United Kingdom carrier British Airways is expanding its direct flight service to the island of Saint Lucia, Caribbean Journal has learned. 

The company will be adding two extra weekly flights between London Gatwick and Hewanorra International Airport, with flights on Wednesdays and Saturdays. 

It will bring British Airways’ Saint Lucia service to a total of nine flights per week. 

The new flights will launch Oct. 28, running through March 27, 2021, according to the Saint Lucia Tourism Authority. 

The news comes as Saint Lucia saw record-breaking tourism arrivals in 2019, with a total of 423,736 stayover visitors. 

“The increased services from the UK market provides travelers with even more options of getting to Saint Lucia. British Airways is one of the biggest airlines to the Caribbean out of London and we celebrate the extension of this new service to Saint Lucia,” said Saint Lucia Tourism Minister Dominic Fedee.

British Airways will be operating the flights on Boeing 777 aircraft. 

“We are absolutely thrilled that British Airways has added these flights,” said Patricia Charlery-Leon, Director of the Saint Lucia Tourism Authority for the United Kingdom and Europe. “We have a longstanding partnership with the airline and the UK team and want to thank them for their support of Saint Lucia. British Airways has already added additional flights this summer so these new winter flights will help us to continue our momentum during our high season.”

— CJ