🛫 Cayman Islands seeks long-haul flights for new runway

The Cayman Islands Department of Tourism (DoT) is seeking long-haul carriers for its planned runway extension at the Owen Roberts Airports Authority (CIAA). Tourism Director Rosa Harris led a delegation to the Routes Americas conference in Bogota, Colombia, last month to meet with representatives of airlines and airports operating in the Americas region. The proposed runway expansion, which is still in its early stages, has been approved by the Cabinet but remains controversial due to its planned extension into the North Sound. 🌴

According to a release from the DoT, the delegation, which included representatives from the CIAA and the DoT’s aviation consultants, Volavion, attended meetings about the runway and other upgrades with the aim of attracting long-haul direct flights into and out of the Cayman Islands. The target destinations include Brazil, Peru, and Argentina in the Americas and Germany, Italy, France, and Switzerland in Europe. Harris emphasized the importance of aviation to the Cayman Islands' tourism industry and highlighted the opportunity the conference provided to deepen relationships with existing carriers and develop new ones. ✈️