Increased airlift = more heads in beds = the realisation of Anguilla 44! I wholeheartedly embrace this vision! I’m beaming with excitement as two huge game changers – American Airlines and Aurora Anguilla – break history with direct flights out of Miami and possibly New York, respectively. Kudos to the Government of Anguilla with christening trans-Atlantic flights which undoubtedly will lead to the growth of our local economy. Added to this, Silver Airways and Tradewinds Aviation have resumed services out of San Juan, and Cape Air has returned with direct service out of St. Thomas – with connections to Puerto Rico and the British Virgin Islands. Talks are ongoing with other carriers and we’ve heard of Caribbean Airlines with direct service out of Barbados, and muted interest from Inter Caribbean Airways – and who knows if the restructured LIAT will return? Indications are that the private jet business will be strong this season and I proudly salute Lloyd’s Aviation Services for the huge investment (over $6m) with the construction of their new terminal building – enhancing and expanding the FBO services at the Clayton J. Lloyd International Airport.
At the same time, going back over 50 years, the Anguilla-St. Thomas route was proudly serviced by local airline carriers! Yes, there’s a rich history of Anguillian pioneers in the airline industry that maintained this invaluable economic and cultural link between Anguilla and the US Virgin Islands: Anguilla Airways, Valley Air Service, Air Mello rebranded Air Anguilla, Carib Air Service rebranded Tyden Air, Island Air Charters, Anguilla Air Express, Trans Anguilla Airways and Anguilla Air Services – not forgetting the services of Cleophas Hodge and Dean Richardson among others. Forgive me for notable omissions I may have missed! Our airport was renamed in honour of our fallen hero Captain Clayton J. Lloyd, founder of Valley Air Service (VAS) – and the Anguilla – St. Thomas route was a pillar in VAS’s operating model! Yes, Capt. Lloyd had a vision as VAS was the largest local carrier in terms of fleet size and destinations served, and there were further plans for expansion but, unfortunately, these came to an abrupt halt on 24 December 1977 in our worst aviation crash to date! Anguilla was and continues to be a giant (albeit in a declined state) in the marine and aviation industries across the Caribbean region. On the flip side, I proudly recall the sense of pride I felt whilst studying at UVI (1984-1988) checking in at Air Anguilla’s counter at Cyril E. King International Airport, St. Thomas, and seeing the many Anguillians at the airport especially when I was collecting my home cooked meal from my mother – breakfast and lunch were still hot and ready to eat! Occasionally, on a Friday afternoon, I would sit outside the CA building watching Air Anguilla takeoff. Yes, I used to get a little homesick, and the impossible temporary crazy thought entered my mind to jump the fence, near the foot of the runway, and catch a ride!
Today, we still have two local carriers, Trans Anguilla Airways and Anguilla Air Services, with scheduled services to Sint Maarten, St. Barths, Sint Eustatius, St. Kitts, Nevis, Antigua, British & US Virgin Islands – with charters to any Caribbean destination. There is also Caribe Air Charters, another local based airline, with charters to any Caribbean destination. Trans Anguilla has a fleet of 4 aircrafts (3 Britten-Norman Islanders and 1 Cessna 402), and Anguilla Air Services has a fleet of 6 aircrafts (3 Britten-Norman Islanders, 1 Britten-Norman Trilander, 1 Cessna 414 and 1 Beech King Air 200). There are 40 years combined experience with these locally owned airline companies! In the wake of Cape Air’s inaugural flight on Saturday, sadly neither of these two companies were approached for discussions on fully servicing the Anguilla – St. Thomas route! To my mind this route, along with the BVI, Sint Maarten, Sint Eustatius, St. Barths and St. Kitts, should benefit from positive discrimination as strongly touted by the late CM Hon. Hubert Hughes.
Then and only then we can proudly boast of #AnguillaFirst. For now it’s nothing more than a farce! In the days of Anguilla Times, there was a caption : Ayah hear hell! People are now saying there’s a new equation: #ChangeCantWait = #ChangeFor DeWorserer! (Anguillian lingo). Simply put, the #NewMath not adding up!
