by Brian Major
Last updated: 1:50 PM ET, Mon May 8, 2017
In a critical boost for St. Vincent and the Grenadines' controversial new international airport, Air Canada officials said the carrier will launch weekly flights between Toronto and the southern Caribbean island beginning in December.
First announced in 2007 and originally scheduled to debut in 2011, Argyle International Airport experienced repeated construction delays before finally opening in February. The facility's $240 million price tag-representing one-half of St. Vincent's gross domestic product (GDP)-made it the most costly capital project in the nation's history.
After launching with no confirmed regular airline service, the airport has now attracted two international carriers.
The new flights between Toronto Pearson International Airport and St. Vincent's Argyle International Airport will utilize Air Canada's Rouge Airbus A319 aircraft and are currently available on Air Canada's website and represent the airline's first long-haul, international scheduled service to St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
Moreover, the service gives Argyle International Airport its first regularly scheduled international service from North America.
The airport gained its first non-stop regional flights in April with twice-weekly flights from Trinidad and Tobago aboard Caribbean Airlines. Air Canada also announced new weekly flights between Toronto and Belize beginning in December.
"We are happy to welcome an airline such as Air Canada which has a rich history, to St. Vincent and the Grenadines," said Glen Beache, CEO of the St. Vincent and the Grenadines Tourism Authority. "We look forward to a successful partnership which will enable both entities to grow."
"Tourism has been the main foreign exchange earner for St. Vincent and the Grenadines over the last three decades and it is expected that the international airport will increase earnings in this sector," added Grenadines Tourism Authority in a statement.
St. Vincent and the Grenadines hosted 63,067 land-based and cruise-ship visitors between January and October of 2016, ranking 26th among the 28 countries that submitted arrivals data to the Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO). Nevertheless, the figures represent year-over-year land-based and cruise arrivals growth of 6.6 and 9.2 percent, respectively.
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Comprised of 32 southern Caribbean islands and cays, the country's primary travel destinations include the main island of St. Vincent and Young Island, Bequia, Union, Mayreau, Mustique, Canouan, Palm Island and Petit St. Vincent.
The region's highlights and activities include sailing and snorkeling in Tobago Cays' protected reefs, along with visits to the country's 250-year-old Botanical Gardens, described as the Western Hemisphere's oldest.
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