‘Good progress’ being made with direct US flights initiative
A government initiative that will see direct flights from the United States mainland to the BVI is making good progress, Premier Dr Natalio Wheatley has disclosed.
“We’re engaged in discussion with airlines right now and you should be expecting an update on that very soon from the Minister for Communications and Works and Deputy Premier,” Dr Wheatley told reporters at a press conference recently.
The identity of the prospective airline remains unclear at this time.
The government embarked on the direct flights initiative under the former Andrew Fahie-led Virgin Islands Party (VIP) administration.
Fahie previously said the government had been writing to airlines, encouraging and inviting them to conduct direct flights between the Virgin Islands and the US mainland; utilising the current runway length at the Terrance B Lettsome International Airport, even as expansion works continue.
At the time, Fahie said feedback had been positive with all the airlines that had been contacted and even noted that one particular airline was optimistic about starting its service by the end of the third quarter of this year.
A previous attempt at direct flights to the US mainland — involving a group called BVI Airways and taken under the previously governing National Democratic Party (NDP) administration — never came to fruition.
This was despite a $7.2 million investment on the part of the then government led by former Premier Dr D Orlando Smith.
That initiative remains under criminal investigation by the Royal Virgin Islands Police Force (RVIPF) after it was announced more than two years ago by Fahie himself.
Copyright 2024 BVI News, Media Expressions Limited. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or distributed.
Progress is actually having flights. Otherwise it is all talk.
By return of post . Airmail no doubt pigeon perhaps!
was the target month for these direct flights. Please remove this non news filler item and publish it in October when all the facts are known such as the name of the airline, the schedule and the plane that will operate out of the Beef island airport.
Guys!!! Great idea… why not set up a government funded airline…
Great. We can get direct flights without extending the airport again, without destroying Trellis Bay and the beautiful Beef Island nature.
Let’s do it!
The smallest commercial viable aircraft from the US an a320 can’t land at beef island
Getting here and landing is OK. The problem is taking off with enough fuel to get back to the US in one flight.
The Embraer 190 might be the plane to do it
a company already purchase 3 Embraer 190, just waiting on the government to finalized the deal. leaving BVI in the morning and returning afternoon time.
Who gets this $7 Million?
The infrastructure must be a priority….look at the scenery once you have left the airport..it is dreadful to drive thru East. Direct flight or not we must clean up from the inside first…tourists LOVE BVI they will come..stop wasting money on stupidness and fix the road, lights, sewage, Telecom (WIFI) and unnecessary cost of living and fix the place geeze.
E190 won’t make a round trip without refueling. I’m sure they won’t refuel here. To expensive
Nope. E190 might be able to land and take off with no passengers and near empty fuel tanks. ?
The a220-100 can land and take off with no issues
YouTube short runways such as London city airport and west palm international it is very possible
I would like to see this happen but it sounds dangerous. Please do the right thing. Can $40M not lengthen the runway somewhat? We keep talking about the $7M bad investment with BVI Airways and this Government is trying to outdo the last with the wasteful spending – Stupes. Lets move on.
Exactly!
Ignoring physics. The only reasonable sized jet that can take off out of tortilla is the bar 146 or Avro 85 which is what bvi airways used. The runway is just to short.
Bvi islanders once again being taken for a ride, just not to the US