Tourism Minister Randall Mitchell is thrilled to welcome KLM’s extended flight services to Trinidad.
His statement comes after KLM Royal Dutch Airlines announced that it will be adding a fourth service to Port of Spain (POS) from October 29th as part of its winter 2023-2024 schedule.
The airline currently flies from Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport (AMS) to Port of Spain (POS) via Sint Maarten (SXM) on Sundays, Tuesdays, and Fridays.
The fourth flight will operate on Thursdays with KL0787 departing Amsterdam (AMS) at 1:25pm, arriving Port of Spain at 8:45 pm. The airline will continue to fly nonstop from Port-of-Spain back to the Netherlands.
Come January 2024, KLM will operate a fifth flight on Mondays. KL0787 departs AMS at 10:40 am, arriving Port of Spain at 6:10 pm. The aircraft leaves just over an hour later for the Netherlands.
KLM restarted its service to T&T in October 2021 after an absence of almost 30 years. Since then, the airline has recorded an average load factor of 75% in 2022 and 80% for 2023 thus far. The Tourism Ministry says the POS-AMS leg’s load factor stands at 90%.
In a press release Minister Mitchell stated, “This development reflects our nation’s increasing appeal as a premier tourist destination. We believe that improved connectivity will not only promote cultural exchange but also drive economic growth and tourism in both of our countries.”
The Tourism Ministry says KLM’s move comes after Minister Mitchell held talks with the airline’s executives. There, the airline reportedly expressed satisfaction with the route’s performance, saying that it ‘performed above their expectations’.