The man earmarked by the People’s National Movement (PNM) to become the Chief Secretary of the Tobgao House of Assembly has sent a warning to Caribbean Airlines (CAL) that they would have a battle on their hands if they move to interfere with the subsidy of the airfare to Tobago.
Leader of the Tobago Council of the PNM, Kelvin Charles told a meeting in Charlotteville on Tuesday night, “I heard the chairman of CAL talking about the Tobago route is unprofitable, but I want to send a message to him just be careful. For us, there ought to be a separate management for the air-bridge and the issue of profitability does not arise.”
On Monday, CAL Chairman Shameer Mohammed told a meeting of the Joint Select Committee of Parliament that the Tobago route was unprofitable and he recommended that extra charges be implemented. But he made it clear the airline was looking at ways to increase its revenue without interfering with the current airfare of $300.
CAL’s communications manager Dionne Ligoure said any increases in fares on the route will have to come from the Government. “We don’t set the airfare,” she said.
Speaking on the political platform, Charles blamed the former People’s Partnership government for the current situation facing the air-bridge which he said was “frustrating” to those who have to use it.
He said “before 2010 the air-bridge was serviced by Dash-8 aircraft. But the PP decided to change the fleet. What did they do? Under Devant Maharaj as Minister of Transport and (George) Nicholas as chairman of the Board, they went and purchased five ATRs, they spent close to US$200 million in acquiring the fleet against technical advice. Today, two of those ATRs have been grounded because they are not air-worthy.”
In an effort to address the problem CAL has wet-leased an aircraft from Swiss Air to service the route. Charles said “the air-bridge is our link, our highway to Trinidad and we are committed to ensure that it is working well.” He said just as “highways from Port-of-Spain to San Fernando which is now being extended to Point Fortin are subsidised to the tune of millions of dollars, the air-bridge has to continue to be subsidised in the same way.”
Charles told Tobagonians that situations like this point to the importance of a relationship between the THA and the Central Government as he assured that that relationship is in place because the PNM controls both. “We have the responsibility in Government now and we are going to fix it,” he said.
On the ground, he said the Public Transport Service Corporation had already taken a decision to “increase the fleet of buses by at least 25 and before long from now eight should be in Tobago. They’re at the licensing division so they should be here shortly,” he said.
Charles said a PNM-led THA wanted to ensure that the “management of the PTSC comes under the umbrella of the THA, what that will do is ensure that the scheduling becomes more predictable and that the buses are more reliable.”
While he boasted that “come January 23rd we will take the election by storm,” and that he had been told by out-going Chief Secretary Orville London that “he getting the twelvish feeling again so that is good news,” Charles conceded that some work had to be done.
He told the meeting in Charlotteville, “one of your responsibilities is not just to vote, but to take the crusade on the road, speak to your brother, sister, aunty, nennen. This is a ground fight as much as it is an air fight, you have to engage one-on-one, some of us who have been disillusioned for personal reasons take the message of performance to them and let them know they can take no chances.”
He said many people were focusing on what “had not been achieved, but Rome was not built in a day.”
Charles urged Tobagonians to “be careful of the dog and bone syndrome. See them for what they are when you think the bone is better don’t open your mouth to grab don’t open your hearts to welcome them you will be making a terrible mistake.”