Minister for Ports Rayburn Blackmoore has indicated that the addition of Venezuelan Airline CONVIASA to the list of airlines coming to Dominica will significantly boost the number of visitors coming to the island on nighttime flights.
The minister was speaking at a press conference marking the airline’s re-introduction into Dominica, after the inaugural flight yesterday.
Blackmoore stated, “I want to give the Dominican public and our well wishers overseas the assurance that notwithstanding all the skeptics, including those who call themselves ‘Citizen’s Forum For Good Governance’ as to our ability to attract night flights to this facility. Thus far we have been able to attract 2,733 passengers by way of night flights and we can only do better in time to come.”
He went on to breakdown the carriers that currently service the country at night, even pointing out that LIAT has been assisted in its service since the enhancement of the airport to include night landing facilities.
Blackmoore said, “WinAir has brought in 2,104 passengers, by way of night flights through St Martin, providing there[by] an important hub from North America. And BVI Airways, using the same route, has been able to bring in 251 passengers. Our main regional carrier LIAT, notwithstanding the fact that they don’t have a scheduled arrangement for night flights, have brought in 778 passengers. We look forward to the day when LIAT will have a scheduled arrangement.”
CONVIASA will provide bi-weekly service between Dominica, St Vincent and Venezuela on Tuesdays and Thursday, arriving in Dominica at 6:05 pm on both days.
I’m glad we do have the facility now to accommodate flights after dark. However, I’m not aware that our main carrier, LIAT, have commenced scheduled night-time services to/from Melville Hall. Mr. Blackmoore has been frank in saying that some 3,000 passengers have benefitted from this but I’m sure he too recognises that this figure is a drop in a bucket by international aviation standards and I doubt it has contributed significantly to an increase in the total numbers of arrivals – comparisons with previous years would tell us. This relatively low figure confirms that the main problem we are facing is a lack of passenger volume and I suspect this is also the reason why LIAT have not scheduled regular night flights thus far
and continues to operate transfers to other caribbean destinations from Dominica via Antigua.
In any case, I am grateful that the occurrence of having to endure an unscheduled overnight stop in Antigua has considerably diminished.
Is 6:05 pm night time?
Please.
Fabricati.on…..fool us still
one of them day there them man send the liat 11:00 in the night
There are no night-time flights coming into DA yet that I have found. Only ones taking off at dusk.
wey papa, Dominicans are too negative. We rather criticise than praise. Wha is this country coming too.
DNO should monitor the emails and where and who they coming from. I dont think Dominicans are posting these things.
Fransisco Dodds telemaque, with all due respect Sir, before u start spilling out trash, please read, do research and investigate. Let me give u some info about the Conviasa issue. The reason the airline suspended its flight to Dca in 2010 was due to a crash of one of its aircrafts ATR’s, similar to those that travel to dca.Like any other airline they took every possible measure to check, inspect its fleet and one of those measures was to halt its flight to Dca. It took some time to reintroduce its flight, cause u are talking about the safety and lives of people. Conviasa is the national airline of venezuela and one of the most popular airlines, very competitive. U also mentioned that the visitors from venezuela are not that rich like the north americans, u so ignorant Sir. Do u know that venezuela is one of the countries in the south, with one of the biggest population of expatriates fron Spain, and the surrounding coutries such as Columbia, bolivia, ecuador, chile? Just an indicator Sir, So please sir read some more, educate ur self. If u need to know more about Venezuela, u can ask me , no prob.
Regrettable I must respond to you whom I consider mere trash, and an idiot!
And though I do not wish to dignify your ignorance, in that you do not even have a name where as you utilize a fictitious name; tells me that you are a nobody.
I am not interested in any Venezuelan Airline taking people to South America, and if you were not an idiot, you would have understood my point of view, and the rest of the comments which followed my opinion.
The fact is not a shortage of flights into and out of Dominica to islands in the Caribbean, the problem is of an International nature.
For all I care, since you are the son of Venezuelan Chavez, it may not be difficult for you to create your very own airline and fly across, the Caribbean, and South America, and see how many more visitors you can attract to Dominica.
And by the way, in Venezuela, people are no more better off than Dominicans, though they have an oil industry, they extract a minimum amount of gold from the ground in some places, but the majority of the people are farmers the same as most Dominicans, and if you look at it from a statistical point of view you will discover that there are more dirt poor people in Venezuela than you have in Dominica, per capita.
So, I suggest you shut your stupid mouth okay!
Blackmoore talking about night landing attracted three thousand people to Dominica, is nothing more than nonsense, and if you buy that crap, you have proved yourself an idiot!
People do not decide to travel to a destination simple because of night landing, so no one goes to a travel agency, and inquire if there is night landing at that destination before they book their passage, so if you believe what I said is trash and rubbish, that your perception, no skin off my tooth:
Pull the wool over your eyes for as long as you can, for even when they are opened all you see is darkness.
You shall remain blind for the rest of you stupid life!
