In the next two months, there will be direct flights between Barbados and Grand Cayman on Cayman Airways.
Caymanian Minister of Tourism and Transport Kenneth Bryan, making the announcement on Monday in a virtual press conference, said while the direct service was a significant departure from the norm for the British Overseas Territory, it was a game changer in regional travel.
He said Cayman Airways will deliver a faster and cheaper alternative for travel between the two countries and will make it possible to travel from one side of the Caribbean to the other within the same day, without going through Miami.
The flight is scheduled to start on October 18, with measures being put in place to ensure tickets will be available by mid-August.
Chief executive officer of Cayman Airways Fabian Whorms said that while the flying arrangements were still being tweaked, there were two tentative flights – on Wednesdays and Thursdays.
On Wednesdays, Cayman Airways leaves Grand Cayman at 7 a.m. and arrives in Barbados at 11:45 a.m. It returns to Grand Cayman at 2:45 p.m. to connect to the Los Angeles rotation route. It leaves Grand Cayman at 3:45 p.m. and arrives in Los Angeles at 7:45 p.m. local time. It then returns to Grand Cayman at 7 a.m. after leaving Los Angeles at 11:30 p.m.
On Thursday, Cayman Airways leaves Grand Cayman at 10 a.m. and arrives in Barbados at 2:10 p.m., then leaves Barbados at 4:15 p.m. and returns at 7:10 p.m.
Minister of Tourism Ian Gooding-Edghill said the service was timely as it would be starting the same month as the Food and Rum Festival.
He invited the diaspora in the Cayman Islands to come to Barbados on the inaugural flight to experience the 12th edition of the annual festival.
Gooding-Edghill added that Barbados was committed to intra-regional travel and this direct flight was a step in the right direction for destination Barbados.
He said it will also help Barbados become the travel hub for the Eastern Caribbean, noting that the reduced airport service charge for Caribbean Community (CARICOM) members in Barbados complimented that goal.
(SZB)
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