The Government has been accused of xenophobia regarding visa rules for charter flight visitors from Jamaica.

Roxanne Christopher, a former president of the Jamaican Association Bermuda, said that people from the Caribbean island and the Dominican Republic were being discriminated against.

The comments came as Lawrence Scott, a government MP and former transport minister, said that customers wishing to use the direct charter flight he is launching from Bermuda to the Dominican Republic had found government statements about visa requirements confusing.

Ms Christopher said a requirement for a transit visa was “a chokehold on the viability of the flight”.

She added: “It is purely xenophobia, once again. The policy makes no sense. They are not transiting.”

Mr Scott said that while he did not agree with Ms Christopher’s accusation of xenophobia, the situation needed clarification.

He told The Royal Gazette: “I checked with [the Department of] Immigration to see if there had been any changes in the rules and they said there had not been.

“But when some of my prospective customers have done the same thing, they have not been given a direct answer.

“The problem is that they are wording answers in such a way that it has provided confusion for some people.

“They are making it sound like they need a visa when they don’t. If people are coming in on a direct flight, a visa is not needed.

“You only need a transiting visa if you are transiting through another country like the US; it’s different if it is a direct flight.

“We just want to follow the rules and make sure our passengers are treated no differently to anyone else coming in.”

A ministry of economy and labour spokesman said: “The Department of Immigration visa policy clearly sets out guidance with respect to persons requiring visas to enter Bermuda.

“All visa-controlled nationals are required to present the relevant documents upon arrival or risk being returned on the next available commercial flight.

“In this case, Jamaicans and Dominicans are considered visa-controlled nationals as prescribed in the policy and are required to be in possession of the required visa upon their arrival in Bermuda.

“The visa policy can be found on gov.bm for reference.”

Government rules require that the people on such flights have a transit visa so they can get home, or be sent home, other than by the charter flight if necessary.

Mr Scott, who is a trained pilot, has said he may take command of some of the TXKF Direct flights himself.

The MP said the service would begin with flights between Bermuda and the Dominican Republic in August to coincide with the Cup Match holiday.

Mr Scott added that another charter flight to Jamaica would follow later in the year, with a long-haul service planned for 2024.