by Kevon Browne
St. Kitts and Nevis (WINN): Prime Minister of St. Kitts & Nevis, Hon. Dr Terrance Drew, announced the addition of a new Airlift to the Robert L Bradshaw International Airport.
“On behalf of the government and people of St. Kitts and Nevis, I am delighted to announce the highly anticipated collaboration between JetBlue and St. Kitts and Nevis. The prosperity of our Federation relies heavily on international travel and tourism. The introduction of JetBlue’s new route marks a significant milestone by establishing year-round connectivity to New York, a crucial market for our Federation.”
Minister of Tourism, Hon. Marsha Henderson, during the official address announcing the start of JetBlue some November 2023, outlined the frequency and destination of the new airline.
“Today is undoubtedly a proud and exhilarating occasion for the Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis. I am deeply honoured to serve as the Minister of Tourism during this remarkable period [in] our nation’s history. The announcement of JetBlue’s service, scheduled to begin on November 2, 2023, has been eagerly awaited for many years, and it fills us with immense gratitude to witness our aspirations materialise before our eyes. I take this opportunity to thank the JetBlue executives for their unwavering confidence in our destination and for all the work that must have been invested to bring this to fruition. I also want to thank the team at the St. Kitts Tourism Authority and their support agencies and our valuable partners, such as St. Christopher Air and Sea Ports Authority; their dedicated commitment of time and resources over the past [few] months have played a crucial role in ensuring the achievement of this positive outcome.”
The Tourism Minister explained the significance of this new airlift addition for the Federation.
“The addition of JetBlue’s three times weekly year-round service is indeed a significant one. This noteworthy route adds much-needed airlift capacity to the destination through the establishment of a consistent connection from JFK, New York, throughout all seasons. As a result of this new service, the destination now has a year-round service from the UK, Miami, and now New York. The government of St. Kitts and Nevis is committed to working with international airline partners such as JetBlue to improve ease of travel and increase travel options to the destination. In a mere ten months of taking office, we have lifted travel restrictions and developed key relationships to add regional and international airlift capacity. Our commitment aims to benefit all stakeholders and bolster economic sustainability [in] our nation.”
The government pledged continued collaborations with partners, stakeholders and airlines to establish daily service to the Federation from many airlines.
Questions have been raised about the ability of the airport to handle additional daily service and the timeline for the necessary and significant investment in the infrastructure of the RLB International Airport and room stock to support the government’s goal of increasing air traffic to St. Kitts.
