Elite Airways (MNU, Portland International Jetport) has announced plans to begin scheduled international passenger flights to Canada and the Bahamas during the second quarter of the year.

In its application to the US Department of Transportation (DOT) for exemption and designation to provide foreign scheduled flights ferrying persons, property, and mail, the Maine-based carrier said it aimed to start a 3x weekly return service to Bimini International, the Bahamas, from each of New York Newark and Melbourne, FL beginning in May this year. It also plans to offer a 2x weekly return service between Halifax and Portland International Jetport. All services are to be on-board Elite's 70-seater CRJ700s.

Elite is currently licensed to conduct scheduled interstate operations. Aside from a fleet of five CRJ-700s, it also operates one CRJ100 and six CRJ200s on regular flights connecting Newark with Vero Beach and Melbourne with Islip, Portland, and Sarasota/Bradenton.