We do not need an introduction of anymore local airlines, what we need is an International Airport, and the introduction of International flights from North America, and the European country’s only an idiot like you will not understand that.
? Do’nde es Dominica Internacional Aeropuerto?
Francisco Etienne-Dods Telemaque
So long PPl been landing here in the night.. a set of Dotish ppl on this site talking a set of crap. A whole bunch of you tehbeh never travel outside your village. All I can do is laugh when i see comments saying night landing never happen and liat never do it.. and all today liat had night take off n landings.. YALL HATERS AND TEHBEH DOTISH ONES TOO
SGV GETTING INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT. SOUTH.AMERICA VISTORS BROOKS SO EVEN IF THEY COMES IT MEANS NO PROFIT TO DOMINICA DONT BOAST SOMTHING OF NO VALUE
Does Blackmoore really think we are that dummy? I f night flights have brought close to 3,000 passangers to DA, my question is, how has that helped our economy since the idea is not just to bring more people but to help transform the economy. If the goal was just to increase passenger arrival, then instead of spending so many $millions on the airport all they had to do was try to get Liat, Wyn Air, American Eagle to add extra flight on a daily basis. But I know that would not have worked because our problem was not to get more empty flights but rather, one that would have given people reasons to come to DA.
When you have a country with fewer than 65 thousand people, we do not have beaches like Antigua, Bados, St Lucia etc and farming which was the main stay of the ecconomy is dead, how will 3,000 or 5,000 passengers coming in by night or day help us? This administration has no vision and that’s why they keep coming over the airways with so much none sense. Blackmoore is already trying to take credit for nightlanding but failed to tell us that as of today, you cannot go on liat.com, aa.com and see any flight scheduled later than 6pm. Yes wyn air used to land late, but WYN only transported 19 passangers and thy no longer fly to DA. BVI which replaced liat is just as small as WYN AIR and they are not about safety first. In fact, with or without night landing not too many people want to fly on those kites. So Blackmoore needs to get real with people instead of always trying to attack the “Citizen’s Forum for Good Governance.”
Tehbeh, you expect 3,000 passengers to suddenly transform our economy?
That is what the man is saying…..dotish!
A good salesman never tell you what he does not have, he tells you what he has. We should never highlight the fact that we do not have the beaches of other islands, we should always sell our waterfalls, our rivers, and our dense tropical forest that sets us apart. Belize makes billions of dollars on what we have, we can attempt do the same.
Nice piece “littleboy”…factually speaking…Indicates that you are rationally minded.
Keep it up……
Peace.
Thanks for the information, but no thanks. Based on past experience, I will take what you say with a grain of salt! These numbers seem pressure cooked.
By the way sir,in recent times I find that you are always in the news, especially television and DNO, are you vying for the post of Prime Minister Sir? I am becoming very suspicious of you and your intentions. The other government ministers and Skerrit better keep a close eye on you. I DO NOT TRUST BLACKMORE!!!
Blackmoore, if the intention is to make the Dominicans find it easier to fly to Venezuela, and South America, as indicated. I must inform you that the idea is a total waste of time!
Who cares about South America?
The focus should be on North America, ” Canada, And the United States of America.” We should also focus on transporting visitors from Europe, England, Germany, and France, from such places derive the tourist with money, that should be our ultimate goal, as such we need to build an International Airport. I read of the reintroduction of a Venezuelan airline, that is an indication that it was already introduced to Dominica, and failed.
If it was not successful the fist time around, what will cause it to be successful this time around? Find some time and respond to my comments on DNO, or if you are too ashamed that you response will serve as an embracement in a public forum, you may respond to me directly via my E-mail [email protected] or via http://www.yvonnedods.com at [email protected]
Very Respectfully,
Francisco Etienne-Dods Telemaque
I fully support your call for an International Airport…If we are to attract the kind of investors and investments we need to help develop our economy,then that will facilitate us tremendously in our plight for development and growth(economically speaking).
Govt. need to expeditiously explore that avenue….Because an International Airport is a direct link to our Country from International ports of origin.
Profound Peace…and….All the best to you.
Can someone or ADMIN please publish the total number of stayover visitors for the first six month month this year as compared to that of last year. At the same time what has been the occupancy level over the same period.
Please people the issue should not be about night or day. The issue should be , have we seen an increase in stay over visitors arrival and hence an increase in occupancy rate ( note an increase in stay over arrival without increase in occupancy means that we are counting returning dominicans).
Second – what have been the growth rate in arrival from the traditional markets . Do we have the necessary carrriage to increase market share.
Third- If there exist any increase in the rate of stay over vitors, then are any corroleation or causation between the improvement in the airport( night landing etc) and the increase # of visitors. (food for thought)
January to April, total stayover visitors were 24,934, down 1.4 per cent compared to 2010
THANKS ANON BUT I NEED THE SOURCE BEFORE I CAN QUOTE YOU.
