A TEAM of investors, including Jamaican aviation veteran Glenn Logan, led by Yann LeProvost of the French-based company W&Y SAS, has taken over the operations of the problem-plagued Fly Jamaica Airways.

The new owners, who took over the reins on Friday from Guyanese operators Paul and Roxanne Reece, have promised to address issues affecting the carrier, including the payment of salaries, ticket refunds, and the payment of outstanding debts.

“This is significant for many different reasons: To restore confidence in the Jamaican people, the flying public, and the tourism industry in Jamaica,” Logan said. “I want to say that we are not just going to concentrate on the ethnic market, but also the tourism market. It is essential for the survival of the tourism market for us to concentrate on this. This is the key component for the survival of the airline,” he said in an interview with the Caribbean Media Corporation (CMC).

He said plans are underway for flights to resume in September.
Logan comes to Fly Jamaica with years of experience in the aviation industry, having worked with Air Jamaica, Air Canada, and other airlines in Canada. He is also credited with starting the Canadian charter, Canada 3000 Inc., and establishing a small airline out of South Florida.

“This is why the investors have confidence in what I am doing,” Logan said, adding that the new Fly Jamaica, which will be headquartered in Kingston, will initially focus on destinations in North America.

“Toronto, New York,” he said, “will be the primary North American destinations, with plans to expand to Fort Lauderdale in the future. We are also working right now with some French tour operators, as well as operators in Germany and South America. It is imperative that we gear up as quickly as possible to meet the deadlines of the tour operators in Europe.”

According to Logan, plans are also underway to open an office and start departures out of Montego Bay, Jamaica.

“We have already had talks with personnel from the Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB); they are excited to work with us,” he said, adding: “And within the next two weeks, there will be new posters; a new Fly Jamaica logo, and a complete rebrand of the airline. Things will be different; we are looking at the operations of some very successful carriers, such as AirAsia and Sun Wing Vacations in Canada.”

Logan noted, too, that acclaimed Jamaican Attorney-at-Law, Michael Vaccianna played an instrumental role in getting the deal done.

“Things will be different with this airline,” the Jamaican businessman said. “This will be a lateral integration. We will have Fly Jamaica vacations; we intend to have a hotel. We will focus on ground handling. This will ensure that money circulates within the company.”
Fly Jamaica Airways, which was based here in Georgetown, Guyana, started operating on February 14, 2013.

However, the carrier was grounded following an incident at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport on November 9, 2018, when the 757 Boeing aircraft, destined for Toronto, Canada, encountered difficulties and made an emergency landing with more than 100 passengers on board.

In March, the airline made all staff redundant, with then Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Paul Reece saying that the redundancy was due to the lack of planes to carry out operations, and the failure of the company to recover in the aftermath of the November emergency landing. (CMC)