Sun Country Airlines launched its weekly service between Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport and Owen Roberts International Airport in Grand Cayman on Saturday, 17 Dec.
The flight is the latest addition to routes to and from Cayman after the islands reopened borders following the COVID-19 pandemic. The final travel restrictions were lifted in August.
The Minnesota Metropolitan Airports Commission joined representatives from Sun Country and the Cayman Islands Department of Tourism at the airport in Minnesota for a gate-side celebration before the inaugural flight. The celebration included a ribbon-cutting ceremony, and photo opportunities for passengers.
A press release from Sun Country noted that its plane was greeted upon landing at Owen Roberts with a “shower of affection” and passengers were treated to a selection of local treats and beverages, as well as a steel pan serenade and an appearance by Sir Turtle.
Cayman’s airlift capacity has been steadily increasing throughout this year. Just last month, Cayman Airways launched a direct Los Angeles-Grand Cayman flight.
With the addition of the Sun Country flight, this means the number of airline seats available to passengers has increased by 1,253 in the fourth quarter of 2022 compared to the last quarter of 2019. This means airlift capacity is now 1% higher than it was prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Tourism Minister Kenneth Bryan announced last week that Cayman had surpassed the target set for air arrivals this year.
His Ministry of Tourism had aimed to get 40% of 2019’s stayover visitors onto the island by the end of this year. Instead, by the end of November, 236,348 passengers had arrived, which equates to 53% of 2019’s total arrival numbers.
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