New flights From Cayman Islands to Kingston, Havana in the Pipeline
Air Turks & Caicos has applied to operate routes between Grand Cayman, Havana and Kingston.
Chairman of Air Turks & Caicos, Lyndon Gardiner, told reporters that it was part of the company’s strategy to increase services throughout the Caribbean, enabling connections with major European and Russian markets and promoting island-hopping capabilities in the region.
“Our strategy is to encourage more multi-destination stays in the Caribbean and specifically the TCI… most of those tourists travel or would travel for several weeks at a time; it is a long way to come to only visit one country,” said Mr. Gardiner.
Five-year agreement
Should the application be granted, passenger, mail and freight services could begin immediately under a five-year agreement.
Flights would be five times weekly on Mondays, Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. Provisionally, flights would leave Kingston at midday to arrive at Grand Cayman at 1pm. A flight would leave Grand Cayman at 1.45pm to reach Havana at 2.45pm. The return from Havana to Cayman would leave at 3.45pm and reach Cayman at 4.45pm. Flights to Kingston from Grand Cayman would depart at 5.30pm and reach their destination at 6.30pm.
The aircraft listed to operate on the routes include Embraer EMB-120, deHavilland Twin Otter, Cessna Citation C550 and Beechcraft.
Harry Lalli of the Cayman Islands Tourism Association, which represents more than 200 tourism-related businesses, said that additional airlift was always welcomed as it brought people to the island. There are other benefits to multi-destination flights, he added.
“There is a big population of Jamaican students that go to school in the University of Havana, so a Havana-Cayman-Kingston route should be fairly successful, particularly if Air Jamaica is no longer operating a direct flight.
“From a tourism point of view, if one can work with an airline there would also be a three-island tourism opportunity,” said the tourism association president.
Major Player
In a press release, the airline, which bought out competitor SkyKing in 2008, stated it intended to become a “major player” in providing regional air services within the Caribbean.
“Air Turks and Caicos has recently applied for an operating license to take over routes from Air Jamaica Express and plans to operate from a hub in Kingston, Jamaica. The new routes will include Kingston to Port Au Prince, Havana and Santo Domingo, with schedules co-ordinated to connect with long haul flights, offering more connections and cheaper options.
“Air Turks and Caicos has recently purchased two additional 30 passenger aircraft to assist in the development of the new routes and has plans to acquire more and larger aircraft in the near future. [The company] currently operates flights between the islands of Providenciales, Grand Turk and South Caicos with international routes to the Bahamas, Haiti, Jamaica and the Dominican Republic,” said the carrier.
Objections to the license must be made in duplicate to the Air Transport Licensing Authority of the Cayman Islands by Tuesday, 21 September and any notice requiring the holding of an enquiry in public to determine the application must be received on or before Tuesday, 5 October.
via cayCompass.com :: New flights to Kingston, Havana mooted.
