Jamaica Welcomes Inaugural Dreamliner Flight
By: November 11, 2013 ,The Key Point:
The Facts
- The inaugural flight, from London, Gatwick, brought 291 passengers to the island.
- The Tourism Minister said that Jamaica is broadening and diversifying its source markets as it looks to boost visitor arrivals.
The Full Story
The Boeing 787 Dreamliner landed at the Sangster International Airport in Montego Bay Thursday, November 7, making Jamaica the first Caribbean country to welcome the aircraft.
The inaugural flight, from London, Gatwick, brought 291 passengers to the island. The aircraft is expected to fly into Montego Bay once per week, bringing a similar number of passengers each trip, which will boost arrivals for the upcoming winter season.
This is being made possible through partnership with Thomson Airways and its parent company TUI Travel.
Addressing industry stakeholders at a reception held at the airport to welcome the Dreamliner, Minister of Tourism and Entertainment, Hon. Dr. Wykeham McNeill, said that the arrival of the aircraft is a positive move for Jamaica’s tourism industry.
“We are really pleased that our partners, Thomson Airways and others, have determined that Jamaica is the first country (in the region) that the Dreamliner would be flying to and we are pleased, as this means that they are confirming and emphasizing their confidence in Jamaica,” he stated.
The Tourism Minister said that Jamaica is broadening and diversifying its source markets as it looks to boost visitor arrivals.
He pointed out that the new flight, in addition to confirmations from the new Transaero aircraft from Moscow, the Air Canada Rouge from Toronto, the Condor from Munich, and Thomas Cook, which is scheduled to arrive from Stockholm later this month, represent significant increase in airlift to the tune of over 25,000 for the winter tourist season.
“Earlier this year, we were having some challenges in Canada and now we have clearly observed a significant increase in additional seats, indicating that we are well on track to achieving our targets and projections. The real thing now is to reaffirm our commitment and relationship to TUI, one of the largest tour operators in the world, operating out of Europe,” Minister McNeill noted.