Civil aviation minister, Rayburn Blackmoore, has said the government of Dominica has issued a license to the Guadeloupe-based Air Antilles Express to provide more air access to and from the French islands.
Blackmoore told DNO the airline will begin flying into Dominica in June this year.
“As you know the French Departments lie in close proximity to Dominica but it can be a headache to get direct flights on a regular basis,” he said.
He pointed out that the airline will begin servicing Dominica with a small aircraft “with the possibility of graduating” into bigger planes with onwards services to St. Maarten.
Air Antilles will join Seaborne Airlines which announced on Tuesday that that effective April 1, 2013, it will be operating non-stop services from Luis Muñoz Marín Airport in San Juan, Puerto Rico to Melville Airport in Dominica.
The airline replaces American Eagles which announced recently that it was pulling out of a number of Caribbean destinations in order to cut costs.
Blackmoore said the government will make sure everything is in place to facilitate the entry of the airline into Dominica. “I want to give the assurance, as minister responsible for civil aviation, that everything will be done to ensure that the appropriate license will be given in time to facilitate the entry of this airline,” Blackmoore told DNO on Wednesday. “And we are of course ensuring that all standards are met in terms of safety.”
The minister said Seaborne’s decision to come to Dominica demonstrates that the government has been in constructive dialogue with the airline, which he described as an “airline of high repute.”
“We have been trying everything possible to ensure that we have the appropriate servicing of the very important links into Dominica and out of Dominica,” Blackmoore said.
Flying to San Juan just makes things more expensive as the need to change flights meaning TWO fares rather than ONE.
We need a direct flight from Miami/ FT Lauderdale or any other mainland City. Changing planes costs so much and that barn of an immigration lounge is a terrible place to be.
San Juan is a glorified Ellis island.
we need our votres I D cards, we dont want to travel on this socialise t-juntion you the LABOUR PARTY planning to take us
Man you are so jealous aren’t you? Wow. Green with envy that they turned around a problem (AA leaving) …. ONE goal to DLP.
Not only that but they brought another airline on top. TWO goals.
GEORGETOWN, Guyana, Thursday February 21, 2013 – Delta Airlines has confirmed speculations that it will no longer fly its Georgetown-New York route after May, making it the third airline to cease flying to Guyana in the past year.
The reason cited by Delta was route profitability but, Minister of Public Works Robeson Benn has provided information that counters that claim.
Guyana has a population of approx 800,000 and a struggling to make a profit on its Airport operation, so are all the other island…I KNOW…not even Jamaica with all its Tourism
Domincans be appreciative of the small steps..
Read more: http://www.caribbean360.com/index.php/business/667042.html#ixzz2LZCX1YXE
Be appreciative of what? You mean be appreciative of the DLP’s failure? Maybe you or you family members must be benefitting while the majority of us have to suck salt.
Anyway, Dominica isnt poor because of small population nuh
Rayburn, we are tired of hearing the same drums beat everytine election is drawing near. And i know som eof us Dominican have short memory and will not remeber the same tricks were pulled since in Ms. Charles days.
The air access Rayburn is talking about will not change anything from ehat we currently have in Da.
This is not a Labour party initiative but it was the airline companys that approach them when they heard that AA eagle will stop flying to Da in March. So Rayburn and them were not even looking for alternatives prior to this deal.
Its a bunch of “Male Pow Pow Trees” in the ministry.
First i must say we do need an international airport PLEASE DONT ASK WHERE in Dominica is over 308 well i must say am disappointed what happen MY CANEFIELD AIRPORT why can it be widening the airport can be back filled can be done so if melvillle hall shut the country shut down too no where for planes to land PLEASE do something About CANEFIELD every country or most has two airports.
Why spend money on CANEFIELD when the money could be spent on an INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT, like you said, anywhere. If we need to fly home from anywhere within the universe via any surrounding airports we will, so why can we not fly into our very own INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT “ANYWHERE” conviniently located in Dominica? I say build us an INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT and you will see how many airlines that will compete for passengers to travel with them. They may even offer discount fares for the occassion.
