Vieques Air Link invests $800K to expand flights to St. Thomas by year’s end
Local airline Vieques Air Link, which has been connecting Puerto Rico to the island municipalities of Vieques and Culebra for 10 years, will begin flying to St. Thomas for the first time starting later this year.
Carlos Rodríguez, president of the company, confirmed that two new Cessna 402 aircraft were purchased for $800,000 in preparation for the planned service expansion.
In an interview during the “En Una Hora” radio program on 11Q 1140 AM, in which News is my Business participates, Rodríguez said the longer flights will target the business traveler that needs to hop between Puerto Rico and St. Thomas on the same day.
“To grow, we have to go distances beyond Vieques and Culebra. And for that, we purchased two planes that are a bit faster to be able to cover the distances more comfortably,” he said.
The two new aircraft received their certifications from the Federal Aviation Administration a few months ago and are already in use on the route between the Isla Grande Airport in San Juan and Vieques, he said.
“But eventually, the planes should be operating flights between Isla Grande and St. Thomas, which is our next route,” Rodríguez said, noting that the target date to begin service is October or November 2019.
Vieques Air Link has flight from Isla Grande, the Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport and the Ceiba airport to the islands of Vieques and Culebra.
