Beginning March 8, a new daily air service will connect the Cyril E. King International Airport on St. Thomas with the Clayton J. Lloyd International Airport in Anguilla, Cape Air has announced. 

The 55-minute flight will take off from St. Thomas every afternoon, making it ideal for passengers arriving in the Virgin Islands for onward connections to Anguilla. 

“Cape Air has been invested in the Caribbean region for over twenty-five years,” said President and CEO Linda Markham. “We are grateful to be able to play a part in driving Anguilla’s tourism economy,” she continued, noting that a significant portion of Cape Air’s business has been built on “connecting island communities to hub cities and providing convenient access to flights on our partner carriers.”

The new service, said Ms. Markham, would also play a key role in “connecting the peoples of Anguilla and St. Thomas with their home islands.”

Department of Tourism Commissioner Joseph Boschulte hailed the new service as a plus for the territory, saying it expands the USVI’s regional connectivity, and “opens the door for increased inter-island visitation from neighboring countries throughout the Lesser Antilles.”

Cape Air’s announcement of a new flight connecting St. Thomas to Anguilla comes as troubled regional carrier LIAT ceased commercial operations this week with its final flight taking off from St. Vincent’s Argyle Airport en route to St. Lucia’s George FL Charles Airport. 

LIAT 1974 LTD, a joint venture between various Caribbean governments, provided connections between countries in the region for over 50 years before falling victim to a myriad of financial woes and ultimately going into administration following the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic. 

A successor to the airline, LIAT 2020 (Limited), is still in its infancy, having not yet announced the acquisition of any aircraft, or a potential date by which it will begin air operations.