Aviation History
As an unincorporated U.S. territory, Puerto Rico's civil aviation has always operated within the U.S. federal system — FAA-regulated airspace and airports, TSA security screening, and flights to and from the U.S. mainland classified as domestic despite crossing international waters. San Juan's Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport grew from Pan American Airways' early Caribbean routes in the late 1920s into one of the region's busiest hubs, particularly after American Airlines built it into a major Caribbean/Latin America gateway starting in 1986. Hurricane Maria's devastating 2017 landfall severely tested the island's aviation infrastructure, and the sector remains central to Puerto Rico's tourism- and trade-dependent economy today.
Pan American Airways extends scheduled service to San Juan as part of its rapidly expanding Caribbean and Latin American route network.
The airport that would become Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport opens in Carolina, eventually superseding the older Isla Grande Airport as Puerto Rico's principal gateway.
Puerto Rico International Airlines (Prinair) is founded and grows into one of the world's largest scheduled commuter airlines by the 1970s, linking San Juan with island towns and nearby Caribbean destinations.
American Airlines begins building a major hub operation at Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport, making San Juan its principal Caribbean and Latin America gateway for decades.
JetBlue Airways designates San Juan a focus city, expanding intra-Caribbean connectivity as American Airlines begins scaling back hub operations.
Following its merger with US Airways, American Airlines significantly reduces its San Juan hub operations as part of broader network rationalization.
Hurricane Maria devastates Puerto Rico's infrastructure in September 2017, severely disrupting SJU airport operations and grounding flights for an extended period.
American Airlines · JetBlue Airways · Prinair (historical) · Cape Air · Silver Airways
Wikipedia, FAA records, airline corporate histories, news coverage of Hurricane Maria