OECS welcomes first direct flight to Africa

OECS welcomes first direct flight to Africa CASTRIES, St Lucia (CMC) —The Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) has welcomed the first-ever large-scale commercial flight originating from the Caribbean directly to the African continent.

In a statement, the St Lucia-based OECS Commission described the flight which departed from the Robert Bradshaw International Airport in St Kitts, as a “landmark achievement for South-South cooperation and regional integration”. The flight, which had been organised by the Nigeria-based Aquarian Consult Limited, carried a high-level delegation of more than100 passengers, including prominent business leaders, government officials, and cultural icons representing eight Caribbean countries. The flight landed at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja on Sunday.

“We are no longer just dreaming of a bridge between our two regions; we are flying over it. This flight isn’t just carrying people; it’s carrying the future of Afri-Caribbean trade, tourism, and shared prosperity. This is a victory for the OECS and the entire Global Africa family,” said Aisha Maina, the managing director of Aquarian Consult.

The OECS Commission said that “this flight serves as more than a transit route; it is a powerful symbol of “Reverse Middle Passage” economic empowerment. By bypassing traditional, time-consuming layovers in Europe or North America, the OECS is asserting its direct connection to the African continent.

“This milestone acts as the official curtain-raiser for the Aquarian Consult’s Afri-Caribbean Investment Summit (AACIS), taking place at the Bola Ahmed Tinubu International Conference Centre in Abuja from March 23–28”. It said that the mission “significantly cements economic and diplomatic” ties between the OECS and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), creating a primary corridor for future trade.

“By reducing travel time from over 30 hours to a direct transatlantic hop, this flight proves the commercial viability of permanent, direct air links between the two regions,” the OECS Commission said, noting “delegates will engage in high-level bilateral discussions focused on agricultural breakthroughs, blue economy collaboration, cultural exchange, and transformative investment opportunities”.