St. Pete–Clearwater International Airport (PIE) is about to regain something it has not had since Swoop’s Canadian flights disappeared from its route map a few years ago: scheduled international passenger service. BermudAir has confirmed three new winter routes from the compact Tampa Bay-area airport, linking PIE with Turks and Caicos, Belize, and Anguilla from late December.

The routes also represent a strategically important growth inflection for both PIE and the wider Tampa Bay region. Until now, PIE’s rapid recent growth has been built overwhelmingly on domestic leisure traffic, with the airport functioning as an easy-access gateway for visitors heading to St. Petersburg, Clearwater, and the Gulf Coast beaches. BermudAir’s new flights flip that logic: they position PIE as an outbound international gateway for Tampa Bay residents, while giving the region nonstop access to resort destinations not currently served from nearby Tampa International Airport (TPA).

PIE Is Growing Fast, But International Flying Has Been Missing

Credit: St. Pete–Clearwater International Airport

St. Pete–Clearwater International Airport is a key secondary gateway for the Tampa Bay area, located near the site of the world’s first commercial airline flight. On January 1, 1914, the St. Petersburg–Tampa Airboat Line sold the first-ever ticket to a fare-paying passenger, and a replica of the Benoist amphibious airplane used for this flight is displayed in the terminal’s baggage claim area. Marketed as “Tampa Bay The Easy Way,” the airport offers a compact single-terminal layout where parking and gates are within short walking distance.

For most passengers, PIE means Allegiant Air. The ultra-low-cost carrier has built the airport into one of its most important Florida leisure bases, using St. Pete-Clearwater as a lower-cost, easier alternative to the much-larger Tampa International Airport. The results have been striking: PIE is approaching 3 million annual passengers, with 2025 traffic up around 22% over pre-pandemic levels.

The gap in PIE’s route map has been international service. Over the years, the airport has been visited by numerous Canadian leisure-focused carriers, such as Air Transat, CanJet, Sunwing, and most recently, Swoop. The latter operated flights from Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ) and Hamilton International Airport (YHM) until the routes were dropped amidst its merger with WestJet. Since Swoop exited the market, PIE has had no scheduled international passenger service at all.

Now, tiny BermudAir is bringing international flights back to PIE with three new winter routes across the Caribbean and Central America. The airline will connect St. Pete-Clearwater/Tampa Bay with Turks and Caicos, Belize, and Anguilla, giving the airport its first scheduled international service in roughly three years and its first scheduled international routes beyond Canada.

Announcing the service, St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport Director Mark Sprague had the following to say:

“We are excited to announce new international nonstop service to outstanding resort destinations like Turks and Caicos and Belize, provided by BermudAir. These routes open our reach into the Caribbean and Central America, offering our passengers convenient access to exceptional vacation experiences.”

BermudAir Is Taking PIE International

Credit: BermudAir

The PIE routes are part of a much broader winter expansion by BermudAir. The airline, which launched as a boutique Bermuda-focused carrier in 2023, is now using its Embraer regional jet fleet to build a wider leisure network linking US cities with Caribbean and Central American destinations. The expansion includes 14 new routes from the United States, with a mix of larger airports and secondary leisure gateways.

For PIE, the schedule is deliberately limited and seasonal. These are not daily hub routes or a conventional year-round international service. Instead, BermudAir is testing low-frequency winter leisure demand, with twice-weekly nonstop flights to Providenciales International Airport (PLS) in Turks and Caicos, twice-weekly nonstop flights to Philip Goldson International Airport (BZE) in Belize, and weekly direct service to Clayton J. Lloyd International Airport (AXA) in Anguilla, operating via PLS. The routes begin in late December and run into early May, covering the peak winter sun travel season.

The competitive backdrop is important. BermudAir is not entering a market already crowded with nonstop service. PIE does not currently have international flights, and nearby Tampa International Airport does not offer nonstop service to any of these destinations. That makes the new BermudAir routes a true net addition for the Tampa Bay region, rather than a simple secondary-airport alternative to existing flights.

Why BermudAir Is Betting On PIE

Credit: BermudAir

BermudAir’s decision reflects a broader strategic shift. The carrier can’t grow indefinitely by only flying between Bermuda and a limited number of North American cities. By expanding into other premium leisure markets, it can use its aircraft more broadly, build brand recognition outside Bermuda, and serve thin routes that may be too small for larger airlines but still attractive with its 96-seat Embraer E190 aircraft.

The Tampa Bay choice also makes sense. The metro area now has some 3.5 million residents, and is one of the top five fastest-growing in the US, providing a substantial population of travelers who might prefer a nonstop winter flight to the Caribbean or Central America over a connection through Miami International Airport (MIA) or Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL). But it is notable that the logic is different from Allegiant’s, which has made PIE successful by bringing passengers from smaller US cities to the Tampa Bay beaches. BermudAir is effectively reversing that flow, treating PIE as the starting point for Tampa Bay residents heading outbound to resort markets.

PIE will also be especially attractive because it gives BermudAir a simpler, lower-cost, less congested platform than TPA. The compact terminal, short walking distances, leisure focus, and strong local identity fit the kind of vacation passenger BermudAir is targeting. It will also assist BermudAir with visibility and marketing. At TPA, which handles ten times the number of passengers, BermudAir would be one small carrier among many. At St. Pete-Clearwater, it is the airport’s headline international airline.

These new seasonal routes will ultimately test whether PIE can be more than Allegiant’s Florida beach gateway, and a credible international origin point for the region in its own right. If Turks and Caicos, Belize, and Anguilla prove their value, PIE will surely hope the next step is more international carriers, more resort destinations, and a route map that no longer ends at the US border.