Tampa International Airport and Cayman Airways on Monday celebrated 40 years of nonstop flights between Tampa Bay and the Cayman Islands with music, snacks and plenty of VIPs.
The airline began flying between TPA and Grand Cayman’s Owen Roberts International Airport (GCM) in 1985. Since then, Cayman Airways has become TPA’s longest-serving airline to the Caribbean region, which Airport CEO Michael Stephens said was a prime example of the close bonds the Tampa Bay region and the Cayman Islands have created over the last four decades.
“For the past 40 years, TPA and Cayman Airways have been forging a tremendous relationship that connects both people and cultures, and strengthens year after year,” Stephens said. “This relationship illustrates just how important working together has been, not only to our airport, but to the entire Tampa Bay community.”
TPA marked the anniversary with Caymanian music, traditional treats, giveaways and more in its Main Terminal and at Airside F. The entertainment included live performances by Stuart Wilson, a native Caymanian who traveled to Tampa for the event.
Also joining the festivities were members of the Caymanian Parliament, including Deputy Premier and Minister for Tourism and Trade Development Gary Rutty, who spoke at Monday’s departing flight about the ties between the islands and the city of Tampa.
“For many Caymanians, including myself, Tampa has always been more than a destination – it is a familiar place where Caymanians have traveled for education, medical care, shopping and weekend getaways,” Rutty said. “For our Floridian friends, the Cayman Islands have become a favorite home away from home. Over the years, thousands of visitors from Tampa have discovered the beauty of our beaches, the warmth of our people and the unmistakable feeling of Cayman kindness found only within our shores.”
Capt. Kris Bergstrom, the Deputy Chairman of the Board of Directors for Cayman Airways, said he anticipated great things from the continued success of the Tampa to Grand Cayman route.
“Today, as we celebrate 40 years of service, we also celebrate the enduring relationship between Tampa and the Cayman Islands, one built on trust, history and mutual respect,” Bergstrom said. “As we look forward, we do so with confidence that this route will continue to serve as a bridge between our communities for many, many years to come.”
Nonstop flights are available five days a week, making Tampa Bay the destination with the second-highest number of flights among U.S. cities for Cayman Airways. About 17,000 visitors from the Tampa Bay catchment area visited the Cayman Islands over the past year.
If you’re thinking about making the short trip down to the Cayman Islands, click here to read TPA’s travelogue about Grand Cayman to learn more about all you can see and do while on island time.
To celebrate this historic milestone, TPA and Cayman Airways have partnered to give away two roundtrip tickets and a stay at the Wyndham Reef Resort. The giveaway ends at 10 a.m. on Monday, Dec. 22, so enter today by clicking here: https://tpasweepstakes.wishpondpages.com/landing-page-2830739/
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