Kralendijk- The Dutch ministry of Infrastructure & Water Management (I&W) has granted the request by local authorities to temporary deny flights out of the US, Canada, Colombia and the Dominican Republic.

The temporary order will be made official this afternoon around 1PM.

The restriction may lead to problems for an American Airlines flight which is already underway from Miami to Bonaire. The BES-Reporter understands that it is probable that the passengers of the flight will be allowed onto the island, albeit with restrictions which were also imposed on passengers arriving on a Tui flight Saturday evening.

More details will be made know around 1 PM local time.

Growing call

The call for the restriction of flights out of North America was growing louder in past days, as many residents had difficulty to understand why flights from Europe were halted, but flights out of North America were still allowed.

“What sense does it make to close the front door, when you leave the backdoor open?”, asked one concerned resident on one of the local Facebook forums on the island.