PHILIPSBURG--Minister of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transport and Telecommunication (TEATT), Grisha Heyliger-Marten welcomed Frontier Airlines from San Juan, Puerto Rico, to Princess Juliana International Airport on its maiden flight 244 Monday afternoon.
“This flight marks a new frontier for us in our efforts to expand our airlift and connectivity,” the minister said in her welcoming address. “The San Juan route was once the gateway especially to the US for us. Some of us can still remember when St. Maarteners flocked there daily for several reasons, sometimes for medical purposes, other times for vacation and, yes, quite often, to shop at the mall or to buy building materials, etc.”
According to Heyliger-Marten, it was a long time ago when flights were not only affordable, but available as well.
“Today,” she said, “with its 180-seat, A320 aircraft, Frontier Airlines has brought back affordable and comfortable flights from San Juan.” She expressed hope that the new service on Mondays and Fridays would soon increase in frequency, “as it provides us with an alternative hub to US, Latin America and Caribbean destinations.”
She highlighted the fact that “in combination with its Orlando service, which restarted on May 18, 2024, Frontier Airlines continues to demonstrate its confidence in the sustainability of our island as a preferred tourist destination. It is partnerships like this that offer a win-win situation in which the government of St. Maarten is seeking to revitalise our economy.”
She concluded her welcome address by reassuring Frontier Airlines that “they can count on this administration as a reliable partner to further develop the San Juan, Orlando, and other possible routes to the mutual benefit of the company and of St. Maarten.”
