TCI News
September starved of flights to TCI; fear that many people will be starving too
#Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands – August 25, 2020 – September will be starved of flights to Providenciales, Turks and Caicos and for the travel industry the slim serving of passengers and tourists could also mean starved pantries for the islands’ families.
Only international carriers, American Airlines and JetBlue will continue service to the Turks and Caicos throughout September; a usually slow season for the country. Uncharacteristically, British Airways has taken Providenciales off the schedule for next month.
Covid-19 fears kidnapped the busy tourism period through lock downs and curfews and border closures in a mad scramble to block and slow spread of the contagion, which is now nearing one million people dead.
Southwest Airlines had announced, for them, there would be no return until 2021.
British Airways about a month ago ended its commutes to Providenciales; the action has made European travel vexing for those going and coming.
Delta Airlines recently stopped flights to Turks and Caicos and will not return until November 1.
The decision by Delta is yet another casualty in what is increasingly becoming an economic war against the enigmatic enemy, which is COVID-19.
Delta initially reduced flights from its hub in Atlanta, Georgia to twice weekly, on Saturdays and Sundays only. Now, the airline which ran daily flights between the Turks and Caicos and the world’s busiest airport, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International, is temporarily halted.
Sadly, reduced flights to Providenciales were anticipated for a variety of reasons.
Not least among them, the announcement by Beaches Resort Turks and Caicos to reopen, not on July 22 as did the country’s airport borders, but in mid-October.
The competitiveness for COVID-19 test results within the requisite five days for approved travel to the TCI has also been fingered as tedious to travellers. Couple the entry requirement with measures by other countries to keep coronavirus case numbers down, and mandatory self-isolation upon return in destinations like the UK and Canada, travel has become a frenzied experience not worth the trip.
Air travel is no longer easy, no longer fun and potentially unsafe, yet it is the lifeline between the Turks and Caicos and its 500,000 long-stay visitors, which was for the first time achieved in 2019.
Air Canada has also decided to discontinue flights to the Providenciales International Airport.
The airline explains to Canadians that: “due to the impacts of COVID-19, government travel advisories and/or health and safety concerns” flights will end in September.
Air Canada will cease service on September 12, Magnetic Media is informed. The airline plans to return to the PLS on October 3.
While flights are usually decreased in September; travel and tourism professionals admit the pandemic magnifies the losses.
Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands – Friday 17 January, 2024: On Thursday 16 January 2025, debris from a failed SpaceX launch impacted the Turks and Caicos Islands. In the immediacy of the outfall, the Turks and Caicos Islands Airport Authority diverted all flights in TCI airspace as well as grounded all flights until an all clear had been given.
There are no reported injuries and reports of only minimal damage to property at this time.
Today, Friday, 17 January, TCIG Officials convened a meeting with relevant partners in the United Kingdom including the UK Space Agency, who are supporting the post incident response, including technical expertise on the handling of debris, health and safety risks, protocols and procedures. The UK Air Accident Investigation Branch have been notified and discussions are ongoing with the US Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) who will liaise with SpaceX.
This is now an active investigation led by the US FAA in liaison with UK and TCI counterparts.
We are not at this time aware of any specific risks related to the re-entry of space debris on Thursday 16 January. However, space objects can sometimes contain hazardous materials which can cause serious harm to health. Members of the public who come across objects that they think might be space debris should take the following actions:
Do not touch the object
Make a note of the location (Island and exact coordinates) of the object and the time (including any maritime observations of debris)
If possible take a photograph of the object (without touching it) alongside another object for scale
Notify the authorities by sending the details to nationalsecurity@gov.tc with the subject title Space X Debris.
Space debris remains the property of the spacecraft owner
If you have already handled what you think might be space debris please put it in a safe place where others will not handle it and inform the authorities at nationalsecurity@gov.tc. Further advice will be provided for the collation of the debris.
The safety of our residents and visitors remains our highest priority. We appreciate the community’s vigilance and cooperation as we work alongside international partners to manage this incident.
Turks and Caicos, January 13, 2025 – The Marine Branch of the Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force successfully intercepted two illegal sloops within the last 24 hours. In the first incident, at around 2:25 a.m. yesterday (January 12), the Maritime Operations Center tracked a suspicious target in the Bird Rock, Long Bay area.
Officers of the Marine Branch were informed, and at 2:35 a.m., they spotted a dark blue wooden vessel with two outboard engines carrying several individuals.
The illegal sloop was intercepted, and officers discovered TWENTY-SEVEN (27) illegal migrants- TWENTY-ONE (21) males, including two
minors and SIX (6) females. All individuals were handed over to the TCI Border Force for processing.
Shortly after 1 a.m. today, the Marine Branch, alongside the TCI Regiment, received information that a blue 38-foot wooden Haitian vessel with two outboard engines was in TCI waters.
The vessel was located and intercepted.
Onboard the vessel was ONE HUNDRED and TWENTY-ONE (121) persons – ONE HUNDRED and FOUR (104) males –including a minor and SEVENTEEN (17) females.
Assistant Commissioner (ag) Mat Newton said, “I am grateful to our partners—TCI Border Force and TCI Regiment—for their assistance and support in successfully processing the illegal migrants intercepted by the police. This shows that the layers of security in place are increasingly effective, and we continue to build our defensive measures to tackle this type of crime.”
The RTCIPF asks the public to notify the closest police station, contact 911, the Serious Crime Unit at 231-1842, Crime Stoppers at 1-800-8477, and anonymously give any information on illegal activity.
Additionally, persons are encouraged to download the CrimeStoppers P3 app and share information anonymously.
Photo Credit: RTCIP
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