by Linda Straker
- First official flight mid-morning on Tuesday, 4 August 2020
- No incoming passengers, but departed with passengers connecting with international flights in Barbados
Tourism Minister, Clarice Modeste, has described the start of interCaribbean Airways service to Grenada as a new partnership that will, among other things, access opportunities for students and bring businesses to Grenada.
“Regional transport has always been the backbone of our integration movement. The chairman of interCaribbean has seen the potential in Grenada, at a time when we were all concerned about the future of air travel in the region,” she is quoted as saying in a news release to mark the start of the airline’s commercial passenger service to Grenada.
“Our new transport partner will help connect more people to jobs, access opportunities for students, and bring businesses to Grenada. Our citizens, visitors and potential investors alike, can plan for an uncertain future, with a little more confidence,” she added.
The first official flight of interCaribbean Airlines arrived at Maurice Bishop International Airport (MBIA) during mid-morning on Tuesday, 4 August 2020. The flight which received a water salute upon arrival, had no incoming passengers, but departed with passengers who were scheduled to connect with international flights in Barbados.
interCaribbean operates ERJ145 50-seat jets, EMB 120 30-seat Turbo Prop and 19-seat Twin Otter aircraft, connecting the Turks & Caicos Islands, Antigua, the British Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, Cuba, Haiti, Jamaica, the Bahamas, Dominica, St Lucia and St Maarten. Domestic flights are operated in the Turks & Caicos Islands, as well as in Jamaica between Kingston and Montego Bay. For the Eastern Caribbean, the hub will be Barbados.
Grenada officially reopened its airport for commercial passenger traffic on 1 July for the Caricom region and has scheduled September for the resumption of flight from the USA market. As of 1 August, flights have been accepted from Canada, while passengers from the UK can connect through Barbados.
The decision to lock down the airport was part of measures to contain and control the spread of Covid-19 after Grenada recorded its first laboratory-confirmed case in March 2020. To date, Grenada has recorded 24 cases with no deaths. All persons apart from one who is still in quarantine, have been declared medically recovered.
Think this is just a bit of political feel good bull shit from the Government, who is coming to spend their dollar in Grenada, from the other local islands. They are in the same state as Grenada, most people dont gave any money due to the lockdowns.
So what exactly does Clarice think that these opportunities are and where are they comming from.
Just a good spin article from the Government to try and placate the Grenadian people.
No money is flooding into Grenada, any time soon
They cant even get the facts correct in this article, the airport did not open until the 15th of July.
The Ministry of Tourism must be on a different island to us……..nobody arrived, they only left the island.
How is that a great news ??
The government has to wake up, the arrival rules are just not available for foreign visitors to find online easily, if they do find them, they are confusing and will just put anybody off from trying to travel to Grenada
So true they are in a dream world it’s time for them to see tourism is the crop of the barrels