Above: Cartagena

By Alexander Britell

JetBlue has officially launched its new service from Fort Lauderdale to Cartagena on Colombia’s Caribbean coast.

The first JetBlue flight from Fort Lauderdale to Cartagena touched down in the Caribbean city just before 7 PM.

“JetBlue is pleased to offer our U.S. customers even more travel options by adding the Fort Lauderdale-Cartagena route,” said Giselle Cortes, director of Blue Cities for JetBlue. “Cartagena is less than three hours away from Florida, making it a convenient option for vacationers or travelers who do business in Latin America.”

The new route comes in addition to pre-existing flights between New York’s John F Kennedy Airport and Cartagena, which first launched in 2012.

Above: Cartagena’s historic centre is a booming destination, with hotels like the Ananda, above

It’s the latest boost for a Caribbean city that has been seeing a tourism and development boom in recent years. (For more, info, see this Caribbean Journal article).

“As Cartagena has increased its number of hotels and business destinations, it’s become even more important to prioritize travel to and from the city,” said Maria Claudia Lacouture, president of Proexport Colombia, the country’s government agency in charge of promoting tourism and investment.

The daily service departs Fort Lauderdale each day at 2:46 PM, with a scheduled arrival time of 6:48 PM.

The return flights from Cartagena depart at 12:00 PM.