St Vincent owes JetBlue millions of dollars

KINGSTOWN, St Vincent, CMC – Tourism Minister Dr Kishore Shallow says St Vincent and the Grenadines owes the US-based airline JetBlue more than EC$10 million as a result of an agreement entered into by the last administration.

Shallow made the disclosure in Parliament as he responded to a question from Opposition legislator Keisal Peters, who had questioned the decision by another US-based airline, Delta Air Lines, to end its non-stop service between Atlanta and Argyle International Airport in September 2026.

While he did not provide a breakdown of the debt owed to the airline, Shallow said the outstanding money was among the financial liabilities inherited by the New Democratic Party (NDP) government when it came into office in November last year.

“JetBlue, for example, [is a] very important airline to St Vincent and the Grenadines. We entered into an agreement … and from 2024 to when you demitted office, you refused to pay your bill, resulting in us owing that airline over $10 million today,” Shallow told Peters, criticising also the manner in which the agreement was negotiated.

He said he did not know who represented the government in the talks, but that no professional organisation or consultant had been involved.

Shallow said government officials held two meetings with Delta — on May 19 and July 31 — before the carrier’s announcement that it was ending its non-stop service next month.

He said Delta cited passenger demand falling short of projections, elevated fuel costs and weaker demand for premium travel as factors in its decision.

But he said the airline had indicated a willingness to consider resuming some level of service for the next winter season.

Delta began servicing the route on December 20, 2025, with a plan for 22 flights per month, Shallow said, describing the schedule as “ambitious” when compared with other carriers operating fewer monthly flights.

Shallow said Delta’s average arriving passenger load rose from 64 passengers in its first three months of service to 117 passengers over the most recent three-month period and that JetBlue’s average arriving passenger count also grew, from 114 in the first three months of the government’s term to 140 in the most recent three months.

Shallow said the figures showed growth in visitor traffic, while maintaining that the Godwin Friday government was working to strengthen the destination’s tourism and aviation position.

He said the government is restructuring the St Vincent and the Grenadines Tourism Authority, including appointing Shafia London as the new chief executive officer, and creating senior roles in commercial development, marketing, tourism product and experience, quality intelligence and strategy, and internal operations.

Shallow also said the government had started re-engaging existing airlines and was in discussions with two potential new carriers, acknowledging that the airlines had also expressed concerns about the availability of hotel rooms, which the government is seeking to address.

Shallow told legislators he is confident that St Vincent and the Grenadines would secure at least five major brand-name hotels within the government’s first two five-year terms in office.

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