Against the backdrop of patently futile measures on the part of the regional airline industry to reduce losses and increase market share, a study undertaken by the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB)—the outcomes of which were made public in May—is advocating a raft of corrective measures that seek to halt the sustained slide of the industry.
Perhaps the key recommendation of the study titled ‘Making Air Transport Work Better for the Caribbean’ was that there be a significantly enhanced level of cooperation among regional governments and carriers as well as with extra-regional carriers, though, equally critically, the study calls for a harmonization of administrative and operational policies among carriers in the region.
Less than adequate market share, high operating costs including fuel costs, inadequate Information and Communication Technology (ICT) systems, industrial relations issues, competition from foreign carriers and high taxes and charges were found to be
