By John Denny

Observer Reporter

(Newcastle, Nevis) – Flights in and out of Vance Amory Airport have been cut again. St. Maarten-based Winair announced last week that they would be ceasing service altogether to St. Kitts, Nevis, Dominica, Tortola and reducing its flights to Antigua to once a week.

Plans to suspend

Currently Nevis still has the once daily American Eagle from and back to San Juan Puerto Rico, but that flight will be suspended from sometime in April until October. The reason for the suspension is because of the situation at Four Seasons, according to tourism consultant Alistair Yearwood.

“They do not want to terminate the route permanently,” said Yearwood. “American Eagle is maintaining a desk at the airport and their staff there for the next couple of months.”

The reason flights are being cut is simple economics. To maintain a route, the airline has to fill about half of their seats.

“An airline has to maintain a 50 percent load factor for a route to be profitable. (American Eagle) was only operating at about 17 percent,” said Yearwood. “Winair is not doing any better which is why they are cutting flights except to the Dutch islands. We have been negotiating with Liat to try and pick up the slack and we hope to come some sort of agreement next week.”

Subject to change soon, is this schedule for flights in and out of Nevis:

American Eagle arriving from San Juan at 11:50 a.m. and departs on a return trip at 1:23 p.m.

Winair flight 801 arrives from St. Maarten at 9:15 a.m. then departs on a return trip at 9:25. Winair flight 855 arrives from St. Maarten at 8:25 p.m. and departs on a return trip at 8:35 p.m.

Liat flight 507 arrives from St. Kitts at 1:50 p.m. and leaves for Antigua at 2:05 p.m. Liat flight 544 arrives from Antigua at 5:15 p.m. then leaves at 5:30 p.m. for St. Kitts then on to Antigua.

Winair recently informed the federal government of its decision to stop flying into the Robert L. Bradshaw International Airport after 30 years of service, a move which will leave LIAT as the only scheduled carrier between St. Kitts and the Dutch/French Caribbean island.

“Subsequent discussions with the airline officials have revealed that Winair continues to feel the impact of increased competition, fluctuating fuel prices, and the increase in other operational costs. WINAIR alluded to a decreasing trend in passenger volume from St. Kitts, and has deemed the recent losses unsustainable, and has made a decision to discontinue its services to and from St. Kitts by March 29, 2009,” said Minister of State for Information, Sen. the Hon. Nigel Carty.

The Minister said the Government wanted to come to some sort of agreement to assist Winair in continuing its service to St. Kitts, but the carrier presented no scenario that was economically acceptable.