In response to the pressing air access challenges, the Government and Governor of Montserrat have announced the contracting of a helicopter service to ensure continued connectivity for the island. This measure aims to mitigate the current disruption caused by fuel supply issues affecting the island’s two carriers, Fly Montserrat and SVG.
On Tuesday, both airlines announced they could no longer guarantee air service beyond today due to the ongoing fuel crisis. The issue arose due to a delay in the scheduled delivery of AVGAS to the supplier in Antigua, now expected on August 4th and accessible to airlines by August 5th, a statement from Governor Sarah Tucker and Premier Joseph Farrell said. Both airlines have been refuelling in Nevis, but Nevis has also run out of stock without a confirmed replenishment date, the notice said.
The announcement went on to say that Fly Montserrat has adapted by planning to refuel in Guadeloupe starting Wednesday, July 31st, though this may cause some disruption to flight schedules. SVG has confirmed it will operate until fuel stocks are depleted, resuming services once the new fuel stock from Antigua is available.
“The Government of Montserrat and the Governor’s Office continue to work together to be able to fund these challenges and to ensure the safety and security of Montserrat during this restricted period,” the statement continued.
To address the immediate access needs, limited helicopter flights between Antigua and Montserrat are expected to begin today. The team at the Access Division team will prioritize these flights as follows:
- Visitors with existing bookings who need to return home and catch connecting flights in Antigua.
- Residents with existing bookings who are in Antigua waiting to return home.
- Urgent medical appointments, with approval from the Chief Medical Officer (CMO).
- Other emergency situations.
Passengers not accommodated by the helicopter service will be reassigned flights as soon as normal airline operations resume.
Passengers are urged to provide updated contact information to their airlines to facilitate communication regarding helicopter flights. The situation is evolving, and further updates will be provided as they become available.
“We recognise the difficulties and disruption this causes to everyone who is trying to travel and the challenges it brings the airlines who continue to do their very best to support their customer base. This is an evolving situation; significant work is ongoing and updates will be issued as they occur. This is a short term challenge to be resolved—it does not detract from the broader access challenge. The work to resolve that on a more permanent basis is ongoing between all parties and updates on broader access challenges will be provided separately. We thank the Office of the Premier, the Governor’s office policy team and the airlines for their continued hard work and commitment, as they work to resolve the current situation,” the joint statement ended.
