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Winair deHavilland Canada DHC-6-300© Tis Meyer (PlanePics.org)09.10.2020 – 16:18 UTC

Caribbean regional carrier Winair (WM, St. Maarten) will resume flights to Saint Kitts and Nevis when international commercial flights reopen to the West Indies dual-island nation on October 31, 2020.

According to the ch-aviation schedules module, Winair resumes services from St. Maarten to Basseterre with two weekly flights on October 31, adding a third and fourth service on November 1 and November 2 respectively.

The island nation recently received a “no travel notice required” status from the US Centers for Disease Control, having had only 19 confirmed cases of COVID-19 with no reported deaths since its closed its international border on March 25, 2020.

Some Caribbean Community (CARICOM) countries have created a “travel bubble “ amongst each other as part of efforts to safely reopen travel amid the pandemic. From September 18, Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Dominica, Grenada, Montserrat, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines will be in the bubble, with other member states allowed to participate when they meet health criteria.

According to local authorities, travellers to Saint Kitts and Nevis will be split into two categories: Those coming from the CARICOM travel bubble area; and international visitors. Arrivals from inside the bubble must provide a negative PCR test, while those coming from outside must quarantine for seven days in approved accommodation facilities.

Tourism Minister Lindsay F.P. Grant, said in a statement: “We have been working diligently to prepare for this reopening to ensure that we are ready to welcome travellers by training and certifying local businesses and individuals in the health and safety protocols they are required to meet and be certified in to be permitted to operate.”

Tourism is one of the main drivers of economic growth on the islands, but the dual-island also relies on its Citizenship by Investment (CBI) programme to keep its economy afloat.

State-owned Winair resumed operations to Antigua, Saint Barthélemy, Saba and Sint Eustatius in July, adding services to Dominica Douglas-Charles in August. According to the ch-aviation PRO airlines module, its fleet consists of four DHC-6-300s leased from Unity Group.