BAHAMASAIR will launch four weekly flights between Miami and Bimini on May 3, in a bid to generate extra airlift that will expand the tourism industry.

The flight will take half an hour and use a 50-seater aircraft, the ATR 42. The service will leave Miami at 1.30 pm and arrive in Bimini at 2pm, before returning at 2.30 pm. It will operate on Sundays, Mondays, Thursdays and Fridays.

Tracy Cooper, Bahamasair's managing director, said: "The addition of Bimini to our list of destinations underscores Bahamasair's unwavering commitment to expanding and supporting our tourism product."

The new service will support Resorts World Bimini's expanded room inventory, and other resort properties such as the Bimini Big Game Club, the Bimini Blue Water Resort, Bimini Sands and the Sea Crest Hotel and Marina.

"As the national flag carrier, we are committed to building relationships with industry partners like Resorts World," Mr Cooper said.

"It is our belief that the launch of this new service will benefit all the island's resorts and residents alike. Bahamasair is proud to launch this new service into one of our country's most beautiful destinations."

Bimini is known as the gateway to the Bahamas, with well-known visitors including Ernest Hemingway and the late Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

The Island, which is a seven-and-a-half miles long, and covers nine square miles, boasts some of the most beautiful waters in the Bahamas. It is known as the Big Game Fishing capital of the world, and its main attractions include The Fountain of Youth, a Healing Hole and the 'Lost City of Atlantis'.