Think it will take forever to build? Guess not. That is what LOANS are for. Manpower, get them from everywhere, airport will be built in no time. Other options, RESTRUCTURE MELVILLE HALL AIRPORT. I think that would cost less.
Canefield is UNSAFE.
Yes! More air transportation options to and from my lovely DA! I love it!
I am not a supporter of the present government, but I think issuing a licence to Air Antilles is a good thing.
My only concern is that, if Air Caraibes or Liat stopped flying to DA from the french islands, is because it was not profitable.
So I don’t see why it should become so with other airlines
The boats beat them to the punch. Everyone is trying to save a buck. LIAT is a killer, no wonder they are not profitable.
St Barth’s, Nevis, Anguilla, Mustique .
All these islands do not have a “so called international airport and are doing very very well with tourism.
But they are 100 % tourism oriented . Tourism is everybody’s business. Not only Government’s.
Tell these UWP fools who are stuck on government
Look at the destinations you named and you have your answer. St. Barth, Nevis, Anguilla, Mustique all cater to the wealthy, many of them arrive on private planes or chartered flights. Dominica has not the facilities to attract such a crowd. Further the government seems to do everything in its power to choke off the means to achieve such a draw. Duty makes it prohibitive to import quality materials for building, quality goods for resale, and the bureaucracy with it’s paper system where everything is hand written in triplicate, rubber stamped and handled by more than one government worker is staggeringly slow and inefficient. Do you think the privileged would put up with such inconvenience? I don’t think so. And it is a shame because Dominica with its pristine environment and magnificent scenery has all the raw materials to be very attractive.
Louis Farrakhan came to Dominica last year and said that it is madness when a government gets voted out of office but have already started a brilliant plan for the development of the country and the government taking over just scrapped that plan just because they don’t want to continue with anything from the out going party.This can only bring me back to when the UWP government had started plans for the new International airport then when the Labour government came into power scrapped the plans. Now we are paying the price for this madness but people would still go around and say that they we right to do it. People wake up please.
This is not true. No International Lending Agency is going to give a small country a loan for a specific reason and then the next governement takes the money to do something else.
Secondly Money is never just given out like this…any major infrastructural project will have Project Managers from both sides and monies are allocated in phases.
So this UWP starting an airport is just nonsesne and people need to get wise about thisngs.
Now go back to your base and tell them you were just schooled by IPO
@IPO let us not get carried away here. British Citizen said “…already started a brilliant plan…”
En ben la , if this is the case the UWP should not have written to the US Government to stop what we were getting for free…so please don’t get carried away.
It was a great plan
Ignorant People Only (IPO). Are you for real or you are just so blinded by partisan ignorance that you don’t know or don’t want to know that a lot of work was started on the preparation of an International Airport. I am not oblige to educate you, you do your home work and I hope you will be honest enough to let me know your findings.
to maintain an international airport its very expensive,there has hardly been an increase in stay over tourist, most just visits by cruise ship. you got to start small, got to increase tourism, cant just build an international airport and think that there will be more visitors? take for example that netball stadium that was built and now its like a garbage sight, they thought netball would be a big sport if there was a stadium, but they were wrong. these things takes planning, statistics. Do your research about international airports that have been closed down even in the biggest countries.
Let us say, for argument sake, that an INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT would not be profitable, do you not believe some form of IMPROVEMENT would help the Island move forward. We are not only talking about TOURISM, what about ourselves? We do need better ROADS, LIGHTING, and of course a BIGGER, if not an INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT.
Wasting your breath. Ignorant cannot process logic.
People we need to get real. This is not about labor or UWP this is about Dominica’s progress. The truth is, this government has failed us. This government spent millions of Dollars on a Melvin hall project that have bought us nothing in return. While we boasting of a contract with a 34 seat airplane and a little butterfly from Guadeloupe, our Sister Islands St Lucia has flights from Virgin, AA and Jet blue. St Vincent with a similar economy as Dominica is due to open its international airport.
