Tradewind Aviation Airline has now joined Cape Air in serving Anguilla from the San Juan, Puerto Rico, hub. It is providing scheduled shuttle flights for visitors from mainland America to Anguilla, as well as for other passengers travelling betweenthe two islands.
The airline, operating a single engine PC-12 aircraft, made its inaugural flight to Anguilla on Sunday, November 3, officially launching its Premium Scheduled Service at a ceremony at the Clayton Lloyd International Airport.
The Anguilla Government was represented by Minister of Infrastructure and Communications, Evan Gumbs; Minister of Home Affairs, Jerome Roberts; and Parliamentary Secretary, Tourism, Haydn Hughes. The Tourism and Hotel Association was represented by its President, Delroy Lake.
Mr.Gumbs, who represented Chief Minister, Hubert Hughes, welcomed the airline’s three representatives to Anguilla. They were the President, Eric Zipkin; and Vice Presidents David Zipkin and David Zara.
Felicia Hennis and Ivor Hodge
Speaking on behalf of the Hotel and Tourism Association, Mr Delroy Lake said there was a continuing search for new ways to increase passenger arrivals to Anguilla. “We are glad that Tradewind Aviation has taken the opportunity to come to our destination,” he said. “It is however not without controversy because, obviously, a lot of our clients are saying that it is a small plane – they are not sure. I was a little surprised because I thought the plane was going to be a lot smaller [as it is a one-engine plane]. But it looks a lot bigger than some of the twin-engine planes that come to Anguilla. We are glad that Tradewind Aviation is coming to Anguilla, and we are hoping that there are going to be others on this venture as well.”
Mr Hadyn Hughes thanked the airline company for adding Anguilla to its Caribbean route. He said the Government had brought two aviation companies to Anguilla from North America via San Juan: Cape Air and now Tradewind Aviation. He recalled meeting representatives of the airline in Manhattan, New York, in July 2013 where agreement was reached to serve Anguilla. “Last year Tradewind Aviation did no less than 4,000 flights into St Barths. We hope this year they will do 2,000 and next year 6,000 flights into Anguilla,” he stated. “There are a lot of flights going into San Juan from mainland USA and that opens up a lot of opportunities for us, as we seek to exploit those opportunities to bring more people to the most beautiful destination in the entire Caribbean – Anguilla – the destination with the friendliest people, the best food, the world’s best beaches and, of course, the best hospitality accommodations.”
Mr David Zara thanked the Parliamentary Secretary and the Anguilla Government for making it possible for his airline to serve the island. “We are all beholding to each other,” he observed. “We will either succeed as a group or fail as individuals. We back each other up because without your help we will not survive and perhaps vice versa.”
Mr Eric Zipkin, who is both the president and a pilot of the airline company, said he was very excited in bringing Tradewind Aviation’s service to Anguilla. He explained that the service would be provided by a modern, fast and turbine-powered aircraft from the 1990s. It was built in Switzerland, is slightly larger than the King Air 200, and flies about the same speed – almost 300 miles per hour. The flight time from Anguilla to San Juan is between 45 and 50 minutes at an altitude of about 20,000 feet. “That speed and altitude allow us to get well above most of the weather, the bumps, rain, the thunderstorms and everything else – and allows us the most comfortable ride,” he stated.
Following the launching ceremony, the airline representatives took the Government officials and other persons on a tour of the aircraft, while another of the company’s planes was also on the runway.
In addition to Anguilla, the airline serves a number of Eastern Caribbean islands including the French and Dutch islands, the British and US Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic.
