The Clayton J. Lloyd International Airport in Anguilla has welcomed a Boeing 737 (400 series) aircraft to the island. It flew in guests for a large wedding which took place on Tuesday, 5th November, at Four Seasons Resort and Residences.
Weddings in Anguilla are among the promotional features of the island as an up-market tourist destination.
The aircraft arrived in Anguilla late Thursday afternoon, 31st October, on a direct flight from the JFK International Airport in New York, and departed the same evening. There were additional flights by the Boeing jet over the next few days, including two on Wednesday, 6th November, when it returned its passengers to the United States. A number of smaller jets also flew in and out of Anguilla for the wedding event.
According to Lloyd’s Aviation Services, there were 16 flights in all out of Anguilla on Wednesday, keeping the airport very busy.
A number of persons from across the Anguillian community were at the airport to see the Boeing 737 aircraft. Some of them remarked that they were looking forward to the day when they would be able to travel from Anguilla direct to the United States.
It is understood that the Boeing 737 plane can carry over one hundred passengers but was reconfigured to transport sixty-eight persons to Anguilla.
Speaking later about the aircraft, Premier Victor Banks stated:
“I was not at the airport for the arrival of the Boeing 737 but, within minutes, I saw it on my WhatsApp and I know people were very enthused by it. In my estimation it is a preview of things to come because we are looking forward to direct flights from Fort Lauderdale and Miami within the upcoming year. It augurs well for the tourist season and is the beginning of exposing Anguilla as a destination; and as a consequence the need to expand our facilities to provide greater capacity for persons coming to our island.”
Airport personnel commented that such a large aircraft could not have landed on the runway if the airport was not of the required high standard. Their comment was based on the fact that the aerodrome is equipped with super modern, expensive fire tenders and a new and highly technical Air Traffic Control Tower.
