Antigua and Barbuda closed out 2025 with a sharp rise in international air arrivals, as more than a dozen overseas flights landed at V.C. Bird International Airport on Saturday, December 27, underscoring strong demand during the peak holiday travel period.
According to information released by the Antigua and Barbuda Tourism Authority, the heavy flight rotation underscored sustained interest in the destination during the winter season, along with steady regional services and continued private jet activity.
The arrivals included flights operated by British Airways, Virgin Atlantic, American Airlines, United Airlines, JetBlue, Delta Air Lines, Air Canada, Sunwing, and Norse Atlantic Airways, underscoring the breadth of source markets feeding the destination during the holiday period.
Tourism Minister Charles Max Fernandez said the surge in air capacity reflected continued airline confidence in Antigua and Barbuda as a leading winter-sun destination.
“These flights reinforce confidence in our tourism product and Antigua and Barbuda’s standing as a premier winter destination,” Fernandez said, noting that demand has been driven by leisure travellers, returning diaspora families, and cruise-related travel, including home-porting activity.
Stay-over arrival figures through November showed steady growth throughout 2025, with December expected to strengthen overall performance for the year further.
Colin C. James, Chief Executive Officer of the Antigua and Barbuda Tourism Authority, attributed the positive performance to expanded air capacity and targeted destination marketing.
“Increases in air capacity during high-demand periods this year, supported by focused marketing efforts and favourable weather conditions, have resulted in sustained performance for 2025,” James said.
The year-end surge in international flights offers an early signal of what 2026 may hold for Antigua and Barbuda’s tourism sector: sustained demand, intensified competition for air capacity, and increased pressure on supporting infrastructure.
With airlines showing confidence through expanded winter schedules, attention is expected to shift toward maintaining route viability beyond peak periods and converting seasonal gains into more consistent year-round performance.
The growth in arrivals also underscores the importance of operational readiness throughout the visitor economy, including airport operations, ground transportation, accommodations, utilities, and public spaces.
For policymakers and tourism stakeholders, the momentum heading into 2026 presents both opportunity and responsibility: to deepen market diversification, strengthen service standards, and align infrastructure investment with projected growth.
As Antigua and Barbuda enters the new year, the strong finish to 2025 reinforces tourism’s role as a central economic driver and highlights the need for coordinated planning to support continued expansion.
