BermudAir is to launch presales this week for a direct service to Grand Cayman plus non-stop flights to the Turks & Caicos Islands.

It marks the first direct commercial flights from Bermuda to the islands to our south in years. Bermudian travellers typically connect via Miami and other major US cities.

The new service will boost the company’s winter schedule and begin with twice-weekly options in a bid to bolster broader offerings for the season and better balance outbound travel with inbound demand.

“Expanding service in the Caribbean region is a natural next step for BermudAir,” said Adam Scott, the founder and chief executive of BermudAir.

“Cayman and Turks & Caicos are great markets for both business and leisure and the new routes strengthen Bermuda’s position as a connected, forward-looking island.

“Just as importantly, it gives Bermudians more choice in how and where they travel during the winter season.”

The move will expand travel options for Bermudians during quieter winter months while opening the door to new visitors discovering the island.

Bermuda once enjoyed direct flights to Caribbean destinations via British Airways but the service ended decades ago.

BermudAir said the service would also enhance regional connectivity, giving residents greater flexibility to travel and supporting increased year-round tourism, while maintaining popular routes to destinations including Boston, Toronto, Halifax and key US gateways.

Flights will go on sale on Friday.

The service to Grand Cayman, just under 1,400 miles away, will operate via Turks & Caicos.

It means that BermudAir’s Orlando service will relocate from Orlando International Airport to Orlando Sanford International Airport for the winter season, operating twice-weekly, and will also see the return of service to Fort Lauderdale once a week.

Sanford International Airport is approximately 30 to 40 minutes from Orlando.

BermudAir insisted that the changes supported improved operational efficiency, enabling stronger network connectivity, including enhanced access to Belize, Turks & Caicos, Guatemala City, plus an expanded returning seasonal service to Anguilla.

AnguillAir was announced last year, with direct flights to the British Overseas Territory from Boston and Baltimore.

The airline launched in 2023 and, in the past financial year, was said to have contributed an estimated $111 million in direct economic output and $149 million in total impact, while supporting more than 1,100 jobs across the island’s economy.

The firm’s first flights were launched on September 1, 2023 between Bermuda and the United States.

It has a fleet of four aircraft according to online stats and last month the airline announced that it was coping well with rising fuel costs.

The continued closure of the Strait of Hormuz in Iran — through which about 20 per cent of global oil supplies are normally transported — had resulted in a worldwide jet fuel shortage. In April the price of a barrel of jet fuel increased from around $80 a barrel to about $200.

“Fuel is one of the largest components of our cost base, so fluctuations do have an impact,” a spokeswoman for BermudAir said at the time.

She added: “While specific price points can vary by market and contract structure, there is no question that higher fuel costs create headwinds,”

“That said, we actively manage procurement and maintain flexibility in our network to mitigate those impacts as much as possible.”