Public cheers arrival of new CAL plane
Cayman Airways new Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft
(CNS): Hundreds of people came out Friday evening to welcome the first of Cayman Airways’ new fleet of aircraft at Owen Roberts International Airport. The new Boeing 737 Max 8, the first in the region, tipped a wave during a fly-by before landing around 5pm to cheering crowds and a water salute. Despite the pomp and ceremony surrounding the arrival of the first of four brand new planes for the national carrier, the acquisition has not been without controversy. During Finance Committee last month officials were grilled about the costs, which are still under wraps.
Cayman Airways Ltd CEO Fabian Whorms has said the 737 Max 8 is the right aircraft for the airline’s future. He said that they will be cheaper to run when the fleet is complete than the current 737-300’s because the aircraft is 30% longer but uses around 20% less fuel and will have far lower maintenance costs.
While Whorms and Tourism Minister Moses Kirkconnell have refused to say publicly exactly how much the new planes will costs, Opposition Leader Ezzard Miller has estimated that they will add around $10 million per year to the subsidised airline’s costs.
But Cayman Airways Board of Directors and Kirkconnell all believe the planes are a good investment that will allow the airline to open new gateways and continue to help boost the overnight tourism product. During his address before the plane touched down, the minister pointed to the strategic importance of having Cayman Airways, which brings in more than a third of the Cayman Islands’ visitors.
“Don’t even think about how we go forward and build our tourism industry and the country without Cayman Airways,” he said, describing the arrival of the new aircraft as “truly momentous”.
The next new plane is scheduled to arrive in March next year, with the third arriving in September 2019. The final aircraft in the new fleet will arrive in September 2020, when CAL retires its last 737-300.
While the costs have stirred controversy, the recent crash of a Max 8 in Indonesia has also raised questions. However, the Cayman Airways CEO has previously stated that the tragic accident should not be “considered as a reference for comparison with present and future operations at Cayman Airways” and that the aircraft model has accumulated hundreds of thousands of hours of safe operations.
“Cayman Airways has had decades of safe operations with Boeing aircraft and we will always have safety as our absolute highest priority,” Whorms added.
Why is CAL’s new 737MAX8 aircraft being flown into Cayman Brac tomorrow when the Cayman Airways Pilot’s Association and other senior CAL Captains have recommended against it because the runway in Cayman Brac is 1000 feet shorter than Grand Cayman’s and the aircraft is not designed to operate on a runway of that length with passengers and bags. Which government officials are insisting on this ? Where is the CAA in preventing this obvious public safety issue and preventing CAL from doing this ? Is it true that when CAL’s pilots ran the various models on operating the MAX into Cayman Brac it shows the aircraft overshooting the runway (running off the end) unless they use “max speed/auto brake” every time which is not used for normal landings and will significantly increase maintenance costs on the aircraft.
I don’t think this is true..and the aircraft is not going in with a full load of passengers and bags…It is going over there to give the Cayman Bracers an opportunity to view it.
I am very disappointed by all the negative and sarcastic comments. As a Caymanian I am proud to watch my country advance. As a logical person I realize that the old planes can’t last forever and that they would need to be replaced eventually. The older the planes get the more the maintenance and general upkeep costs. The new planes are more efficient and even though they represent an initial increase in expenditure, in the long run they will lower costs. For those who worry about the recent crash, saying that the Max 8 is unsafe because of it is like those who say that nuclear energy is unsafe because of Chernobyl. Both events were caused by mismanagement of the equipment, not by the nature of the equipment itself.
I’m not impressed in the bare bone amenities it has for a state of the art aircraft:
1.) No TV’s
2.) No wifi
There are TV’s. I saw them being unloaded when it arrived, they looked kinda big for the cabin though.
I totally agree..On a one hour flight I can do without these things but if I am flying to Denver or farther afield at the very least they should provide wifi…There are very few commercial airlines particularly those operating with new aircraft that don’t have wifi.
This is like building the airport without the jetways…
I hope they get enough complaints before the next one shows up to at least get wifi.
That’s odd because when I flew BOS-JFK on one of AA’s 737 NGs that had a full WiFi entertainment package. There were no screens but you could tap into it with any WiFi enabled device – that’s the way things are going now.
WiFi and entertainment were announced features of the planes. Why would the planes not have them? They don’t need TVs to offer entertainment. People are expected to use the WiFi to browse and play movies etc. on their own devices. The question I have is whether the WiFi will only work over land, because that’s usually the case.
It is still poorly run CAL, just with bigger planes. I was on a flight once from Chicago that had 16 passengers.
As a Caymanian, I’m disgusted with the negativity of some of the posts on here. Everyone is entitled to their position but when it becomes derogatory posts towards my people, I rise to their defense.
Caymanians for the most part have a great sense of pride in their country. This is seen every four years when we have an election and the majority of our people turn out to vote, unlike other countries were if a fourth of the population turns out they consider it a great turnout. I don’t always agree with the selection but it shows our people can come together and they care.
