As part of Ministry of Tourism, International Transport and Maritime Initiative’s ongoing efforts to improve air access, Dominica welcomed the first American Airlines Jet flight on Tuesday June 22, 2021. The flight performed a proving run to and from Douglas-Charles Airport. It landed at 4:15pm AST on runway 09 and departed at 5:46pm AST directly to Miami International Airport, where it landed approximately 3 hours later at 8:57PM AST. A proving flight run is typically the last technical or operational hurdle in the process of an airline seeking to obtain an Air Operator Permit for destinations where it has an interest to service. This flight was not a revenue service operation, but done to ensure that an aircraft is able, in real time, to perform safe and compliant operations on this route. The feedback from the crew on land was all positive with no concerns raised. The aircraft was an Embraer 175 (E175) with a capacity for seventy-six (76) passengers with twelve first class seats, and sixty-four premium seats with extra leg room and main cabin seats.
Hon. Denise Charles, the Minister of Tourism, International Transport and Maritime Initiatives indicated that, “this flight is very timely as it aligns with our goal to aggressively increase stay over visitor arrivals to 200K in 5 years. This increase in traffic needs to happen in parallel to our international airport development.”
Dominica is well-positioned to take full advantage of the travel market as it emerges from the pandemic. The island’s low density, nature-immersed product aligns perfectly with what travellers are currently looking for. In February 2021, Dominica received the Safe Travels Stamp by the World Travel and Tourism Council which reassures that the destination’s health and safety protocols meet globally accepted protocols. And more recently, the Centre for Disease Control (CDC) has categorized Dominica as Level 1 for travel to the destination, indicating that Dominica is one of the destinations with the lowest risk for travellers.
Captain Robert Neider was in command of the aircraft and other members of the American Airlines delegation included other pilots, crew, maintenance technicians, airline personnel required to support the flight, and company officials including Mr. Robert Nault, Director – System Operations Control. The Dominican delegation comprised Ms. Lisa Valmond, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Tourism, International Transport and Maritime Initiatives; Mr. Benoit Bardouille, CEO of the Dominica Air and Seaports Authority; Mr. Colin Piper, CEO of Discover Dominica Authority; Mr. Hervé Nizard, member of the Air Access Technical Committee; and Mr. Samuel Johnson, CEO of the International Airport Development Company.
The success of this proving flight presents an excellent opportunity for Dominica to continue discussions with airlines for servicing Dominica on a direct flight from the US mainland utilizing Douglas Charles Airport. Direct access will provide travellers with even more options to visit Dominica. This will help to boost the tourism sector’s ability to contribute more to job creation directly in the industry as well towards agriculture and other support industries. The overall Dominican economy stands to benefit tremendously.
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