Western Air is Ready for Take-off to Jamaica in April – Two Western Air SAAB 340A 33 seater aircraft on the tarmac. The SAAB will be used on the new Kingston and Montego Bay routes. Western Air was recently approved by the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism and Aviation as well as the Jamaican Civil Aviation Authority for direct service from Nassau to Jamaica. The new service begins April 2010. The Nassau to Kingston flights are scheduled to commence on Monday, April 12th. The Montego Bay route begins April 30th. Western Air will fly between Nassau and Kingston daily except Saturdays, and between Nassau and Montego Bay twice weekly on Fridays and Sundays.

San Andros, Andros – Western Air, the largest privately owned airline in The Bahamas will begin direct flights to two cities in Jamaica in April 2010. The airline has been granted schedule and charter licenses by the Ministry of Tourism and Aviation to operate daily flights to Kingston and Montego Bay from Nassau. Western Air has also been approved by the Jamaican Civil Aviation Authority for these routes.

The Nassau to Kingston flights are scheduled to commence on Monday, April 12^th, 2010. The Montego Bay route is right behind with an April 30^th start date.Initially, Western Air will fly between Nassau and Kingston daily except Saturdays, and between Nassau and Montego Bay twice weekly on Fridays and Sundays.

“There will be opportunities for employment because of these new routes,” says Western Air CEO Rex Rolle. “Here in The Bahamas, up to seven additional staff will be taken on. In the future, there will be employment opportunities for Jamaicans as well. Western Air is expecting to hire an additional fifteen people to work between Montego Bay and Kingston airports.”

These new International routes will also be welcomed news to local travelers who would otherwise have no direct flights to and from Jamaica, as Air Jamaica plans to discontinue service on April 11, 2010. Rolle says they intend to start service the day after so there would be no disruption in air travel between Nassau and Jamaica. In addition to operations and schedules, Western Air is also keeping the transition as smooth as possible with airfare and baggage rates comparative to that of Air Jamaica.

CEO Rex Rolle said this new venture is very important as the company expands.“Jamaica is a destination we have been pursuing for the past two years now.Western Air originally applied for the routes in 2008, but only received word from the Jamaican Civil Aviation Authority back in January after Air Jamaica announced they were discontinuing service to The Bahamas.” The CEO explained there were some challenges due to lack of bilateral agreements between The Bahamas and Jamaica. “There is no bilateral agreement between the two governments for air transport. There is an old colonial agreement prior to The Bahamas gaining Independence and officials in Jamaica had to work around that to enable this to happen.”

Western Air Team Gearing Up for New Jamaica Route – Western Air staff pose in front of two of the airline’s planes. The largest privately owned airline in The Bahamas will begin direct flights from Nassau to Kingston and Montego Bay, Jamaica in April 2010. Here in The Bahamas up to seven people will be hired to join the team. In the future, there will be employment opportunities for Jamaicans as well. Western Air is expecting to hire an additional fifteen people to work between Montego Bay and Kingston airports.

The Kingston and Montego Bay routes will be serviced by Western Air SAAB 340A 33 seater aircraft. Flights will be operated from the existing Air Jamaica ticket counter and offices at the Lynden Pindling International Airport in Nassau, and by Jamaica Dispatch Services Ltd at the Norman Manley International Airport in Kingston and the Sangster International Airport in Montego Bay. Flights will depart Nassau at 9:30am arriving in Kingston and Montego Bay at 11:30am. Flights will depart Kingston and Montego Bay at 12:30pm arriving in Nassau at 2:30pm.

Western Air is currently constructing a four million dollar state of the art terminal at the Grand Bahama International Airport. The airline’s CEO confirmed that once completed, the terminal will accommodate Jamaica routes. “We intend to have twice weekly direct flights from Grand Bahama International Airport to Montego Bay and Kingston. In the meantime, our flight times allow travelers to connect in Nassau to any of those cities,” said Rolle.

Tickets for the Kingston and Montego Bay flights can be purchased at any Western Air ticket counter or at any local travel agency. A valid passport is required for these routes. Going forward, Western Air intends to commence direct flight service between The Bahamas and Haiti, Turks and Caicos and eventually Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach, Florida.