Caribbean Airlines now flying to Cuba

Trinidad and Tobago-based international carrier Caribbean Airlines (CAL) started flying to Havana, Cuba last Friday.

The announcement was made on Thursday by TNT’s Finance Minister Colm Imbert during a post-Cabinet news conference.

Twice weekly service

According to Imbert, the service will operate twice weekly and would allow people from surrounding Caribbean Community (CARICOM) member states the opportunity to travel to Cuba if they so wanted.

He said the route also opens the possibility of tourism and trade linkages with Cuba as a Chinese airline has a route from Beijing to Havana, with an intermediate stop in Montreal, Canada. He explained, this could provide the opportunity for Chinese tourists and business people to visit Trinidad and Tobago.

Best use of Jets

The Finance minister disclosed that based on information from CAL, its fleet of jet aircraft is currently underutilized, and pilots may also be underutilized on certain routes. Explaining this has to do with take-offs, landings and the amount of time spent in the air, Imbert said CAL’s consultants have said this is the best use of the aircrafts at this point in time.He said, “the new route will not affect CAL’s jet schedule in any adverse way.”

CAL’s Boeing jets could accommodate approximately 160 passengers travelling between Havana and Port of Spain in either direction, he said, and the same jet aircraft used to fly to Havana would be used to return passengers to Trinidad and Tobago.