Oranjestad- EZ Air on Friday executed a training and demo flight between Bonaire and St. Eustatius. The plane landed at 1.15 local time at the FDR Airport.

The new 34 seater Saab340 plane was only received by EZ Air on Wednesday afternoon. Yesterday flights were executed to Bonaire and Aruba, followed by a flight between Bonaire and St. Eustatius on Friday. The flight takes just over 2 hours to execute.

In St. Eustatius the flight was received by Government Commissioners Alida Francis and Claudia Toet. Both expressed enthusiasm about the new airplane and potential plans of EZ Air to fly between Bonaire and St. Eustatius.

“We have a momentum going on right now in the development of our tourism sector and we need more and better airlift”, Francis told The BES-Reporter. Francis also pointed to a motion adopted by the Island Council, urging for more flights between Statia and the ABC islands; especially Bonaire.

Training

Captain Timothy Vasseur en co-pilot José Zambrano already completed their training on the flight simulator to operate the new Saab, but are receiving additional line training from an experienced captain on the Saab from American Silver Airways. This is also true for other flight crew who have already completed the ground school and simulator training for the Saab.

Flights

Many on the island, especially from the Tourism sector, are looking for additional airlift and an alternative to flights via St. Maarten.

While EZ Air is interested in executing scheduled flights between Bonaire and St. Eustatius, EZ Air CEO René Winkel said he was also looking to local governments and the Government in The Hague for some form of support to ensure the viability of such flights.

“We have invested a lot of money, time and energy in building a sustainable airline, but when it comes to thin routes like the one between St. Eustatius and Bonaire, we cannot do it alone. Just as new routes of American Airlines or other carriers are supported by marketing initiatives or other form of incentives, some kind of support for this particular route is needed to make it happen”, said Winkel in conversation with The BES-Reporter.