St. Kitts Nevis soars with more airlifts

BASSETERRE, St. Kitts, Oct  21  CMC – The St. Kitts Tourism Authority (SKTA) says there is a rising demand for the country as a leisure travel destination, with the growth of airlift arrivals for the past 18 months.
SKTA said that airlines in North American have “taken note of the increased impetus for the island by providing additional flight options for travellers to reach the island in peak season and beyond.”
“It is a testament to the strong relationships that the St. Kitts Ministry of Tourism together with the St. Kitts Tourism Authority have built with the airlines that has led to this additional service,” said Tourism Minister Lindsay Grant. 
“I could not be more pleased to see increased airlift to our shores from our airline partners to help us continue our momentum of growth in the tourism sector.”
SKTA said American Airlines, the carrier with the most flights to/from St. Kitts’ Robert L. Bradshaw International Airport (SKB), will be resuming its second daily non-stop flights from Wednesdays through Sundays from Miami to SKB early this year following the normal seasonal hiatus.
Those flights returned on October 3,providing an additional five weeks of the twice-daily flying, as compared to the same period in 2017, SKTA said.
It said Delta Air Lines, having added non-stop Saturday flights to SKB from John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) in New York, as of December 23, 2017, will return earlier from a hiatus this year.
SKTA said those non-stops resume as of November 17, 2018, adding five operations in 2018, as compared to 2017.  
Delta will also provide mid-week non-stop flights from Atlanta to SKB on Wednesdays/Tuesdays for peak season, starting on December 26.
In addition to the carrier’s non-stop Saturday flights to SKB from its New York/New Jersey hub at Newark Liberty International Airport, United Airlines has added Wednesday flights to St. Kitts, starting January 9, providing an additional nine operations for 2019, as compared to 2018, SKTA said.
From Canada, Air Canada will resume its seasonal non-stop Saturday flights from Toronto to SKB earlier this year, with flights starting November 3, 2018, providing an additional seven operations for 2018, as compared to the same period in 2017.
SKTA said Sun Country Airlines will begin serving SKB with non-stop Saturday flights from its Minneapolis hub for peak season from December 22, 2018 through April 20, 2019, providing a total of 18 new operations for 2018/2019 “that did not exist during the same period in 2017/2018.” 
“St. Kitts’ airlift strategy consists of continuing to nurture relationships with the airlines to systematically build out air bridges to/from identified target gateways to grow service in a sustainable manner that will support new and existing hotel developments, as well as other local tourism stakeholders, while making the island increasingly easy for air travelers to reach,” SKTA said.