By Dana Niland
CJ Contributor

United Airlines made its long-awaited return to St. Maarten this week.

St Maarten Tourism Minister Cornelius De Weever welcomed the return of the airline, which will provide a weekly airlift out of Newark, New Jersey, to the island’s Princess Juliana International Airport.

United had suspended service in the aftermath of Hurricane Irma last fall.

“Even though it’s a once weekly flight, it still translates into additional airlift to the destination,” said De Weever. “This should further influence airfares as well to the destination.”

“United Airlines is showing that they are committed to the destination and over time we expect additional flights to be added as the country slowly returns to pre-Irma level,” he said. “Every new partial resort opening further strengthens our national economy.”

“Airlines are looking at how fast our hotel infrastructure re-opens and this results in additional airlift,” he said. “We have a number of partial resort openings taking place in the coming weeks and months.”

“These re-openings will lead to employment opportunities and places for our visitors to stay and enjoy the ‘Friendly Island,” he said.