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www.sxmislandtime.com
 PHILIPSBURG - St. Maarten might be able to secure a direct flight from Germany to the island, disclosed Commissioner of Tourism, Frans Richardson.
He said he and local tourism stakeholders met with Air Berlin recently while away on tourism related business and there is a prospect that the airline could start direct flights into St. Maarten.
"I met with the owners of the airline. It was a positive trip for us. The talks will continue," Richardson said. He said five major tourism wholesalers in Germany would be the ones selling the destination in Germany and he had discussions with them to determine how to move forward.
"I am very happy that we got the opportunity to meet with them," Richardson said. The commissioner noted that its still early stages to determine when the airline would be flying to St. Maarten but he is optimistic.
He believes all the tourism stakeholders should come together and help develop a product that can be sold in Germany. "There are very much interested in flying to St. Maarten.
I spoke with Chief Executive Officer who is in charge of strategy planning. That is the guy who will give the green light if they are flying (to St. Maarten)," adding that the airline is looking for new destinations.
He credited Claude van Heyningen, a St. Maartener who lives in Germany and made the link possible for the government to meet the players of Air Berlin.
Air Berlin is Germany's second largest airline, after Lufthansa. The airline operates an extensive semi-low-cost network including holiday destinations in the Mediterranean region, the Canary Islands and North Africa as well as intercontinental destinations like South East Asia, the Caribbean and the United States.
Air Berlin concentrates on serving major German and European cities in order to attract business traffic. A total of 23 German cities are served, more than any other airline.
The airline is headquartered in Berlin with its main crew and maintenance base at Berlin-Tegel International Airport, though its largest hub is at Düsseldorf International Airport. Other hub airports are Nuremberg Airport and Son Sant Joan Airport, Palma[4].
Meanwhile, Commissioner Richardson said securing the home porting for Star Clipper cruise lines to St. Maarten shows the confidence in the St. Maarten economy and the island as a tourism destination. The main challenge right now is to promote St. Maarten, which is the main concern among cruise lines and tour operators.
"We will sit with our partners and see how we can strengthen our market in Europe. We must move back into the European market as much as possible.
He explained between 60-70 passengers from Europe would be coming to St Maarten to board the ship and this will do well for the island. It will be a weekly cruise from St. Maarten. The ship carries 150 passengers.
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