Plane carrying migrants to Martha's Vineyard stopped at Spartanburg Downtown Airport

Bob Montgomery, Herald-Journal
·2 min read
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One of two planes carrying migrants from Florida to Martha's Vineyard Wednesday stopped at Spartanburg Downtown Airport to refuel, an employee at the airport said Thursday.

According to the website Flight Aware, Ultimate Air Shuttle 11 took off from Bob Sikes Airport in Crestview, Florida, at 11:30 a.m. Wednesday. The plane landed at Spartanburg Downtown Memorial Airport at 12:31 p.m.

The two planes with migrants, including children, took off from Kelly Field in San Antonio, Texas, then went to Bob Sikes Airport, Martha's Vineyard Airport Director Geoffrey Freeman told the Cape Cod Times. From there, one plane went to Spartanburg and then to Martha’s Vineyard. The other plane went to Charlotte and then to Martha's Vineyard.

The Ultimate Air Charters planes arrived at Martha's Vineyard Wednesday afternoon within a half hour of each other, Freeman told the Cape Cod Times.

Spartanburg Downtown Airport Director Terry Connorton is on vacation and could not be reached Thursday afternoon.

Cape Cod TimesWhy is Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis sending migrants to Martha's Vineyard?

A person who works at the airport, who asked not to be identified, said he saw the plane land and said it only stopped briefly to refuel before taking off again. No one exited the plane, the person said.

City Manager Chris Story said he didn't know why the plane stopped in Spartanburg but said it is not uncommon for aircraft traveling between Florida and the Northeast to stop at Spartanburg's airport to refuel.

The 50 men, women, and children are believed to be from Venezuela or nearby countries. A spokesperson for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said Wednesday that the migrants were flown to Martha's Vineyard as part of the governor's "promise to drop off undocumented migrants in progressive states."

An Ultimate Air Shuttle official could not be reached for comment Thursday.

According to the Cape Cod Times, temporary shelter and humanitarian services were being explored at Joint Base Cape Cod for the migrants.

The Cape Cod Times contributed to this report.

Contact Bob Montgomery at bob.montgomery@shj.com. Please support our coverage of Spartanburg County with a digital subscription.

This article originally appeared on Herald-Journal: Plane carrying migrants stopped at Spartanburg Downtown Airport