Barbados marks history: 8,000 passengers, 54 flights arrive in one day

Barbados:  Barbados experienced a bustling activity as over 8000 passengers arrived at the Grantley Adams International Airport on Sunday. 

Reportedly, a total of 54 flights landed at the airport, with 6 arriving just from the United States. 

The tourism minister Ian Gooding Edghill, said the airport accommodated 15 large aircrafts, 15 smaller crafts and over 24 regional flights on the same day. He also called it the "historic day" for his country.  

Furthermore, speaking on passenger statistics, Edghill said out of total 8000 people, a massive 5800 people were stay over visitors, while 2200 were just air to sea transfers.  

While sharing the statistics, the Minister noted that this influx of visitors has contributed significantly to the overall projections. He further added that Barbados is anticipating reaching a mark of whopping 2.35 million passengers at the airport by the end of this year. 

“This is certainly up from the 2019 figure, which I'm advised was 2.29 million passengers. So, what it tells you is that the growth we're looking for and we're achieving,” he added. 

Calling the figures a huge and historic milestone, Minister Gooding Edghill said, “All speaks volumes to what we are trying to accomplish here at the airport.” 

The airport was thriving with activity with a number of performers dancing and singing at the airport, showcasing the rich culture of the island nation while the passengers looked happy as they celebrated the maiden flight.  

The celebrations felt like a reunion with dance offs, Bajan tamarind treats, t-shirt giveaways and soca music.  

Six direct flights arrive from US 

Not only this, but another significant development recorded on the same day included the arrival of six direct flights from the United States, which included a re-inaugural flight from Delta Airlines from the New York’s John F Kennedy Airport.  

The Delta flight, which landed around 2:30 pm, brought a full capacity of 160 visitors, contributing to the significant numbers.  

Reportedly, the fully booked Delta’s DL1900 flight was captained by Mark Nagel. 

On hand to welcome the crew and passengers were Tourism Minister Ian Gooding Edghill, senior officials from the Ministry, the Barbados Tourism Marting Inc, the Barbados Hotel and Tourism Association and USAID General Development Director of the United States Embassy, Steven Fondriest. 

The inaugural flight by Delta Airlines comes just in time for the holidays. This service is anticipated to allow a number of diasporas to travel back to Barbados for Christmas and New Year.  

The island has also welcomed other inaugural flights from the USA this year including American Airlines from Philadelphia with a weekly service and from JFK, New York with a daily service while Delta arrived with weekly service from New York and daily service from Atlanta.  

With these figures, it is being said that the increase in air seat capacity from the USA allows for greater connectivity from significant hubs.

Talking about the airlift strategy, the Minister said that the strategy has been successful in getting more airlift and visitors to Barbados. He added that this strategic approach will certainly increase visitor arrivals and boost the economic contribution from the tourism sector thus contributing to the overall national growth.