By the Caribbean Journal staff

Another airline has officially made its return to St Maarten.

Panama-based Copa Airlines has officially resumed operations to the island, another boost for the destination in the wake of Hurricane Irma last year.

Copa Airlines has returned to St Maarten with a pair of weekly nonstop flights between Panama’s Tocumen International Airport and St Maarten’s Princess Juliana International Airport.

The flights are operating on Mondays and Saturdays between the two hubs.

It’s an important return for St Maarten, given the importance of Copa’s Panama City hub as a gateway for Latin American travelers to the Caribbean tourism market.

“These are positive things that are happening, and the future looks brighter each day and month as our island destination continues to rebuild and tourists continue to return for that unique St Maarten-St Martin experience that cannot be found anywhere else,” said St Maarten Tourism Minister Cornelius de Weever.