Caribbean Airlines was yesterday given an ultimatum by Guyana to honour contractual agreements pertaining to purchases made by passengers using the CJIA duty-free facility or see their service here terminated.
“It is sad that it has come to this but I think it is a matter that is resolvable and I believe will be resolved,” Minister of Public Infrastructure David Patterson told Stabroek News today.
Patterson told this newspaper that CJIA was forced to give CAL the said notice after several complaints about the issue went unresolved as passengers leaving Guyana have filed several complaints that when they make purchases at the CJIA duty free, when they get to Trinidad they cannot take the items further. This is because when passengers switch planes in Trinidad they have to again go through that airport’s security checkpoint.
“What you had was persons carrying our Banks DIH and DDL bottles would not be allowed to proceed onward with them from Trinidad although they are in-transit. They say they can’t carry it because it is over the required fluid ounces for travel…but that is not a fault of the passengers,” Patterson said.
“What the airport is seeking to do is that CAL have responsibility for the alcohol and take it and check them in and the passengers can have their purchases when they reach their destinations…we have over two decades of fruitful relations with CAL and I know they will both work together to find a resoloution,” the Minister responsible for the Civil Aviation sector, added.
The letter sent to CAL states “Take notice unless CAL remedies its aforesaid default and comply with the said notice of June 15, 2016, within 21 Days of this notice to remedy default, CJIAC will be at liberty to proceed to cancel the air carrier agreement under article 9.3…”
When contacted by this newspaper in Port-of-Spain, CAL’s Corporate Communications Department said that its Manager Dionne Ligoure will respond to the issue.
