Government officials and other persons were on hand yesterday evening to witness the arrival of the inaugural Air Canada Rouge flight at the Argyle International Airport (AIA).
The flight from Toronto Canada arrived after 4:00pm with over 130 passengers on board.
Minister of Tourism Cecil McKie speaking at a welcoming ceremony said that the arrival of the Air Canada Rouge flight was a huge moment for the government and people of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, for the Argyle International Airport and to the visitors and returning Vincentians who would have come in on the flight.
Minister McKie said many of the passengers who arrived on the flight yesterday are happy that Argyle International Airport has become operational.
“Nine month (303 days to be exact) from the 14th February to 14th December, in this given year, when it took our other close neighbours over two years to get scheduled flights, St. Vincent and the Grenadines can proudly say that we welcomed our very first, long haul non-stop direct flights from Toronto Canada. What an achievement!” Minister McKie said.
He expressed thanks to Air Canada Rouge for agreeing to establish a relationship and a contract to fly directly to St. Vincent and the Grenadines in a scheduled way between the months of December 2017 through April, 2018.
Meanwhile, Glen Beache, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the SVG Tourism Authority said that this has been a historic year for this country.
Mr. Beache announced that on Sunday December 17, 2017 a SunWing flight from Canada is scheduled to arrive at Argyle International Airport at about 3:00am with about 180 passengers.
“We just got word from SunWing that they are putting on one of their new planes so that they will be able to take more luggage in the flight coming in.”
“Next week Thursday Air Canada Rouge will return and from now until April…Air Canada Rouge will be coming in here weekly every Thursday. SunWing will go up I think to January 14 and when Air Canada stops in April, SunWing will pick up from April into August,” the Tourism Authority CEO said.
Mr. Beache added that come next week they will be releasing the dates for April into August of SunWing