When this government took office the previous government had already identified the land and done the feasibility studies for a new international airport but the plan was killed. Millions were spent on Melvin Hall; an airport which studies had already shown was not good for large air craft. Now some would argue weather Dominica could sustain an international Airport. At the very least the government should have gone ahead and build an airport large enough to accommodate mini jets.
Last year a major US airline was having talks about flying to Dominica straight from Miami but one of their concerns was landing at Melvin Hall. As it stands flying to DA can be very tedious, with overnight flights and all. Many more Dominicans would come back home on a more regular basis if we could fly straight from Miami to DA with no overnight-ing. Can you imagine tourist, investors and other visitors having to overnight to get to DA.? They much rather avoid the hassle and go to some other islands. Now that would be something to boast about. Most people are worried about flying on smaller planes and I pray God that this whole situation does not further destroy our economy.
My God even St Kitts has international airport and so Marriott was able build a hotel there which have done wonders for their tourism and economy. Let’s put away our political hats, be real and come together for the good of DA.
Well said this is real and I hope we all will make sense of it.
Well said why? It is better to waste huge amounts of money to maintain a new airport?
The Puerto Rico news is excellent for ALL Dominicans.
St Vincent is the gateway to the Grenadines. THAT is why they have an international airport. DA does not have islands with white beaches and shallow coral waters. We DO have many other things of course. We are a totally different market.
We are a hikers/divers/nature lovers/whale watchers market and as such we are not going to have millions of tourists a year staying over. Thank God.
Get with the program man. We are NOT ever going to be Barbados or Antigua or St Maarten. With or without a new International Airport.
We are Dominica and we are beautiful …. but to an exclusive market. NOt mass tourism.
I suppose your brain has a dysfunction. UWP waste millions paying people for land to build airport. These people still own that land.
At least DLP spent the money to upgrade the airport.
You people are very selective but unwise.
Boss I am not here to debate or defend UWP and unlike you I am not a supporter of any party but a supporter of Dominica. I am not in all you foolishness about Labor vs United workers party – I am all about Dominica’s progress. All I am saying is that whatever the United Workers Party had started, the Labour Party should have capitalized on it. If Labour does something good I agree with them it they doing nonsense I will say it too.
What head way are we making at Melvin. Headway when we are not able to get a flight from Miami to Dominica? No wonder DA is the way it is with stupid thinking like this. The same guy who told Dominicans we should not build an international airport is building one. Guess what, St Vincent will be better positioned to boost their tourism sector and attract investors. Now if you cannot comprehend I can’t help you Boss!!!
La-Bas I suppose YOUR BRAIN has a dysfunction. Because the people do not own the land its own by the government, they are using it is because nothing is being done with the land. The only reason that land pass for waste is because the DLP refuse to use it to better the country based on the fact that the present big investors in Dominica e.g. (ass-ta-phan) don’t want competition so they pay the government to keep the country back so they can have the monopoly. To be honest that’s how business is done but a country is not a business, Dominicans way of life is being frightened. How do u think St.Lucia got the famous Sandals hotel is because of the INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Where is the paperwork for the land that the UWP paid for? How can these people still own that land? If that is true, why is the Skerritt administration claim the land in question to do what is necessary to move FORWARD?
Smh -Dominica is not backward it does have people like you who simply don’t have any concept on how things work. Dominica does not have the money to build or maintain an international airport. Furthermore large airlines wont fly here because it not profitable. Try and think a little before posting your comments -by theway if your are hoping that either Chavez or the Chinese will build and maintain the airport for you -they wont -it does not benefit them one bit. Nothing in life is for free.
Farmers better start planting because it looks like the tourism idea is not getting anywhere with those tiny planes we are seeking out. I guess that the whole idea of tourism is based only the ships coming in. I am so not impressed, simply because I believe that the route between Dominica and the French Islands is already covered. So maybe soon we will hear of a new 9 seater from Antigua to Dominica. Well kudos we making head way, Melville Hall will be busy.
more of nothing….its time to look at the bigger picture
This is a good move! Yes the ferries are preferred but they dont run frequently enough and too many times travellers have to cut their stay short in DA in order to get back to Gwada and Martinique to catch their flights back to Europe.
