Antigua and Barbuda to launch weekly direct charter flights to Cartagena this October 

Antigua and Barbuda: In a major boost for the tourism sector, Antigua and Barbuda is set to kick off weekly direct charter flights to Cartagena, Colombia. Starting October 24, 2025, the service is being launched in a bid to boost tourism ties with South America.

The development, announced on Friday, is a collaboration between Liat Air and DMC BlueSea. Minister of Tourism of Antigua and Barbuda, Charles Fernandez, during a press conference, confirmed that the agreement is aimed at positioning South America as a new source market for the entire Caribbean region.

Minister Fernandez said that his team is planning to begin with a weekly charter flight, and he is convinced that this will expand over the time. He also added that they could even reach daily flights.

CEO of BlueSea María Britto Bettini said that the idea of directly connecting the twin island nation with Colombia was there even before the pandemic. He added that the pandemic put a major halt to everything, but they knew that this connection was important.

Bettini noted that his team approached Liat, signed the agreement a week before and now they are ready to go. He further detailed that it is a two-and-a-half-hour direct flight between the two destinations.

Moreover, CEO of Antigua and Barbuda Tourism Authority, Colin James, welcomed the initiative with open arms and called it a ‘gateway’ for the new markets. He highlighted that South America is a major region with high potential for tourism growth and added that this flight could open an entire continent as a new source of tourism to Caribbean, especially Antigua and Barbuda.

The new charter flights will also give a major boost to Antigua and Barbuda’s tourism sector and its overall economy. It is also expected to have a significant positive impact on the country’s economy while creating new opportunities for growth and development in the tourism industry.