Company has sights on buying two Embraer 170 jets for trips to Anguilla

A new airline registered in Bermuda, Freedom II Bermuda Limited, plans to forge routes between the island and Caribbean destinations.

The airline was granted an Air Operator Certificate by the Bermuda Civil Aviation Authority last week.

Although the fledgling airline company currently has only one aircraft on its books, it hopes to acquire more planes and develop routes to Anguilla and other Caribbean islands.

The company has its sights on buying two Embraer 170 jets, which can seat up to 78 passengers for the trips to Anguilla. Freedom II currently flies a custom-fitted Boeing 757, which is registered in Bermuda and is now available worldwide for “on demand, ad hoc VIP charter” after it was purchased by Freedom II in December 2021.

The luxury interior is fitted with 62 business style seats and also features a stateroom with a double bed and a large private en suite bathroom for customers. The airline is hoping that a private market between Bermuda and Anguilla, plus other Caribbean destinations can be developed.

Request for charters available

The commercial team within the airline is open to suggestions and requests for charters.

According to a spokesman for the airline, “future growth plans include the addition to the certificate of two Embraer 170 aircraft, primarily to serve the Aurora Anguilla resort, from the US East Coast with private charter service”.

Last month, Bermuda’s Transport Minister Lawrence Scott emphasised that Bermuda’s cultural ties to the Caribbean could be used as leverage to increase air traffic in the region.

According to him, “if Bermuda can connect itself to the Caribbean, it can benefit from both worlds – intra-Caribbean travel but also our close relationship with the United States”.

He told the Royal Gazette in Bermuda that “having pre-clearance could be considered intra-North American, or at least East Coast, and so we can position ourselves to benefit from that projected, estimated, almost explosive rebound of air travel in these two core markets”.

Scott added that an analysis of the economic impact of COVID-19, carried out by the UN’s International Civil Aviation Organization, showed that intra-Caribbean travel would rebound faster than any other segment of the industry.

In his statement last month, the transport minister revealed that two other airlines were interested in registering in Bermuda, in part because of its stellar regulatory reputation.