Premier and Minister of Finance of the Virgin Islands, Dr the Honourable Natalio D. Wheatley (R7) has expressed gratitude to interCaribbean Airways for its faithful service to the Virgin Islands. Photo: GIS

The airline, which celebrated its 10th anniversary of service to the Virgin Islands in December 2025, will operate the Barbados to Beef Island (Tortola) route three times a week: on Mondays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. Photo: Facebook/ Government of the Virgin Islands

Premier and Minister of Finance of the Virgin Islands, Dr the Hon. Natalio D. Wheatley (R7) made this statement during a brief ceremony celebrating InterCaribbean Airways' inaugural direct flight from Barbados to Beef Island in the Virgin Islands on Sunday, March 8, 2026. Photo: Facebook/ Government of the Virgin Islands

The airline, which celebrated its 10th anniversary of service to the Virgin Islands in December 2025, will operate the Barbados to Beef Island (Tortola) route three times a week: Mondays, Thursdays, and Saturdays.

The Premier congratulated the airline on its decade of service, remarking, "Congratulations to you and your 34 years in business, and the partnership between interCaribbean and the Virgin Islands has been so important to us."

Honourable Wheatley highlighted the remarkable growth in tourist arrivals to the Virgin Islands in 2025. 

Tourist arrivals grew in 2025 

"In 2025, we had our most tourist arrivals to the Virgin Islands ever, with 1.2 million guests coming to the Virgin Islands. The airport authority also had a record year, and the biggest carriers in and out of the Virgin Islands are American Airlines and interCaribbean."

The Premier noted that interCaribbean Airlines has been a significant partner for the Virgin Islands, filling a need for travel to the southern Caribbean after other carriers pulled out of the market. 

"We had a void going to the southern Caribbean, of course, one of the other carriers pulled out after just not too long, it was a few short months, but interCaribbean has been there for us."

New route important for VI

Hon Wheatley further stressed the importance of the new route, which operates three times a week between Barbados and Beef Island, stating, "To be able to have this flight to St Maarten, and to Barbados is so incredibly important, not just for our tourism product, but for the many residents that we have living in the Virgin Islands, over 70% of our workforce comes from outside the Virgin Islands, quite a number of persons from the southern Caribbean."

Premier Wheatley added, "We have persons who travel frequently to Guyana, persons who travel to Grenada, persons who travel to St Lucia, persons who travel to Barbados, especially when it comes to renewing visas and applying for visas. InterCaribbean will be the hub that will ensure that persons get to their destinations."