Caribbean Tourism Organization Wants Reform of Air Travel Regime

SAN JUAN – The Caribbean Tourism Organization on Tuesday urged regional authorities to foster competition among carriers through an “Open Skies” policy and to work toward eliminating secondary security screening at airports in Caribbean Community member-states.

Open Skies would allow regional carriers, including LIAT, Caribbean Airlines, Air Antilles, Winair, SVG Air, InselAir, Hummingbird Air, Seaborne Airlines and Air Caraïbes, to fly without restriction within CARICOM, CTO Secretary General Hugh Riley said in a statement.

In a speech last week at the World Routes 2015 forum in Durban, South Africa, Riley called for major collaboration in intelligence sharing and security processing.

“Cooperation in these areas will encourage and facilitate greater investment by airlines into and across the Caribbean region. Better connectivity means greater economic benefits,” Riley said.

Headquartered in Barbados, the CTO’s mission is to provide services and information for the development of sustainable tourism to benefit the people of the Caribbean.

The CTO includes the governments of 30 nations and territories.

CARICOM comprises Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Montserrat, St. Lucia, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname and Trinidad and Tobago.