American Postpones New International Route

The airport has yet to receive certification to handle the new flights.

An American Eagle Embraer jet (Photo: Shutterstock | LJ Jones)

[ Airports ]February 26, 2025 9:45 am ET

By Joey Gerardi

American Airlines has recently started service to a handful of new cities, especially on smaller jets such as the Embraer E170s and E175s to places like Carlsbad, California. Every new destination has its challenges and hurdles to overcome prior to starting new commercial flights, but with new international destinations, there are even more, especially when the airport hasn’t seen international service in decades.

Unfortunately, this is a case where the preparations weren’t completed in time, and a new international route to South Caicos had been postponed due to a lack of facilities to handle international flights. Currently, the airport only flies to places within the country on board 19-seat Twin Otters, and it was supposed to be a big feather in the cap to get international flights, especially on a jet aircraft.

The flights were supposed to start on February 15, 2025, but the airport did not receive its certification to accept international flights in time, so the service was pushed over a month to March 29, 2025. They did try to hold off postponing the service as long as they could, with the postponement of flights not happening until February 12, 2025, just three days before the start date.

The small airport terminal in South Caicos (Photo: South Caicos Airport)

American’s new nonstop service was planned to coincide with the opening of a new 100-room Marriott resort in South Caicos, But its opening has also been pushed back to March 8.

An airline spokesperson told The Miami Herald; “ We look forward to our continued work with all relevant authorities and partners to ensure the Airport receives certification approval to operate international commercial service.”

Passengers who were scheduled to fly on American between these dates will be offered a full refund for their flight or be accommodated on alternate flights to the country’s main, and currently only international airport which is located in Providenciales.

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Joey Gerardi

Joey has always been interested in planes for as long as he can remember. He grew up in Central New York during the early 2000s when US Airways Express turboprops ruled the skies. Being from a non-aviation family made it harder for him to be around planes and would only spend about three hours a month at the airport. He was so excited when he could drive by himself, the first thing he did with his driver's license was get ice cream and go plane spotting for the entire day. He graduated from Western Michigan University in 2022 with a B.S. in Aviation Management & Operations and a Minor in Business, and currently works for a major airline in his hometown.

Author

Joey Gerardi

Joey has always been interested in planes for as long as he can remember. He grew up in Central New York during the early 2000s when US Airways Express turboprops ruled the skies. Being from a non-aviation family made it harder for him to be around planes and would only spend about three hours a month at the airport. He was so excited when he could drive by himself, the first thing he did with his driver's license was get ice cream and go plane spotting for the entire day. He graduated from Western Michigan University in 2022 with a B.S. in Aviation Management & Operations and a Minor in Business, and currently works for a major airline in his hometown.
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