CAL must sever link with Jamaica

THE EDITOR: Caribbean Airlines has total liabilities of US$250,374,991 with accumulated losses of US$454,550,903 (over TT$3 billion). It has 12 jets and six ATR turbo prop planes and almost 2,000 employees.

Since it was formed in 2006, it has not made a profit of any real value. CAL continues to receive a handout from the Ministry of Finance annually.

In addition, its agreement with Jamaica was a disaster. As recent as May CAL signed an agreement to absorb 1,000 Jamaicans as pilots, cabin attendants, maintenance engineers and ground staff.

The Treasury is bearing this burden while Jamaica is laughing all the way to the bank. From June 2020 to now, Jamaica has recorded a total of 816,632 stopover visitors and generated in excess of US$1.31 billion.

Did Caribbean Airlines get a fraction of that money? No! We stand all expenses and Jamaica waits for its share of the profits at the end of the year. That’s ludicrous.

CAL surely needs restructuring. The first thing to do is sever the link with Jamaica.

Spirit Airlines, a low-cost airline based in Miami, has 118 aircraft, 2,000 pilots and more than 4,000 flight attendants. We have 12 jets and six ATR turbo prop planes with almost 2,000 employees. We have a little over ten per cent of Spirit’s planes but almost one-third of its labour force. CAL is over-staffed.

What do we do in light of the pandemic? Let us forge an alliance with LIAT and service the entire Caribbean with only ATR turbo prop planes. Let us get rid of all the jets. Jamaica should not be in this partnership. It is only interested in international travellers to fund its tourism product. It is about time we get this monkey off our backs.

JOHN JESSAMY

Fyzabad