Flights still coming in

As some of Barbados’ major airline partners continue to ground flights to help to stop the spread of the highly-contagious COVID-19, Barbados is waiting to see how this country would be affected.

President of the Airline Association of Barbados Oliver Haywood said he has been speaking with the airlines from the United Kingdom, Canada, the United States and the Caribbean and the tone has been favourable so far.

Several Caribbean destinations have banned flights from Europe and some countries in Asia, while several airlines have announced a steep slash in the number of flights internationally.

However, Haywood said both British Airways and Virgin, which come out of the UK, have indicated that their loads to the Caribbean remain in place once the UK borders remain open to them.

“They have not seen the rates of cancellation that they were expecting at this time. They will probably see that into next week and week after,” said Haywood.

“As it relates to JetBlue, they are waiting to see what is happening, but as the Minister of Tourism has said, they are committed to continue operating into Barbados. They said they would be monitoring the situation on a daily basis but they are satisfied with the booking levels and they don’t see any reasons at this point to make any announcements as it relates to operating into Barbados.,” he reported

Haywood’s comments came as he was addressing the first quarterly Barbados Hotel and Tourism Association (BHTA) meeting at the Hilton Resort on Tuesday.

He also noted that while Air Canada was working with the Canadian government to get residents back home, as far as the Caribbean was concerned it was now adopting a “wait and see” approach.

Haywood, who is the Barbados Manager for regional carrier LIAT, said as it relates to that island-hopping airline officials were working closely with the respective governments and all the stakeholders in the industry and applying best practice.

“We do recognize that we will have to look at our schedule and to respond to the market demand as it relates to what is being published by the relevant ministries of health and the governments,” he said.

According to him LIAT officials were scheduled to have a meeting on Tuesday afternoon to “look and see” where the airline is and “make the necessary adjustments if needed”.

Adding his voice to the call for residents not to panic, Haywood said: “Right along the length and breadth of the Caribbean based upon the local situation it will impact how we operate, but there is a commitment at least that the American carriers, Canadians as well as the regional carrier LIAT that we are still in a mode of continued operation for the moment.”
marlonmadden@barbadostoday.bb