PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad – The Barbados-based low cost carrier, REDjet, said it was still awaiting official confirmation from Jamaica regarding a decision to allow the airline to service the route even as it announced plans to commence its Trinidad and Tobago operations on Thursday next week.
Both Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago announced over the weekend that they had given the green light to the airline to operate into their countries after having expressed safety reservations over the region’s first low-cost budget carrier.
Jamaica’s Transport and Works Minister Mike Henry said the approval a series of meetings involving regulatory authorities late last week.
“In continuous discussions with the (Jamaica) Civil Aviation Authority on Thursday and Friday, and ultimately, the chairman, they advise me that all the safety issues, we can give REDjet to fly Jamaica to Barbados and we have issued instructions (for that) to be carried,” Henry said.
“The board will meet and send whatever it is through with the policy officers to me,” he added.
But speaking at a news conference here, REDJet’s chief executive officer Ian Burns said that as of now, he had not received any official word from Kingston on the approval.
Burns also said he could not disclose the agreement reached with Port of Spain, but welcomed the decision of the Kamla Persad Bissessar administration to honour the international air services treaty.
“It is something that we are not allowed to discuss, but one thing I would say is that REDjet has maintained is that as a designated airline of Barbados there is an air service agreement between Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago and as with all international air services agreement countries do have an obligation to honour the other country’s designated airline and that has always been our position.”
In announcing the decision to allow REDjet to operate here, Transport Minister Devant Maharaj said that the “government is pleased to announce that the court action brought by the operators of Airone Limited, trading as Redjet, commercial air services, against the Civil Aviation Authority of Trinidad and Tobago and Mr. Amral Mohammed, in his capacity as Chairman of the Air Transport Licensing Authority of Trinidad and Tobago has been settled on terms which are mutually acceptable to all parties”.
He said the terms of the settlement would remain private between the parties.
REDjet’s Communication executive, Nyssa Pierre said flights would be available from Port of Spain to Barbados in time for that country’s Crop Over festival.
“We are delighted to announce that as of today, fares are available for sale and we are finally able to deliver low fares to everyone in Trinidad and Tobago.
“We are even more pleased to announce that our low fares flight to Barbados will be available from Thursday July 28. We know that many customers are still interested in visiting Barbados for Crop Over this year and some Bajans may want to come to Trinidad and we are able to do that on Thursday, July 28,” she told reporters.
REDjet also operates a service to Guyana and the St. Kitts and Nevis government has already indicated that authorities in Basseterre would be holding talks with the airline with a view to servicing that route. (CMC)