FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
NASSAU, Bahamas — Western Air Limited, the largest privately owned airline in The Bahamas and one of the largest Black-owned and operated airlines in the world, is flying into its next era under second-generation leadership. Sherrexcia “Rexy” Rolle, Esq. serves as President, CEO & Accountable Manager of Western Air — the airline her parents, Captain Rex J. Rolle and Shandrice Woodside-Rolle, established in September 2000 and built into a carrier valued at over US$90 million.
A Second Generation Takes the Controls
Rolle stepped into the top job on January 1, 2024, becoming the first woman President & CEO in the airline’s history and joining the roughly 8 percent of airline CEOs worldwide who are women. She succeeded her father, Captain Rex Rolle, who led the company from its inception and now serves as Chairman of the Board, bringing more than four decades of aviation experience to the role. Her mother, co-founder Shandrice Woodside-Rolle, serves as Vice-President & COO.
The promotion was earned from the inside. An aviation and corporate attorney licensed in California, Washington, D.C. and The Bahamas, Rolle spent more than nine years as Western Air’s VP of Operations & General Counsel — and started her career at the airline in baggage claim. On taking the role her father held for 23 years, she called it “truly an honor to step into the role that my Dad served for so long.”
Built From One Route Between Nassau and San Andros
Western Air began with a single idea: the people of The Bahamas’ outer islands deserved reliable air service. The Rolles started with Fairchild Metro III aircraft on one route, between Nassau and San Andros, and the consistency of that service created demand from island to island.
Under Rexy Rolle’s operational leadership, the airline retired its turboprops for a uniform fleet of Embraer ERJ145 50-seat jets, opened its own passenger terminal and full-service maintenance facility in Freeport, Grand Bahama — a facility she spearheaded in 2015 and reopened rebuilt after Hurricane Dorian and the Covid-19 pandemic — and launched the airline’s first U.S. route, between Nassau and Fort Lauderdale, in 2022.
The Operation Today
Today Western Air operates daily jet service between Nassau and Freeport, Marsh Harbour, Exuma, Cat Island, Bimini, Congo Town, San Andros and Fort Lauderdale, plus on-demand charters throughout the Caribbean, Central and South America and the United States. The airline employs more than 230 people, operates its own passenger terminals and maintenance facilities at San Andros and Grand Bahama, and holds what the company describes as the best on-time record in the region. Its customer-first policies include tickets that stay usable for a full year, with no change or cancellation fees.
Headquartered at San Andros Airport on Andros Island, Western Air stands as proof of what Black family ownership can build in one of the world’s most capital-intensive industries — a story that belongs alongside the global builders BBR has spotlighted in its Black Entrepreneurs Worldwide coverage.
About Western Air
Founded in September 2000, Western Air is the largest privately owned airline in The Bahamas, operating a uniform fleet of Embraer EMB145LR & XR 50-seat jets with 230+ employees. The airline operates daily jet service across The Bahamas and to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, as well as on-demand charters throughout the Caribbean, Central & South America and the United States, from its own passenger terminals and maintenance facilities in San Andros and Grand Bahama. For more information, visit westernairbahamas.com.
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