CAL taking 3 more ATRs

Caribbean Airlines Limited (CAL) has requested three more ATR-72-600 turboprop aircraft from Avion de Transport (ATR). This means that the fleet of ATR-72-600 would be five. In January 2011, CAL signed a purchase agreement with Avion de Transport (ATR), an aircraft manufacturer based in the south of France, for nine ATR-72-600 aircraft.

Chairman, Rabindra Moonan said CAL’s board made a decision, at its meeting earlier this week, to have a fleet of five ATR-72-600 instead of nine. Moonan added that brokers were sourced to help CAL to sell four aircraft out of the nine, but “nothing has been finalised yet.” Asked when he expects proposals to be finalised, Moonan said: “It’s a work-in-progress. I don’t have the details, the proposals (to CAL’s board) are expected in about two weeks,” he said.

Moonan added that “the best available brokers were sourced” since the transaction is an important one. In November 2011, CAL acquired two of the nine ATR-72-600. “We had a downpayment on nine aircraft but paid for two in full. We requested another three (from ATR),” he said.

Asked which routes the three ATR-72-600 would service he said, the airbridge between Trinidad and Tobago, Caracas and the Caribbean. As the issue of the two brands—Caribbean Airlines and Air Jamaica continue to be debated, Moonan said the meeting to talk about the two brands, which was scheduled to take place in Jamaica this week, was cancelled, since Devant Maharaj is no longer the line minister.

“I have to speak to my minister (Finance minister, Larry Howai) to find out if he is available.” Referring to the London to Port-of-Spain route Moonan said there are no hiccups when it comes to the operation of the route and the passenger load in July was about 76 per cent.

Responding, Opposition Leader, Dr Keith Rowley said if there is “an aspect of public administration which sums up irresponsibility, it is the handling of CAL,” he said. He added that someone should be held accountable for “the squandering of CAL’s finances.”