So as long as the fares are competitive and the schedule plugs ups the holes the ferries have left open then access definitely is getting stronger.
I hope this airline is landing in CANEFIELD AIRPORT!!!!!!!!!
You voted him down? For being positive?
Man DA has a few idiots alright.
Positive news deserves positive response. No matter who from.
why cant jet blue come here?
lookk marzhie in dominica wiiii …we approching these times
It’s about time for an international airport so we can started opening up access to the UK market, who have done all the other Caribbean islands and now looking for a different type of Caribbean. This is where Dominica could benefit. The only tourist we have from the UK are those visiting family-this is not good enough!
These guys are still living in the 70’s. All the other small Islands have made progress and we are lagging behind. These young ministers are jokers, inexperienced, and think Dominica is their cricket playing field where the could play which ever way they want, and don’t think of the consequences on the long term.
I am fed up to wake up 3am to get to Puerto Rico, Antigua, Barbados just to get to Dominica the same day. We want to come to Dominica more often, but when you have to pay all that money to travel, and a trip that could take at list 6 hours direct flight from New York to Dominica if we had an international Airport, is frustrating and waste a lot of time. Mostly all the money goes to every other country before Dominica get the crumbs.
Government of Dominica, “please wake up”.
The Honorable minister said that “it can be a headache to get direct flights on a regular basis”. WOW!!! It only took them what 3 terms now to realize direct air access into Dominica causes headaches…well maybe we will get an international airport in the sixth term or at least “government will be looking into the possibility” or “performing preliminary studies” or maybe the world will end before then and we will all be able to fly and wont need an international airport.
they will fly more supporter for the next election. i want the FAA to decommission all small passenger planes and i want to see wHat Dominica will do. Man, Mr BLACKMORE- its time we start thinking big, at least lets start dreaming and stop getting high on nothin
Are you really in canada. Go to your airport and see the number of small passenger planes bring used by all the major airlines so why would the faa discontinue its use
Be content, Rome wasnt built in a day. Blackmoore I j=know that you’re trying your best but these Israelites are still stubborn.
Rome fell, but the Israelites are still standing.
You please tell me wether your best is worth squat when Haiti has better air access than your country. This is 2013 not 1970.
Visionless politricktions.
Why can’t we set up our own national airline and stop looking for all kinds of carriers we never heard of?
De AIRPORT ROAD BLACKMORE, your completion date is long gone.
We did exactly that three times already, Nature Island Express, Cardinal and Sisserou and all failed. I certainly would not want tax payers’ money spent on another attempt.
Took the words right out of my mouth!!!!!
Total Nonesense!!
Were these airlines subsidized by the government or were they all individual locals trying to help our a situation while surviving? do your homework and state the facts as they are suppose to be. Did the government ever sit with the investors and said lets work out a joint venture initiative? No they were just given some basic concessions while we give LIAT millions.
Be honest people, a national airline has nover been a serious topic for Dominica. Be it Labour, Freedom or UWI, Papa or any other. We are talking just Dominica not politics.
Just how much of Tax Payers money did “we” put into the 3 airlines you mention? Please educate me. Thanks much!
Jagots, please read carefully. Nowhere did I claim that tax payers’ money was put into these airlines. but simply stated that I would not want tax payers’ money to be used for an attempt to establish another such an airline. Please, also bear in mind that”concessions” and non-paytment of landing fees constitute indirect subsudies from the public purse.
Malgraysa
you forgot one airline CARIOM WHICH THE GOVT ANNOUNCED BEFORE THEY EVEN HAD A LICENSE
Malgraysa dont worry nuh some people cant read English but I think you made your point quite successfully.
