St Kitts-Nevis bats for REDjet

St Kitts and Nevis Tourism Minister Richard Skerritt is urging regional governments to help the Barbados-based low cost carrier, REDEjet, return to the skies.

St. Vincent and the Grenadines Prime Minister Dr. Ralph Gonsalves has lead responsibility for air travel in the region

Skerritt, who is also chairman of the Barbados-based Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO), told reporters in Guyana that there is a “pent-up” demand for air travel in the region, especially with the spiral cost for regional airlift.

“You speak to Barbados and Guyana ministers which I have had the privilege to do with both just within the last week and both of them will tell you that REDjet was a major asset to them, it also stimulated competition” Skerritt said.

“Caribbean governments need to sit down and discuss whether you are an equity investor or not. What is needed to bring about affordable sustainable travel in the Caribbean?”

Earlier this month, St. Vincent and the Grenadines Prime Minister Dr. Ralph Gonsalves said he had no sympathy for the financial problems facing REDjet, and that he had not been informed as to the purpose of the airline within the region.

“Nobody in any country in CARICOM wrote me or told me about it. None of the countries where REDjet was servicing (informed me). None. The owners of REDjet did not come and see me and tell me what they were doing, so I interpreted that as there was no interest in having the CARICOM air transport spokesperson get involved in their business,” Gonsalves said.

Last month, a senior Barbados government minister said that efforts were being made to have the low-cost carrier resume operations within a two month period.

Trinidad and Tobago has, like Barbados, revoked the licences granted to the carrier that in March suspended its services to various regional destinations.

Billed as a low-cost, no-frills carrier initially offering fares as low as US$9.99, the privately-owned airline did not give specific reasons for the shutdown last month, but suggested that it was expecting state assistance to continue operations and blamed “subsidised” competitors for its troubles.

“REDjet is hopeful that we will be given a small part of the state assistance others receive, as it will allow us to get our recently approved and exciting new routes established and profitable. Once this happens, our shareholders and staff will do their utmost to see that there is no return to high fares and business as usual”, the company said in a statement then.

But Gonsalves, who has renewed a call for a regional meeting on aviation, had told the regional media that he had no intention of getting involved in the any action to save the airline, adding “let me say this, REDjet is privately owned, Caribbean Airlines (CAL) is owned by the governments of Trinidad and Tobago and Jamaica, LIAT is owned by the governments of Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados and St Vincent and the Grenadines”.

Recently REDjet officials met with senior government ministers in Guyana and Finance Minister Dr. Ashni Singh said he was not yet prepared to comment on the nature of the talks.

Skerritt said that the low-cost carrier did afford people in the Caribbean an opportunity to travel at a cheap and affordable cost and deemed it a “great experience”.

“Redjet showed beyond any doubt that there is a pent-up demand for intra-regional travel that is not being satisfied because of price,” he said, urging regional governments to meet with REDjet officials to discuss the future of the airline.