By the Caribbean Journal staff
Panama-based Copa Airlines is making its return to the island of St Maarten.
Copa will be returning with weekly flights to St Maarten in June, according to Acting Minister of Tourism Cornelius de Weever.
“This is a significant development. Copa Airlines is a strategic partner where airlift is concerned from Latin America,” de Weever said in a statement. “The airline is the Hub of the Americas in Panama which offers the most direct way to connect to the Americas, while SXM Airport is the hub for the North Eastern Caribbean.”
It’s an important boost for St Maarten in the wake of Hurricane Irma, given the importance of Copa’s hub in Panama as a gateway from Latin America to the Caribbean.
“These developments are positive signs that things are moving in the right direction and our country will be back better than ever,” de Weever.
Copa had been serving St Maartien since 2010 before suspending operations to the island in the wake of Hurricane Irma.