European carrier Air Belgium has added a new destination in the Caribbean: the island of Bonaire. 

The low-cost carrier officially kicked off its new international nonstop service to Bonaire this week, welcomed by a traditional water salute at Bonaire’s Flamingo International Airport. 

The new service will be operating between Brussels and Bonaire in both December and January. 

“These flights are just in time to support the winter season of Bonaire,” Tourism Corporation Bonaire said in a statement. 

While Air Belgium’s service is short of what the airline had initially projected, it’s hoped that next year Air Belgium will return with a broader flight schedule to the Dutch Caribbean island. 

Air Belgium’s Caribbean network includes Curacao, Punta Cana, Martinique and Guadeloupe. 

Bonaire continues to see surging tourism numbers. Last month, the island’s air arrivals total was ahead of where it was at the same time in the record-breaking year of 2019, before the onset of the pandemic.