Cayman Airways Limited (CAL) has announced that its growing route map of international destinations will include Panama, Central America, this summer when the airline relaunches nonstop flights between Grand Cayman and Tocumen International Airport (PTY), starting June 26, 2023.
With its new fleet of 160-seat B737-8 jets, CAL’s nonstop flights to Panama will operate year-round with seasonal adjustments, on Mondays and Thursdays during peak travel periods to allow for weekend travel or longer stays.
Departure from Owen Roberts International Airport (GCM) will be late morning, arriving in Panama in the early afternoon after one hour and 50 minutes flying time. The inbound flight will depart Panama an hour and 30 minutes later, arriving back in Grand Cayman before 5 pm.
“This is the second major launch between Grand Cayman and a major gateway in just six months,” said Cayman Islands Minister of Tourism and Transport, Kenneth Bryan.
“Our announcement today represents another significant accomplishment in the partnership between the Ministry, Department of Tourism and Cayman Airways. Given the significance of tourism to the Cayman Islands economy, we are fortunate to have Cayman Airways as our National Airline and strategic tourism partner. I would like to thank the airline’s management and staff who I know have worked extremely hard to have this service up and running in a relatively short space of time,” added Minister Bryan.
Cayman Airways President and CEO, Fabian Whorms, said Cayman Airways is thrilled about returning to the vibrant modern city of Panama.
“This route will provide the perfect mix of options for leisure and business travel for our customers in Cayman as well as in Latin America. With a flying time of only about one hour and 50 minutes with our new B737-8 jet fleet, the flight schedule has been designed to provide convenient same-day dual-direction connectivity between Grand Cayman and dozens of cities in Central and Latin America. The schedule also connects with some of our existing international routes, including Havana, Kingston, and Miami,” he said.
Whorms said the airline is also focusing on the cargo potential for the route, as the Colon Free Trade Zone in Panama provides significant distribution of goods, allowing for more alternatives of goods imported into the Cayman Islands.