Island Air, an air charter company based in Friday Harbor, has received the Five Star Safety Award from Phoenix Aviation Managers Inc.

The award was presented in Friday Harbor on Feb. 4. Island Air has been insured by Phoenix Aviation Managers for more than eight years and has received the most safety awards ever given to a Phoenix-insured air carrier.

Island Air has flown more than 100,000 flights and 250,000 passengers without a mishap.

“Island Air is the benchmark by which we evaluate the safety of air charter operators nationally,” Phoenix vice president Tom Harris said in a press release.

Island Air, founded in 1992 by the late William F. Sargeson and his daughter, Jackie Sargeson Hamilton, is one of the largest woman-owned and managed air carriers in the U.S. It provides flight services throughout the San Juan Islands, the Pacific Northwest, and British Columbia.

Utilizing a fleet of six Cessna aircraft, Island Air operates about 4,500 flights per year. The company’s staff includes eight pilots, many of them veteran pilots with more than 20 years’ experience.

Based on its safety record, Island Air was granted certification by the State of Washington to perform fixed-wing air ambulance services for San Juan County. Island Air’s Cessna 206 was the first small aircraft licensed for air ambulance service by the FAA in the continental United States.

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