The Government of Montserrat has approved an extension to the airline ticket subsidy for a three-month period, effective April 1, 2021 to June 30, 2021.
The Government of Montserrat agreed on the extension of the ticket subsidy in March 2021 and subsequently approved the decision in Cabinet on April 1, 2021.
However, the Access Division, Office of the Premier has stated that one Airline has indicated that there will be more support required to maintain regular access, as the airline is of the view that the ticket subsidy effectively benefits only the customer.
The Access Division has also indicated that both Airlines have been receiving operational support, COVID-19 Relief Support and Ticket Subsidy Support from April 2020 to March 2021 due to the COVID-19 developments. This support also included the regular XCD$18,000 monthly support which was increased from April to September 2020. From October 2020, the additional support provided to each airline over and above the $18,000 monthly subsidy ceased given the budgetary constraints, and with the exhaustion of the EC$8.6 million in COVID-19 Support that was provided to the Government of Montserrat.
Customers affected by the delayed implementation of the subsidy are asked to be patient, considering the complexities of such arrangements.
The initial airline ticket subsidy took effect on Thursday October 1, 2020 until March 31, 2021. The airline ticket subsidy is XCD$150.00 for each single journey from Montserrat to Antigua, or XCD$300.00 on a return journey.