Lyndon Gardiner: ‘Columbus of the Caribbean’ – How a youngster from Bottle Creek founded the region’s largest privately-owned airline network

Dreams don’t always have riches in their crosshairs. Some have wings. 

Lyndon Gardiner’s was conceptualised 40 years ago amid the sun-speckled streets of sleepy Grand Turk as the Cold War began to thaw and the world, at least here, felt like a village.

The 1980s may have been the decade of decadence but it wasn’t fortune Lyndon sought, but freedom.

Getting a pilot’s licence was a lofty aspiration for a boy who grew up, by his own admission, in poverty in a single-parent household, on a tiny island to boot.

That’s the thing about dreams. And those who dare to have them. 

The goal back then was a fairly straightforward one; to visit neighbouring Dominican Republic, just 150 miles away, at a time and day of the week that was convenient. 

Sometimes, Lyndon confesses, he still has to pinch himself when he considers how that teenage ambition would ultimately give rise to what is today the Caribbean’s largest privately-owned airline network.

Last year saw a number of moments when he might have had to do just that. There was the honorary doctorate 

from the University of the West Indies in recognition of his transformative contributions to aviation and regional development. There was also the launch of new routes connecting San Juan to Anguilla and St Kitts. 

And there were double nods at the prestigious World Travel Awards when InterCaribbean claimed the Caribbean’s Leading Cabin Crew for the third consecutive year, along with World’s Leading Regional Airline for the second year on the trot.

 

You may well have missed the latter. Most people did. 

“We didn’t do a good job of publicising that,” Lyndon concedes.

He’s not one to blow his own trumpet, even when a squall might be justified. Neither does he come across as one who relishes the spotlight, deflecting it swiftly towards his staff when interviewed by the awards team on the night.

“They’re the ones that truly deserve it; I just happen to be the guy upfront,” he told the cameras.

Capping off a momentous year is being named ‘Weekly News Person of the Year 2025’ on account of his meteoric ascent to the apex of the aviation sector, flying the proverbial flag for the Turks & Caicos Islands en route. 

That accolade surprised him, he says.

“Sometimes I feel people at home don’t really notice what I do across the Caribbean,” he explains after a pause.

“We have a network from Havana, Cuba, in the north to Georgetown, Guyana, in the south, and from Kingston in the west to Nassau on the other side. It’s not a small feat to operate the number of flights we do on a daily basis,” he adds.

Few would need convincing of that. InterCaribbean is widely regarded as a pioneer in intra-regional travel, with its 19 active aircraft connecting more islands than any other carrier. Today, the airline and its associated enterprises employ more than 800 people.

Despite his achievements Lyndon prefers to fly under the radar, hesitating when asked about his childhood growing up in North Caicos and later Grand Turk. 

Get him talking about business and he’s more relaxed. Candid too.

“We celebrated 34 years in operation in 2025. That was a milestone; a lot of Caribbean airlines don’t last that long. But there’s a lot of work to be done. We have to strengthen our performance and our customer experience; that’s a big thing on the list,” he says.

You don’t have to look too hard online to find gripes from disgruntled passengers complaining about delays, cancellations, questionable customer service and last minute route changes. 

“We get a lot of criticism; in today’s world everyone has their own media,” Lyndon sighs. “There are instances where we could do better, but people are sometimes unusually hard on us and don’t recognise the Herculean task that myself and my staff perform every day.

“Some days we move several thousand people. It’s not a mom-and-pop candy shop we are running; aviation is perhaps the most regulated industry in the world apart from the medical sector.

“People ought to be mindful of all those things and sometimes be kinder and gentler.”

The carrier started life in 1991 as InterIsland Airways with a single small Cessna plane running on-demand charters. 

The “immense pride” Lyndon felt watching the very first flight take off from Providenciales for Grand Turk is as palpable today as it was then.

Three years earlier, at the age of 21, Lyndon had acquired his pilot’s licence enabling him to sojourn at will to the Dominican Republic.

“It’s a feeling I can’t really explain,” he muses. “As a youngster I never thought I’d be able to fly an airplane, so owning an airline and witnessing its first flight came with a big sense of pride and gratitude.”

In 2003, the airline rebranded as Air Turks & Caicos as the TCI set its sights on international development. Five years later, the company bought fellow domestic carrier SkyKing just as the world began to reel from the global financial crash.

Some tough years ensued – both financially and politically, exacerbated by the three-year suspension of elected government following widespread claims of corruption.

It was 2013 before the Islands saw any meaningful recovery, Lyndon says.

“It was around then that I took stock of our business and what we were doing. Air Turks & Caicos had a significant number of connections and I decided I’d be able to sell our services better by changing the name of the company again. We became InterCaribbean as I wanted a brand that represented the entire Caribbean.

“If ever there was a defining moment in the company’s history, it would be those nights I was up at 2am thinking about what to do next.”

Additional routes and bigger aircraft – transitioning from 30-passenger Embraer 120s to ATRs – have followed. 

