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Regional boost expected
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NATIONAL carrier Caribbean Airlines will soon be expanding its routes to include direct flights between Trinidad and Caracas and between Tobago and Barbados. Speaking to the Express yesterday at Caribbean Airlines’ offices at Piarco, chief executive officer Philip Saunders said that the Tobago/Barbados route will commence on December 22 and the Trinidad/Caracas route will commence in January. Saunders said that the route expansion is expected to boost tourism in the region. He explained that Tobago and Barbados could possibly be marketed as a dual destination as they shared similarities in their tourism product. Linking Trinidad and Tobago to Caracas via Caribbean Airlines could also open up doors for South American travel to the region, Saunders said. The routes will most likely be serviced by Caribbean Airlines aircraft from the company’s new fleet of Dash-8 aircraft, which it has acquired following its takeover of Tobago Express and the operations of the air bridge between Trinidad and Tobago. Saunders added that the use of these aircraft on other routes will not take away from the service of the air bridge. “Effectively what we are looking at is our first priority with our Dash-8 fleet is very clear and it is about delivering the integrity of the airbridge but if you look at the whole fleet there is opportunity to do more with the aircraft. We are working to ensure that the whole fleet is used in the most effective manner possible,” Saunders said. |
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