Sunwing Tobago flights in jeopardy?

Minority Assemblyman Farley Augustine is calling Chief Secretary Kelvin Charles and Secretary of Tourism Nadine Stewart Williams to explain what is happening with the promise of Sunwing Airlines beginning flights to Tobago from Toronto, Canada from December 20.

Works and Transport Minister Rohan Sinanan said in the senate Tuesday that Sunwing Airline Inc has made no application to the Civil Aviation Authority to operate direct flights between Tobago to Toronto and permission has been granted.

Sinana said before any airline can operate in TT’s fly-zone, permission must be granted by the Civil Aviation Authority.

Augustine reminded that “the Chief Secretary and the Secretary for Tourism trumpeted that we are going to get this Sunwing flight, a direct flight from Toronto, Canada to Tobago and they held this up as a symbol of their hard work in terms of pushing tourism for Tobago.”

Is it that a deal would have fell through? …or is it that Sun wing is now expecting this application to be processed in a matter of days?”

Speaking at Wednesday’s Minority Council media briefing at James Park, Augustine said that wile the Minority was hoping for the best, the Chief Secretary and the Secretary for Tourism must explain what happened at no Civil Aviation permission was applied for nor granted.

Contacted for comment, Charles said he was aware of the non-application by Sunwing, and would comment shortly but no response was forthcoming up to press time on Wednesday night. Attempts to reach both Tourism Secretary Nadine Stewart-Phillips and Chief Executive Officer the Tobago Tourism Agency Limited, Louis Lewis, on Wednesday, were futile.