The coming months will see the carrier acquire its largest planes yet – Embraer 170 76-seaters. 

InterCaribbean is now eyeing entering mainland USA. The complex regulatory approvals are already in place thanks to the Puerto Rico routes, and various destinations in South Florida are under consideration.

This year will also see the expansion of the Barbados hub, plus additional flights out of Tortola. 

In a region united by a shared history and culture, true integration has long been hampered by geography. 

“Aviation is the vital strategic industry that ensures the sustainable development of our region,” Lyndon agrees. 

“As a business we are the connective tissue that brings the Caribbean communities closer together.”

Government-backed carriers like LIAT 2020, Winair and Caribbean Airlines might have deeper pockets but they lack InterCaribbean’s extensive network.

“The secret to our longevity is understanding the Caribbean’s needs inside and out. I’m a Caribbean boy. And I didn’t pivot into aviation; I started as a teenager,” Lyndon says.

“Not only have I been a pilot, I’ve been a baggage handler, a fueller, everything except a flight attendant. You learn a lot from walking the road.”

Again, he’s keen to credit the “InterCaribbean family”.

“They work really hard and are really the main driver. I can go fast by going alone but I wouldn’t go far without their steam.”

These days, Lyndon is too busy to take the controls of a plane himself. The last time he did so was 2013. While the techniques are “like riding a bike”, he doesn’t feel it would be responsible to fly with a preoccupied mind. 

And there’s a lot competing for his attention. His other business ventures include award-winning FBO Provo Air Centre, along with enterprises in ground handling, aviation security, and maintenance and repairs.

Even from the dizzying heights of monumental success, his roots remain sharply in focus.

“I grew up in Bottle Creek. In those days, you could move freely around the village and the whole community took responsibility for the children. We played marbles with our friends, we’d go to the creek every day for a swim and to look for drift along the shore; we’d find all kinds of goodies.

“We were very poor but we had a very supportive family. My mother raised six kids on her own; she was both mother and father to us,” he recalls.

“If I’m honest, the thing that makes me proudest is being a boy from a place most people have never heard of, and building something that now connects the entire Caribbean.

“It’s not because I’m special but because I come from a place that taught me to show up, work hard and take care of your people.

“Perseverance and resilience are not just words but how we live. That’s who we are. Turks & Caicos is home, it’s shaped everything I am today and it’s what I carry with me everywhere I go.”

Lyndon attributes his accomplishments to the advice his mother instilled in him as a child.

“Whatever you start you finish, serve people before seeking status, and don’t wait for permission to build something useful. Those are what she ingrained in me and they’ve been the catalyst for my success.”

There’s one more person he credits too – “dear friend” and fellow aviation trailblazer Howard Hamilton, after whom TCI’s international airport is named.

Many years ago Lyndon bought a fuel truck from Hamilton, and the two men agreed a subsequent payment plan.

“After a couple of months I kind of fell off the wagon and so he summoned me to his office,” Lyndon recalls. 

“He told me he hadn’t expected that I would have the money every month, but that it was not his responsibility to come look for me if I didn’t. If I had a problem, it was up to me to speak up and be proactive in making the necessary arrangements for my business.

“That certainly stayed with me,” he says. “I wouldn’t say I’ve never had financial hardships since, but I’ve never allowed it to get to the stage where it’s impacting the business before I find a solution.”

Now, Lyndon has advice of his own to offer those wishing to follow in his footsteps.

“Start where you are and with what you have, just like I did. Dreams have wings. With hard work, resilience and faith in yourself, there’s no destination too far.”

He continues: “As I get older, I recognise the importance of giving back to my community. Success means nothing if it doesn’t lift anyone else up and I get a lot of personal gratification from helping people and giving back, not just to the Turks & Caicos but to the Caribbean that’s given me so much.”

His philanthropy ranges from providing flights to youngsters in need of life-saving surgeries, to mentoring aspiring entrepreneurs. 

The latter has a special resonance.

“It makes me very happy to do that because I remember the days when I had nothing and everyone said you can’t. It fills my heart to prove one more time that you can, even when the stack is against you.”

Shy by nature, Lyndon – a proud father, and partner to Cindy Perdomo for 20-plus years – resists the temptation to avoid the limelight entirely.

“I’ve come to understand that visibility matters,” he says earnestly. “Not for me but because I think the young people of the Caribbean need to see what’s possible, and my story is a very compelling one. 

“Yes, I have to pinch myself. When you have lived my life and come from the background I did, it’s a tremendous blessing that the Lord has bestowed on me and a humbling position to be in.”

Asked how he’d like to be remembered, the answer is simple.

“I want to be the Columbus of the Caribbean, connecting hearts, homes and horizons,” he smiles. “I want to be the poster child to prove that from humble beginnings, there’s no limit to how far you can fly.”

This article is reproduced with the kind permission of the Turks & Caicos Weekly News and freelance journalist Gemma Handy.