Air Caraïbes’ Airbus A350-900 landing at PJIA (Beeks Jeffers photo)
AIRPORT--Guadeloupe-based airline Air Caraïbes has returned to St. Maarten, with its first flight since last year landing at Princess Juliana International Airport (PJIA) around 1:25pm Wednesday. PJIA firefighters welcomed the Airbus A350-900 aircraft with a water salute to mark the occasion.
However, this flight carried only cargo, as the airline will resume a weekly passenger service to the country next Wednesday, April 28. The “welcome back” cargo flight departed PJIA at 4:43pm Wednesday, bound for Paris Orly Airport.
Aircraft being offloaded on Wednesday. (Beeks Jeffers photo)
Air Caraïbes has announced that it will expand to two weekly flights as of June 18, which will operate on an Airbus A330-200.
Airlines are slowly returning to St. Maarten following the complete halt on international travel last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
PJIA operating company PJIAE announced last week that American low-cost carrier Frontier Airlines will be starting two new routes from Florida, United States (US), to St. Maarten as of July 10.
The new routes consist of two weekly non-stop flights – one from Miami International Airport and the other from Orlando International Airport. Both flights will operate on Saturdays.
Minister of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transport and Telecommunication (TEATT) Ludmila de Weever said last week that her ministry is in talks with another undisclosed airline about starting passenger service to the country.
“Yes, there is an independent airline that we are [also – Ed.] looking at, travelling
from Miami or New York,” said De Weever. “We are still in talks with them. It is
a new company, that’s why I can’t say the name yet.”