To fly you and your bags? AA and USA just Merge, you want Dominica to have its own…Alas
dominicans get excited by prop jobs. jokers tell blackmore hush up
Pure crap again from Blackmoore. Mr. Blackmoore and his government should agree that they have failed and FOOLED the people of Dominica big time. Now is not the time to come with more rubbish talk because after almost 15 years of pure crap they have nothing else to say. I do not know how many of you have flown on air Antilles but a person who have flown on them I can tell you guys that their kite- lke- flight reminds of when we use to have those small oil planes spraying banana fiels. Furthermore Blackmoore, most people travelling from the french islands prefer to take the boat anyways.
Blackmoore, for you and your government to try to take credit for Seaborne’s decision to come to Dominica is just pure foolishness. You ought to give the credit to management of Ross University who really struck the deal.
You and your government should be sooooooo ashamed of the embarrassment and humiliation you have brought on us. When you came in power in 2000 you met us with a 48 seater AA flying from PR to DA. 13 years later you have reduced us to a 35 seater chattered flight, while other Windward islands like ST. Lucia, has seen an increase of bigger AA flights and many more international flights, St. Vincent on the verge of opening their International airport, and Grenada continues to attract more international flights. Shame on you guys one thousand times!
I wish I could shake your big toe
Sadder still is no opposition in the country, really hurts my heart to see our country like this!
When are we getting a real airline
I have been travelling from Guadeloupe to Saint Martin or Martinique on Air Antilles Express for years and can’t complain.Its one of the two Airlines travelling from Guadeloupe to French Saint Martin at least 3 times daily.Recently they started connecting flights from France,so it could be an advantage to Dominicans leaving in Europe.I think if Dominicans are complaining about the roads something must be done.
international airport?
Very good news for the tourism industry. Kudos for that!
Dude we need about 3 weekly direct flights from the us Dominica.You guys need to talk to amerijet so they can get permission to fly passangers and forget them crop dusters and spray planes.
So Willy you prefer these old rickety 727’s Amerijet flies? I remember their pilots taking action because they were not provided with adequate lavatory facilites and had to use waste disposal bags. You are very welcome Willy but I’d rather fly in a proper passenger prop anytime.
I used them once -awful, will fly prop anytime.
To fly you and your toilet paper???
Could the minister define what is meant by small plane? I suspect is another one of these “toy” planes without toilet dat this backward thinking government celebrating the entry of.
Dat is the kind of utter backwardness and foolishness Dominicans wanted in the $100 million dollar upgraded Melville Hall. While the rest of the right thinking Caribbean upgrading to being able to accommodate jumbo jets but Dominica apparently is becoming the paradise hub for these 10 seater toy planes.
Laabouuuuuuuuuurrrrrrrrrr…………………
Come on man, be realistic. How often would you weant to use the bathroom on a 20 minutes flight to Guadeloupe? I welcome this service, it beats going by fishing boat ….or swimming!
More papiyot for us that’s what we deserve
Only negativity from you people!!! smh
Just make the fares cheaper and we will come…
P.S I though the majority of French islanders take Express to Dca.
good for LIAT
Pedro you right he the civil aviation minister / ccommunication said the road will be ready by year end 2012 and we are in the second month approaching and nothing in sight .
The previous govt purchase land for an international airport and they went and waste monies on the runway and aircrafts afraid to land. If they the govt had went on to build the airport like St.Vincent it would have completed long ago and we would be here fighting for this little aircrafts to come in. This is another grade F.
He is a policeman – no training or degree in engineering or aviation.So why do you all expect so much from the him.?
So Dominica have civil aviation minister… lmao look jokes
Tehee -you have to smile
Seabourne from PR and USVI
Air Antilles Express from Guadeloupe and Martinique
Liat new flight from St Maarten
Dominica will soon be “easily accessible by Air” . What else ?
lol..lol..your are so sarcastic. good point
All the other Caribbean islands have international airports yet this man was bringing speakers from St. Vincent and Barbados to tell us how we do not need one. The ‘not having sufficient seats for a big airport’ is a real concern but every other government works with the carriers even if is to have weekly or bi weekly flights from the mainland(UK, US, Canada, China) while other small aircrafts continue to operate daily scheduled flights. So many of us are ‘celebrating mediocrity’ like Val Bull sang with those hooray comments. This is actually a backward step in air travel. If is for me Dominica will not be seeing my face unless it is to fly out of JFK to Barbados/Antigua and connect with trusted Liat the same day. There are many ‘pros’ to having an airport built as it would facilitate business, investors and personal travel for those of us looking for a weekend getaway. But just like the promotion of the ‘Nature Isle of the World’ abroad, so too will a call for an international airport be dismissed.
