PANAMA / PHILIPSBURG–Panamanian carrier Copa Airlines has confirmed that it will start service to St. Maarten in December, Commissioner of Tourism Frans Richardson announced Tuesday.
The Commissioner said he was “elated” that Copa had agreed to service the destination, a testament to St. Maarten’s potential for the airline and standing in the Northeastern Caribbean. “More business for the island means more work for our people and significant contribution to our economy. The effort of this administration, our tourist office and others is paying dividends in attracting new carriers to St. Maarten,” he said.
Copa is the third airline the Commissioner has secured for St. Maarten since taking office in July 2009. WestJet out of Canada and GOL out of Brazil are the other two.
Richardson and St. Maarten Tourist Bureau head Regina Labega met with Copa’s International Sales Director Adolfo Sen last week Wednesday. The flight will be a direct one from Panama City, Panama, servicing the island twice weekly. It will arrive on Tuesdays and Fridays at approximately 4:50pm. A 90-seat Embraer aircraft will be used for the flights.
Labega explained that Copa had been looking at both flights in the course of the workweek, but Fridays and Tuesdays would work best for St. Maarten, allowing both business and leisure travellers the advantages of the weekend and Monday.
St. Maarten will commit US $1 million in pulling and pushing the new market, while other promotions will be executed cooperatively with Copa. The new flight will be for an 18-month introductory period and both parties expect demand for the route and the flight to grow based on projections.
Sonesta Maho and Sonesta Great Bay Beach Resorts have already indicated that they will work with Copa in terms of packages rates.
“Copa is part of our continuing effort to attract new businesses to St. Maarten. We have been successful with GOL Airlines from the South American market and we are confident Copa from the Central American market will be successful as well,” Richardson told The Daily Herald.
Copa Airlines serves as Panama’s flag carrier. Its main base of operations is Tocumen International Airport, from which it operates approximately 148 daily scheduled flights to 45 destinations in 24 countries in North America, Central America, South America and the Caribbean.
Source: The Daily Herald