Can someone tell me what the word “corroleation” means please. Just for my own edification, cause i am not that bright. Thanks.
that’s an interesting route hmmmm but let’s see the returns D/cans
MR. RAYBURN;
IT IS VIRTOUS TO COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS. YES, THE NUMBERS FOR NIGHT FLIGHTS ARE INCREASING AND THAT’S GOOD.
WE MUST NOW GO TO THE ECONOMISTS TO MAKE SERIOUS PROJECTIONS FOR THE FUTURE NOW THAT WE HAVE EMBARKED ON THOSE PROGRESSIVE FLIGHTS.
SURELY IF YOU SUCCEED THE NATION WILL THAT’S WHY WE WISH YOU WELL.
indeed
I was coming to Dominica from Finland arrived in Antigua at 1:00pm caribbean time, and LIAT kept re-scheduling my flight, i came in the evening.
It was a bad experience and i suggest Dominicans look seriously at an international airport, this night flying just making Liat re-schedule your flight.
Tusk,
Can you please explain what part of the journey was the bad one???
This will help me in the preparation of my thesis on “The new Dominica”.
Thanks
more spanish for dominica
all that good that will bring down the price *wink* *wink*
I hope more people arrive on the night flight because so far, assuming the gov spent $120,000,000 on the night landing project, so far it works out to $40,000 per passenger.
3000 VISITORS FROM WHERE? VENEZUELA? TO GOD BE THE GLORY GREAT THINGS HE WILL CONTINUE TO DO FOR DOMINICA.
your nose is brown
Zort mi propaganda Dominique – WINAIR land at 6:30 PM and we blowing a trumpet. Blackmoore need to control his emotion cause he sound like a little boy begging for attention. Let us do the maths – WinAir carries on average 12 people per day for 5 days a week ( I believe that I am being Overly conservative here; note also the increase ridership during the carnival season help make up the average ridership of 12 passengers per day). That accounts for 60 passengers per week and an indication that WinAir has been operating for 45 weeks. Considering that WinAIR started the night operation in December which is 32 weeks ago the numbers seem to be exaggerated. It is better to tell it as it is –stop the cherry coating.
Let us keep in mind that WINAIR is operating on fumes and we should not toot our victory trumpets on the premise of a weak and unstable airline. It would have been good if Mr Blackmoor had just stuck to “ a work in progress” approach rather than to give the impression that expectations had been met.
I have to agree with you. Blackmore is also making this a political thing!! I am all in favor of progress. HOWEVER BLACKMORE needs to stop running aroun the issue and tell the Dominican public when there will be a REGULARLY SCHEDULED NIGHT FLIGHT PAST 8 pm INTO Dominica from Antigua and Puerto Rico.. Stop the BS’ ing sir and give facts !!
around
Thought Winair was no longer coming to DA…that means 2,104 passengers less landing at night.
i dont trust anything that come out of this mans mouth, and i pity the fool that would.
Trust you 1979! Miss negative!
Nice but be careful
Ras and Hello, U can go back to your neighbourhood now. go back to negativille.
Thanks my dearest minister. Now I will be able to travel to SVG.
I TRUST THEY ARE COMING FROM VENEZUELA RIGHT?
HHHHMMM
WELL HERE GOES THE NEIGHBOURHOOD
NIGHT FLIGHT FROM VEN AND AT VINCENT. MORE PARO
GOSH! I JUST DIDN’T WANT TO SAY IT RAS, BUT YOU BRAVER THAN ME
WOW! a minister of Government does not even know the difference between nationals returning from business and other trips and those coming to Dominica to stay in paid forms of accommodation who would be classified as visitors/tourists
He counts LIAT – who has no scheduled or additional flights that land at night in his calculation – he did not even stop to think well maybe those or already scheduled flights that happened to have been late thus landing at night. Without increased capacity from LIAT how can he include that number????
What a shame – where are his technocrats to guide him – poor soul
Without nightlanding the people on the late LIAT flight would have had to overnight somewhere.
…at additional cost to them.
I am all for night landing provided planes actually land after dark to alleviate the stress on Dominicans who have to overnight in Barbados, Antigua or Puerto Rico.
But the net result would not have been any increase in visitors as the passengers were landing on scheduled flights not on flights that were additional to those already scheduled. Check to see what time these flights are landing – maybe no more than 45 minutes past legal sundown – certainly not at 9PM
Evolved you don’t know what you are saying. I saw LIAT with my own eyes land at 8:30p.m. and then BVIAirways at about 9p.m.
This is good news economically. However, beware that those who visit are authentic visitors and investors and that they do not carry weapons as guns and illegal drugs. They should be thoroughly searched. No concessions should be given to anyone and no excuses should be accepted from them. Do not practice preferential treatment. Treat everyone with equal fairness. This is for the security, peace and safety of Dominica and its residents.
May the Airport Immigration make good note of this.
Great progress, however we who leave in North Americs need to know what our best options are.
book your flight to st vincent or venezuela its that simple
1979, get some required rest. Your eyes are at your back.