There’s no two ways about it- airline restrictions in the wake of the COVID-19 epidemic have grounded many flights worldwide, with knock-on economic effects for the airlines. The great news is that, with some global restrictions lifting, air travel to the Turks and Caicos will once again become possible very soon. If you already had plans with us- or were hoping to take a post-pandemic break to destress- the Big Blue Collective will soon be welcoming you back to our beautiful bays and beaches.
Important things to know about the Turks and Caicos ports reopening
We, like so many countries worldwide, were forced to temporarily shut our ports to visitors for the early months of the COVID-19 outbreak, to give local medical personnel and infrastructure time to adjust to the new global developments.
The TCI airport was scheduled to reopen for business on 1 June 2020, but this has been set back to the 22 July 2020 to allow for one last check of all precautions put in place. Due to the unique disease burden cruising can create, the Grand Turk Cruise Center will reopen a little later. Currently, this should be then at the end of August 2020.
Does the Turks and Caicos have active COVID-19 cases?
No. As of 14th June 2020, there are no active cases of the virus within our borders. We were very fortunate to not be particularly badly hit, thanks to swift governmental reaction. While there were some deaths on the island- and the Big Blue Collective team sends the families our deepest condolences- we’ve mostly managed to avoid the pandemic’s clutches, partly due to the TCI’s unique status in the Caribbean. We’ve never had crowds and packed beaches the way some other destinations do, and while there are resort chains in the island, a number of visitors also opt for private villa rental. These circumstances both made us take less of a hit in the original outbreak, as well as leave the tourism industry here perfectly poised to help you enjoy a safe, worry-free and socially distant holiday going forward.
Our local economy will fully reopen from 06 July 2020, including restaurants. Grocery stores, pharmacies and other essential services have never closed. Our stock levels are great, and while stores have limited the number of consumers in the store at once for safety purposes, you can expect to access everything you need with little hassle here.
What airlines will be flying to the Turks and Caicos?
While the airport reopening is still a few weeks away, and details can change rapidly, we anticipate most of our usual airlines returning to service with us. They’re certainly urging travellers who had flights pre-booked to the island to get in touch with them asap.
For carriers that service the TCI post-COVID, the issue will not be the island itself. We expect to reopen fully in the next few months, with only some sensible precautions and social distancing in place. Our airport is well placed to welcome back all servicing airlines, both inter-Caribbean and international. In fact, we’re hoping to be able to return very much to business-as-usual. This area of the Caribbean relies heavily on tourism to fund its economic activities, so the sooner we can welcome visitors to our shores the better. As a smaller nation, we’re also perfectly placed to be able to more easily enact reccomended health measures.
Many of our international flights, however, do route either through the continental United States, Canada or the South Americas, so current airport restrictions in these connecting countries must also be taken into account in your travel plans. Likewise, although general travel advisories are issued for the Caribbean, if you’re hoping to interconnect between island nations, you will need to make sure you understand relevant travel restrictions in each destination.
While much can change in the upcoming weeks, we expect all airlines to resume at least a limited service to the TCI. We would strongly urge those who have travel plans in the coming months, especially if your flights were booked before the pandemic, to liaise specifically with their airline regularly, to keep up with updates and changes.
Current anticipated Summer – Fall – Winter TCI Flight schedule
Below are the flights to Providenciales we anticipate being back in operation from 22nd July, 2020. The cities named are the originating airports.
JULY 22, 2020
- Miami (MIA) (American 2 flights per day)
- Charlotte (CLT) (American – daily service)
- New York (JFK) (Jet Blue – daily service)
- Newark (EWR) (United – daily service)
JULY 23RD, 2020
- Atlanta (ATL) (Delta – daily service)
JULY 24TH, 2020
- Ft Lauderdale (FLL) (Jet Blue, Sun, Tue, Fri)
JULY 25TH, 2020
- Chicago (ORD) (United – Saturdays)
- Houston (IAH) (United – Saturdays)
- Toronto (YYZ) (Air Canada – Saturdays)
- Toronto (YZZ) (WestJet – Saturdays)
JULY 26TH, 2020
- Montreal (YUL) (Air Canada – Sundays)
OCTOBER 10TH, 2020
- Boston (BOS) (Jet Blue – Tuesday & Saturday)
NOVEMBER 21ST, 2020
- Dallas (DFW) (American – Saturdays)
DECEMBER 20TH, 2020
- New York (JFK) (Delta – No Friday service)
What about the Big Blue Collective?
While we’re very glad to have the opportunity to get back into the sea and surf, we’re also grateful for the swift actions that helped keep the island as safe as possible in the face of an unanticipated viral threat. You can find out more COVID specifics on our website page dedicated to COVID updates.
We hope the Big Blue Collective will be able to offer you a warm (and safe) island welcome soon!