The president of St. Croix-based Seaborne Airlines, Gary Foss was in Santo Domingo recently for talks aimed at starting flights from Puerto Rico to La Romana and La Isabela airports (the latter is in northern Santo Domingo). The airline plans to begin these flights before the end of the year, in a bid to fill the gaps on several of the routes previously flown by American Eagle and to connect with other airlines serving the Caribbean.
The major obstacles to inter-Caribbean flights are the high cost of aviation fuel, taxation and airport charges.
These flights to the Dominican Republic are part of the airline’s rapid expansion across the Caribbean, with growth focused on providing new connecting services at San Juan, PR, says Foss.
Seaborne Airlines is one of the largest employers in the US Virgin Islands. Named the “Best Small Air Transport” serving the US Virgin Islands every year since 2007, it has operated in the Caribbean for more than 19 years, carrying almost 2.5 million customers. With both seaplane and Airport air shuttle operations, all aircraft operate with two pilots under US FAR Part 121 flight rules. Seaborne flies 34-seat Saab turboprops.
The airline has a codeshare agreement for travel between between Puerto Rico and Dominica, Martinique, Guadeloupe, British Virgin Islands, Vieques, Puerto Rico (VQS) and British Virgin Islands (VIJ).