country's Federal Aviation Administration approved a petition by Kiwi International Airlines to fly to the Island, the Tourism Minister said yesterday.

Mr. C.V. (Jim) Woolridge told The Royal Gazette that the New Jersey-based airline, which underwent a top-level shakeup last week, will be providing daily 727 service to Bermuda as of May 6.

Originating in Chicago, the flights will be operating via Newark, the airline's corporate headquarters.

The airline was granted permission to operate the flights in the past few days, Mr. Woolridge said.

Kiwi, which was established in 1992 by former Eastern Airlines pilots and personnel, was temporarily shaken last week by the unexplained departure of founder and chairman Mr. Bob Iverson.

Mr. Iverson, 50, was replaced a few days later by former Federal Express executive Mr. Byron Hogue and former Aviation Compliance Services president Mr. Danny Wright.

Aviation Compliance Services is an Atlanta-based aviation management company.

Mr. Hogue and Mr. Wright will serve as chairman and president of Kiwi respectively.

Yesterday, Mr. Woolridge said that the turnover at Kiwi will have no bearing on the Bermuda flight, which represents the airline's first international service.

In addition to Bermuda, Kiwi also serves Newark, Chicago, three Florida cities and San Juan, Puerto Rico.

"We were made to understand that (the change in management) did not alter their decision to come,'' Mr. Woolridge said. "They will still be coming.'' He added that Kiwi's announcement in January that it was petitioning the FAA to fly to the Island had prompted Continental Airlines to increase its service between Bermuda and Newark.

Last month, Houston-based Continental, which currently operates a morning flight between Bermuda and New Jersey, would be adding a second daily connection from June 1 to September 5.

The second flight is scheduled to leave Newark at 12.50 p.m. and arrive in Bermuda at 4.10 p.m.

It would then return to the US at around 5 p.m.

Meanwhile, Mr. Woolridge noted that Kiwi's success in gaining access to Bermuda will represent the Island's third link to the Midwest.

He pointed out that USAir's confirmed connection to Charlotte, North Carolina will originate in Chicago and that Delta's service to both Boston and Atlanta also continues to the Windy City.

On Monday, Mr. Woolridge announced that the Government's new tourism campaign will target Chicago to capitalise on the air links.

The Tourism Department already has an office in that city.

Last year, some 32,145 visitors from the US Midwest came to Bermuda, year-end statistics showed.

That represented an increase of 8.5 percent over the previous year.