This sense of pride in our national airline is also indicative of most Caymanians. We are the “first world” of the Caribbean and without having our national airline to blaze the trail for our tourism over the last fifty years we would most certainly not be where we are today. That is a fact that no one who knows our history can deny.. Many of these Caymanians, New Caymanians and Expats alike would not be enjoying the milk and honey that they have found in our country if not for Cayman Airways. Although you love to enjoy the benefits that our country brings you have not assimilated yourselves into our culture or appreciate what we have done so that you can enjoy the fruits of this beautiful country.
If my country has a milestone to celebrate, be it for sixty years of our Coat of Arms, or our airline making history for fifty years, I will celebrate it and I will invite everyone to celebrate with me. I’m Caymanian and that’s just what we do. If anyone know our culture you will now that we were always taught to be kind and respectful particularly to our elders and our visitors. It’s called civility.
If those that are being so negative had been at the airport and seen and felt the sense of pride, loyalty, and respect that we have for our country, I honestly believe that your hearts would soften.
Express your thoughts and criticism but please don’t stoop so low and to make fun of us Caymanians and this beautiful Country that we all share..
Wow! well said!..people that are negative are either lonely, broke or bored…
They could also be right!
Are you proud that this government will not reveal the cost?
Are you proud that KX is run by politicians and subsidized by public money every year to the tune of millions?
Are you proud that these same politicians send so many for a ribbon cutting ceremony?
You say we would not be where we are today without the national airline and state it as factual, but offer no proof, it is conjecture at best.
Has the airline contributed to the economy? I would be the first to say yes, but does this contribution exceed the investment? A study was undertaken that air lift to the Cayman islands has a multiplier effect on the economy, but it cannot be quantified and is not unique to Cayman Airways.
I am proud we have a national airline that provides jobs, but when I see a huge delegation returning on the delivery flight and big screen TV’s being unloaded in full view of the public, it is an insult to the people.
By all means be proud of our national airline, but not at any cost.
If the delays and the suitcase charges where minimum, I would fly CAL again!
I read these comments and thank God i dont live your negative jealous world.
Another proud moment for cayman.
Where on earth did the Minister get the idea that Cayman Airways carries more than a third of our vistors, he must be living on another planet. A significant percentage of their passengers are locals going on shopping trips to Miami ,large numbers of civil servants flying to and from the Brac and elswewhere at Government expense, and employees flying anywhere for free.How many Caymanians do you see flying on American carriers?.
Are you talking new Caymanians or born Caymanians? Just asking for a friend..
“The minister pointed to the strategic importance of having Cayman Airways, which brings in more than a third of the Cayman Islands’ visitors.” I’d like to see the stats that back that claim up because it sounds like complete BS to me.
Congrats KX!…Beautiful aircraft..
Just like the one that crashed and no explanation by Boeing….. no thanks I’ll fly some other airline
12:34 that’s BS and you know it. If you check online they know exactly what the problem was – a third world airline that the flew the thing when they knew it wasn’t airworthy. As a former pilot I’ll tell you one thing – I always feel a lot more comfortable flying on a Boeing than I do on an Airbus. Having said that I won’t fly CAL whatever the aircraft is.
Damn, did not see that ending coming
Lol!!
To be fair, think the problem is that they have an automatic system that overrides pilot input when the air speed indicator fails and the computer is fooled into thinking the aircraft is stalling – computer knows best – then leaving the safety of the aircraft entirely dependent on the pilots having the training, altitude and space to switch off the system and fly it manually. Saying its entirely the thrid world airlines fault they cannot adapt to a system with a critical system dependency on instrument input is perhaps a trifle harsh, particularly when the NTSC hasn’t reported yet on whether the pitot actually failed (noting they replaced the one from the prior flight – so both the original and the replacement failed? – rather than the computer or its software. As a former pilot who hates Airbus you are no doubt part of the generation before Boeing went down the fly by wire route like Airbus.
You mean Dart’s plane….
The new plane looks lovely. If 4 new planes add around $10m per annum in costs but bring in lots more overnight guests, how about we ditch the port and get us some more planes. They sound like a bargain compared to the port and they don’t destroy the habitat.
Reminds me of another Caribbean island I worked on where they’d turn out to meet the weekly freight delivery – that airplane was a 1950s DC-6!
Maybe you should go back there..or maybe wherever you came from originally…stop running down our Caribbean islands when it seems you can’t live anywhere else..
Would love to see this type of reaction from the public regarding our failing education system.
Imagine if they all left work early to go and line the streets with their cars outside our failing public schools at dismissal time.
Don’t worry instead of handling education issues, we put in place a 1960s dress code and then say all is well that ends well
That is an interesting topic, the failed education system that has been largely designed by and almost 90% staffed with expatriate teachers until recently.
What terribly sad lives these people must lead.
B-b-b-but it’s the first one in the Caribbean!! LMAO who cares!?
Only the massive amounts of people that crowded in the KX hangar, around airport park and anywhere around the airport where you could remotely park a car. Open your eyes and don’t be so ignorant. Hopefully you stuck around in traffic for a while. lol