The Government Information Unit (GIU) published today a release that St. Vincent & the Grenadines (SVG) Based Airline is to offer two Daily Return Flights.
“Getting to Montserrat just got easier with the announcement by the Government of Montserrat that St. Vincent Grenadines Air (SVG Air) has been approved to operate daily scheduled commercial air transport services between Montserrat and Antigua,” the publication said.
Two daily return flights with guaranteed seat provisions have been agreed and will commence on Tuesday, March 15, 2011, just in time for the busy St. Patrick’s Festival on Montserrat. The one-way airfare per passenger will be US$74 (EC$200) plus taxes and the time schedule for the guaranteed flights.
SVG Air can also add non-guaranteed flights and/or charters to Antigua and neighbouring islands based on requests and on market demand.
This new development was hinted and mentioned before and reports were that this service should have begun since February 15, this year, but opposing concerns thwarted the government’s approval prior to now.
Montserrat Airways Ltd. CEO and FlyMontserrat’s captain, Nigel Harris has said as he always has done, that they “have absolutely no problem with competition,” noting that they operated successfully alongside WINAIR, since they began operating in 2009.
However sources have told The Montserrat Reporter that government only became interested in and moved to approve the SVG Air’s application after FlyMontserrat’s fare was increased to a base fare of US$99.00, which was announced immediately WINAIR made its last flight in January.
In mid February a brief release from Montserrat Airways Ltd. (FlyMontserrat) reported on February 11, 2011, “yesterday we flew our 2000th flight…Shortly we will carry our 10,000th passenger,” which has now been accomplished. At the end of February, MAL announced special flights with fares back to base fare of US$74.00.
Other concerns question government as to their ‘due diligence’ policy, noting the recent purchase of a ferry and its ensuing problems, and the fact that SVG Air has been involved in at least one or more fatal aircraft incidents a few years ago; as well as an unconfirmed St. Lucia connection with the airline. See: http://www.tripadvisor.ca/ShowTopic-g147379-i1174-k3834475-SVG_Air_crash-St_Vincent_and_the_Grenadines.html and http://www.caribbean360.com/index.php/news/11327.html)
Meanwhile the GIU release noted: St Vincent Grenadines Air (SVG Air) has been in operation since 1990, and is based in St. Vincent, Barbados, St. Lucia and Grenada, with hangars in St Vincent, Bequia and Canouan.
