Barbados is witnessing an unprecedented surge in airlift capacity, signaling a pivotal moment for the island’s tourism sector, according to Renee Coppin, Chairman of the Barbados Hotel and Tourism Association (BHTA). Coppin shared this news during her final address at the BHTA’s annual general meeting on Monday, where she unveiled several significant developments.
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Despite the imminent loss of a key air link with the Cayman Islands due to low passenger numbers, Coppin highlighted major developments in the UK—Barbados’ top source of visitors—and an unprecedented number of daily flights from the US, the second largest source market.
Regarding the UK market, Coppin announced: “Effective Winter ‘24/’25, Norse Atlantic Airways will suspend its London Gatwick to Barbados route and instead operate charter flights in cooperation with P&O Cruises from London Gatwick and Manchester.” She emphasized the importance of Virgin Atlantic’s decision to reintroduce the Airbus A350-1000, noting its superior onboard experience and additional 61 seats per flight compared to the current aircraft on the route.
Turning to the US market, Coppin revealed projections indicating a 14.2 percent increase over 2019, with 410,025 seats expected by year-end. This growth is driven by the introduction of thrice-weekly flights from San Juan to Barbados by Caribbean Airlines and Frontier Airlines, significantly boosting monthly capacity.
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While acknowledging steady growth in the Canadian and Caribbean markets, Coppin noted a slight dip in European airlift. Nevertheless, she remained optimistic about the overall trend: “Overall, we are doing significantly better with our airlift in 2024, and 2025 is poised to be another record-breaking year on the current trajectory.”
“For the first time ever, the US market is scheduled to eclipse 50,000 seats in one month in January 2025, with 50,048 seats, and again in March 2025, it rises to 55,532 seats when United Airlines resumes daily service from Newark for March and April,” she revealed.
Coppin also announced that American Airlines will solidify its position as Barbados’ largest US carrier, with over 27,000 seats per month beginning next winter. Saturdays will be the busiest day, with approximately 14 flights from various US cities landing in Barbados.
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“Our island has never been this accessible from the USA,” Coppin stated, expressing gratitude to Minister of Tourism and International Transport Ian Gooding-Edghill and his team at the BTMI for their efforts in addressing previous deficits in source markets and achieving current successes.
Coppin, who handed over the BHTA leadership to Javon Griffith, also praised him for his “enlightening and accurate reporting of [BHTA’s] airlift over the past two and a half years.”
“Without him, I do not think we would be where we are, and I am so pleased to be handing the baton to him as we continue to fight for this industry to have the best information on which to make the best decisions,” she concluded.
Source: Barbados Today
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