A group of investors, led by Yann LeProvost of the French-based company W&Y SAS and which includes Jamaican entrepreneur Glenn Logan, has taken over defunct Fly Jamaica Airways (Kingston Norman Manley) and plans to relaunch the carrier, the Caribbean Media Corporation has reported.
"We are not just going to concentrate on the ethnic market, but also the tourism market. It is essential for the survival of the tourism market, for us to concentrate on this. This is the key component for the survival of the airline," Logan said.
The carrier is looking at an operational restart in September 2019 pending the reinstatement of all requisite permits.
"Toronto Pearson, New York, will be the primary North American destinations with plans to expand to Fort Lauderdale International in the future. We are also working right now with some French tour operators as well as operators in Germany and South America. It is imperative that we gear up as quickly as possible to meet the deadlines of the tour operators in Europe," Logan added.
The carrier is planning to operate primarily out of Montego Bay. It will also run its own hotels and ground handling units to diversify the sources of revenue. Details, including the new branding, are expected to be released within the next few weeks.
Logan used to work for Air Jamaica, Air Canada, Canada 3000 Airlines, and other carriers.
Fly Jamaica operated flights from Georgetown Cheddi Jagan in Guyana to Kingston Norman Manley, Toronto Pearson, and New York JFK using one B757-200 and one B767-300(ER) each. However, the B757 sustained major damage during a crash landing at Georgetown airport in November 2018.
The airline's previous owners, Guyanese couple Paul and Roxanne Reece, terminated all operations and laid its entire staff compliment off on March 31 this year. At the time, the carrier still had outstanding debts, including overdue salaries dating back to November 2018.
Fly Jamaica's new owners have promised to address all outstanding debts as part of the relaunch process.
