An airline incentive program to attract increased airlift to the U.S. Virgin Islands has been renewed and published by the Virgin Islands Port Authority on its website at www.viport.com. VIPA’s board of governors approved the extension of the incentive that expired last month from Dec. 1, 2020, through Nov. 30, 2022, at its monthly meeting held on Nov. 19, 2020.
To qualify to participate in the incentive program, an airline must:
Provide airlifts via a new route or add flights to an existing route already served by the airline to the Cyril E. King Airport on St. Thomas or the Henry E. Rohlsen Airport on St. Croix; or
Provide flights to Cyril E. King Airport after 5 p.m. (Atlantic Standard Time).
Any scheduled commercial jet passenger airline or charter jet airline that currently serves or wishes to serve the USVI from outside the territory may apply for the incentive. The program waives all landing fees for the qualifying airline for one year and reduces terminal parking fees and user fees for arrival and departure by 50 percent during the incentive period. The fee waivers are applicable for one year from the start of service but cannot be extended past Nov. 30, 2022.
VIPA Executive Director Carlton Dowe said the incentive has proved to be a successful tool used by the Department of Tourism and Port Authority during negotiations with airline officials over the years. It was most recently used with Frontier Airline, which will start a new service from Orlando to St. Thomas in February 2021.
