Dominica: Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit acknowledged the launch of United Airlines’ second weekly direct flight from New Jersey’s Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) to Douglas-Charles Airport (DOM). The decision has been made to attract significantly more tourism and increase the economic growth.
Reportedly, the flight will become operational from the beginning of October for every Wednesday and Saturday, that will significantly improve the air access between Dominica and the United States.
The Parliament of Dominica approved this service on Tuesday and increased the guarantee from the National Bank of Dominica Ltd. From $7,307,632.35 to $12,213,003.44 to secure the new flight in accordance with the Air Service Agreement between the Discover Dominica Authority and United Airlines.
Considering this major initiative, Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit praised the flight as a step forward for Dominica’s tourism industry, economic growth and efforts to strengthen air connectivity with major US markets.
PM Skerrit said that the hoteliers, the taxi men and the people in the tourism business are writing to them that they have seen a positive impact on their business as a result of the direct flight.
Certainly, the flight is more attractive to visitors and more accessible to the people who come from the East Coast. This makes a huge difference between flights, flying from New York to Miami or from New Jersey to Miami. Now, they can catch the flight, coming across or even going to St. Martin. So, this is positive news.
The Minister of Tourism – Denise Charles said that the current Saturday Service has given outstanding performance, with an average of 77% load factor, with some flights operating at up to 96% capacity.
The Ministry also noted that this achievement is part of a broader and deliberate strategy that includes improvements to Douglas-Charles Airport. Along with the upgrades to runway and navigation systems and the signing of air service agreements with major international carriers such as Qatar Airways.
Following this, the Minister of Finance, Economic Development, Climate Resilience and Social Security – Dr. Irving McIntyre told the House that the new Wednesday flight is proposed for October 19, 2025 to April 26, 2026, and October 17, 2026 to April 24, 2027.
According to McIntyre, it will allow more flexibility for visitors who would prefer shorter vacations, such as flying on a Saturday and returning on Wednesday, or going on Wednesday and returning on Saturday. Therefore, they anticipate the increased stay-over-visitor arrivals, that resulted in increased economic stability.