New Barbados Flight Route Opens Easy Access To Grand Cayman From The North of England
Cayman Airways made an exciting announcement in July, revealing their plans to launch direct flights to Barbados this winter. The announcement was made by Tourism Minister Kenneth Bryan, along with representatives from Cayman Airways and Barbados Tourism Minister Ian Gooding-Edghill, via Zoom during a press briefing.
The new route is expected to link Cayman to various regional and international gateways, presenting a significant opportunity for the airline to broaden its horizons. The twice-weekly flight to Barbados, tentatively scheduled to begin on 18th October, is being hailed as a “game changer” that will facilitate travel between Cayman and the eastern Caribbean. It will also establish Cayman as a hub for travel between Barbados and North America, while making Barbados a hub for European travel for Cayman.
The introduction of this direct flight will have several positive impacts on the travel landscape. Currently, travellers from Grand Cayman who wish to fly to eastern Caribbean destinations like Antigua, Dominica, Grenada, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, St. Lucia, Guyana, and Trinidad and Tobago must often go through the US, but the new route will provide a faster and more cost-effective alternative.
Moreover, the route’s connectivity to the UK is expected to extend Cayman’s reach within the United Kingdom beyond the existing London Heathrow service provided by British Airways. Virgin Atlantic’s daily flights from Heathrow to Barbados, along with the new direct Manchester to Barbados route, set to launch on 19th October, will offer travellers from the UK and Europe more options for multi-destination travel.
Cayman Airways CEO, Fabian Whorms, cautioned that the start date of the new route is tentative and subject to regulatory approvals. If everything goes according to plan, the flights to Barbados will operate on Wednesdays and Thursdays and are designed to connect with the airline’s Los Angeles flights.
The new route is seen as a mutually beneficial agreement between Cayman and Barbados, expected to boost tourism numbers in both locations. It opens up new travel opportunities for Barbadians and facilitates interregional travel. To encourage travel into Barbados, the government has already piloted a legislative amendment to reduce the airport service charge for CARICOM travellers until 14th December this year.
The upcoming launch of the Cayman-Barbados flight is particularly exciting, as the first flight from Grand Cayman into Bridgetown will coincide with the Barbados Food and Rum Festival from 19th to 22nd October. This offers a perfect opportunity for travellers to experience both the festival and the convenience of the new flight.
With the addition of this new route and plans to expand further, Cayman Airways is poised to provide more options for travellers and enhance its role as a key player in the Caribbean travel market.
