By the Caribbean Journal staff

There’s a new way to get to St Vincent and the Grenadines.

In a big boost for St Vincent’s new Argyle International Airport, Air Canada has launched its first ever flights to the destination.

The new Toronto-St Vincent flights launched Thursday on Air Canada’s Rouge leisure carrier.

The service is the first scheduled international nonstop flight to Argyle, which is one of the most modern airports in the region but until now had been unable to attract major service.

The launch ceremony in Toronto.

The inaugural flight was met by a delegation including St Vincent and the Grenadines Prime Minister Dr Ralph Gonsalves, Tourism Minister Cecil McKie and Tourism Authority CEO Glen Beache.

Air Canada Rouge is operating the service weekly on Thursdays on an Airbus A319 aircraft with 136 seats.

Palm Island.

While “mainland” St Vincent has a relatively small hotel product, the service provides crucial international connection to the islands of the Grenadines, home to some of the greatest resorts in the Caribbean, from the private-island resorts Palm Island and Petit St Vincent to Mandarin Oriental’s Pink Sands Club on the island of Canouan.

In a statement, the airline said the flight “offers new choices for travellers looking to escape Canadian winters.”.