Philipsburg:--- Beginning on April 3, 2009, a scheduled direct jet service will link St. Maarten to Puerto Rico courtesy of Insel Air. Commissioner of Aviation Affairs, Mrs. Sarah Wescot-Williams, who is expected to be on the inaugural flight along with Tourism Commissioner Roy Marlin, had earlier pointed out how timely the commencement of the twice weekly flight is with respect to the carnival season which kicks off some two weeks after.
"This is indeed good news for the traveling public and for our efforts to boost regional tourism," Commissioner Marlin stated. "Many St. Maarten residents travel to Puerto Rico and the Insel Air service will further give them an affordable option," he added.
Tourism Director, Regina LaBega, welcomed the new service, and highlighted some of the economic benefits that will result from it.
"It will benefit cargo revenue accruing to St. Maarten during this critical economic period," she stated. "This could be interesting for pharmaceutical companies in Puerto Rico as well as electronic companies, which could take advantage of St. Maarten as a strategic hub and excellent transshipment point," she added.
"It can also assist with cargo destined for other parts of the world, for example, Europe, given our strategic location. This will benefit PJIA and the European airlines servicing this destination such as Air France which has daily flights to St. Maarten," LaBega said.
"With competitive fares, I expect this new jet service to further stimulate traffic from Puerto Rico to St. Maarten, especially during this challenging period," the Director of Tourism said.
Insel Air will be using a jet plane with a seating capacity of 152 passengers on the route. Carriers generally use propeller aircraft between the two islands, although the now defunct ALM had also flown jet planes between the two destinations in the past.
Albert Kluyer, the airline's Chief Executive Officer, in a recent meeting with island government officials, stressed his company's commitment to St. Maarten as a hub destination, and further disclosed that Insel Air is also interested in servicing St. Maarten from Valencia, Venezuela. He said the airline wants to develop St. Maarten as a second headquarters, like Curacao; a home away from home for the company.