How comes that Dominica is the ONLY islands in the region with that problem. IS it the land space, or the vision? It cannot be money because the other islands are not better than us. Look SKB has 2 flights per week from Miami on AA. ANU has 1 per day from
need to have a ferry from antigua to dominica pretty bad is any one ready to invest in this think it would be doing pretty well>
Mr Blackmoore we NEED an international airport. When are these people going to take us seriously? Smh
Typical Mindset in Dominica..they are not address The Main issue Dominica needs a Commercial Jet Airstrip.
You can’t maximise on the best gains in the Tourist Industry over islands who have International Air Access…
But again its the Low level mindset of typical Dominica…thinking small at all areas..
Dominica will continue to be unattractive and Remain the Poorest in the Eastern Caribbean due To Lack of visionary Thinking…
Therefore the numbers in the other islands will Always remain higher because their Policy Makers Are much more Brilliant in thought Process than a Dominican!
pretty well said the y need to understand what is a visions and mission statement then maybe they will understand Mr Blackmore and the Government.
give me a break you belive that will make you guys win another election think again, is election year so you finding everything to put befor people to fool them but not again we suffer enough with witout no food, money a good place to rest our head and belive we will fall for your talk now airline come again blackkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkf, anyway we want our voter id card now and cleaning of the list thats all we asking, also while the airline is coming hope the airport road to melville hall finish by the time it ready to start as you always have a date for it to finish, you guys make me sick……..get out nowwwwwwwwwww.
be real
Air Antilles need to do ST Martin – Dominica straight at least twice a week. it sucks to go through ANtigua, and Air BVI is so small!!
I would like to know whether the service will be from Canefield or Melville Hall. If it is Melville Hall it would make sense to take the ferry instead as I do think a 1/1/2 hr. taxi ride at $100 each way plus a min. check -in time of one hour can not beat the ferry that will deposit you straight in the centre of Point-a-Pitre or Roseau at a lower cost. Canefield must be the preferred option for this to work.
who do you think is going to land its planes in Canefield again?
More air acceses? oh you mean more dust croppers
who gets excited over propellers?
I do not know why you are getting thumbs down!!! Dominicans are settling for none sense. They are not looking at the big picture!!!
We will be forever the ‘relic’ of Caribbean. Cause we are afraid to take risks. NO RISKS NO RENWARDS..
* no rewards*
The airlines get excited over propellers do you really think get service would make sense from Dominica to Guadeloupe our Martinique or most places in the Caribbean for that matter. Anything Less than 500 nautical miles jet flights are to costly so unless you are willing to pay allot more for the service then propellers are your best option. And also all the major jet airlines also have intra regional turbo prop service within the us to transport passengers to their main hubs. Since it is way more cost effective. So don’t make propellers fool you these are very modern aircraft with an impressive safety record.
Theres nothing wrong with propellers. Actually they are better for flying over low terrain and bodies of water. However, most airlines in the US are moving away from these aircraft. As of April 1st AA will have none.
Yes its called access and without a plane small medium or large you wont have it.
Ok, we have come to expect that air access to Dominica will only be mediocre at best. On to other things…when is the airport road going to be finished? This thing started years ago with no end in sight. Admin, could you do an investigative piece on the road, its progress and issues?
Very good point Pedro. Minister making all kinds of noise about evrything else but not a word about that road for which he gave an ultimatum to be finished by the end of Dec. last year. Come on Mr. Blackmoore, you are not a shy person, give us an update please.
Investigative Piece:
“It doh finish yet!”