served as Chief Operating Officer from 1995 to 2000. He started his career with Piedmont Airlines in 1968 after earning a BSEE degree from the Cook Institute of Technology. Mr. Richardson also holds an MBA in International Business and Finance from the University of Miami.

Silver Airways has grown tremendously during Mr. Richardson’s tenure. The far-flung carrier’s (see route maps below) fleet has grown to 13 Raytheon (Beechcraft) 1900Ds and 17 SAAB 340Bs (25 by the end on March). The feeder airline has taken on abandoned routes and cities that many major carriers no longer wanted to operate to and from.

Copyright Photo below: Brian McDonough. The SAAB 340B, discarded by many others, is becoming the backbone of the Silver Airways fleet. Former Mesaba Airlines SAAB 340B N402XJ (msn 402) taxies to runway 9L at Fort lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport.

Silver Airways: 

Route Maps (Silver Airways) operates in five distinct regions across the United States, ranging from one of the coldest to one of the warmest:

Billings, Montana:

Please click on the map for the full-size view.

Cleveland:

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Washington Dulles:

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Atlanta:

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Florida-Bahamas:

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