FAA Puts Stamp of Approval on Nine Caribbean Islands

Airlines in the eastern Caribbean might soon increase their services to the U.S., thanks to a Federal Aviation Administration decision that has removed decade-long restrictions on their service to the country.

The FAA elevated the Eastern Caribbean Civil Aviation Authority to Category 1 status from Category 2 status, which means the FAA determined the ECCAA meets international standards for safety oversight.

When the FAA places a country in Category 2 status, which the ECCAA has been in since 1996, airlines in that country cannot increase their service to the U.S. or begin new service unless they lease the aircraft and crews from a U.S. airline or an airline in a Category 1 country.

The nine-member ECCAA countries include Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, Montserrat, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia and St. Vincent and the Grenadines. Anguilla and the British Virgin Islands are association members.

The FAA Category 1 status means that regional airlines such as LIAT can increase access to U.S. destinations, and Antigua-based Caribbean Star can begin service to the U.S.