Starting Dec. 8, the St. Croix-based Seaborne Airlines will begin flights between San Juan's Luis Munoz Marin International Airport and Terrence B. Lettsome International Airport on Tortola, as well as between the San Juan and Virgin Gorda airports.

"We're pleased to introduce the first scheduled Saab service to the British Virgin Islands from our connecting complex in San Juan, Puerto Rico," Seaborne President Gary Foss said in a press release. "This schedule will allow customers from throughout the United States and Canada easy connections to the beautiful and upscale British Virgin Islands.”

Seaborne will initially fly a dozen round-trip flights a week to Tortola and six round-trip flights each week to Virgin Gorda.

Seaborne marketing director Mike Ritzi said that, in March, the service will increase to six or seven round-trip flights a day to Tortola and six round-trip flights a week to Virgin Gorda.

“As we find we have stronger demand, we will look at adding more,” Ritzi said.

By April 2013 Seaborne plans to operate 49 weekly round-trip flights with over 3,300 weekly seats into and out of the market.