CAL Answers ACS’ Call to Look at Latin Markets

While the details of the new Marshall Plan for the turnaround of Caribbean Airlines are still being studied by Finance Minister Larry Howai and his team of experts in the Ministry of Finance, it would seem that the airlines’ marketing eyes are fiercely focused on the Central and South American markets.

This was confirmed by acting Chief Executive Officer Captain Jagmohan Singh who told Business Day the airline was in fact looking seriously at capitalizing on opportunities in new markets in the Greater Caribbean region, which includes Latin America.

Asked about how this would work now that the airline was no longer enjoying the facility of a fuel subsidy from the government, Singh said, “Even before the subsidy was taken away by Finance Minister Howai as announced in the last budget statement, the airline had been preparing for such an eventuality. So in a way we were prepared and we are now paying much closer attention to reducing cost per seat mile.”

Answering a call by the Association of Caribbean States (ACS) for greater air and maritime connectivity in the region, including Latin America, a CAL representative attended last week’s XXII meeting of the ACS’ special committee on transport at the organization’s secretariat in Port-of-Spain.

The airline’s presence at the meeting was complemented by the attendance of Transport Minister Stephen Cadiz, who, after commending the ACS for its continued efforts to strengthen and deepen areas of functional co-operation within the Greater Caribbean region, told the meeting his previous work as trade minister had exposed him to realizing the importance of transport and specifically the issues related to connectivity within the context of the regional space.

Minister Cadiz stressed the need for dialogue and the development of strategic measures to alleviate existing barriers to connectivity and assured the gathering of Trinidad and Tobago’s continued support to the work of the ACS and its continuing thrust for regional integration and sustainable development.

In his turn, ACS Secretary General Ambassador Alfonso Munera reiterated the need to advance the connectivity process in the region and emphasized the role that that air and maritime transport must play in relation to sectors of trade and sustainable tourism in the Greater Caribbean.

Munera said the theme of connectivity was one of the main reasons for the establishment of the ACS in the first instance. “Given the reliance of the region on tourism and services, connectivity is viewed as important to enhance intra-regional trade as well as to facilitate linkages to the outside world,” he added.

The Secretary-General, in outlining to the meeting some of the current projects being undertaken by the ACS and the successful results therefrom, he insisted that there was still a lot more to be done and urged the attendees to further collaborate in this priority area.

Sitting in for Caribbean Airlines was a member of its legal team and while there was no formal presentation from the State-owned airline, a report is expected to be presented to CEO Singh soon.

George Nicholson, the Association’s director with responsibility for transport in the ACS said the meeting agreed to set up a Working Committee to examine all the material on connectivity of the ACS Member Countries with a view to changing policy at the political level and resolving issues related to connectivity.

Source: Newsday (Trinidad & Tobago)