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PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, Apr 24, CMC – A senior government minister has described false and misleading that the Trinidad and Tobago government has approved one-thousand-dollar flights (One TT dollar=US$0.16 cents) on the domestic airbridge.
Energy and Energy Industries Minister, Dr. Roodal Moonilal, who said he is authorised to make the statement, described the media reports “as misleading, incorrect, and not reflective of any approved government policy.
“I wany to say categorically and I am authorised to say it categorically that this headline is misleading, it is incorrect, it is wrong. The government of Trinidad and Tobago, the cabinet of Trinidad and Tobago has taken no such decision.
“The cabinet of Trinidad and Tobago has not discussed that matter. The cabinet has not taken any decision on that matter. It is certainly not government policy.t may be the view of the relevant minister involved, but that is not government policy,”Moonilal added.
He said he wanted to “eradicate from the minds of citizens of Tobago and Trinidad that that headline is incorrect, inaccurate…and for s it is very disturbing, the headline, but it is not the view of the government of Trinidad and Tobago, not the policy of the cabinet…chaired by the Honourable Kamla Persad-Bissessar and we distance ourselves from that headline”.
The Trinidad Express newspaper reported Friday that the Persad-Bissessar government is considering the addition of two daily unsubsidised flights on the domestic airbridge to accommodate short-notice travel between the islands.
The paper quoted Trade, Investment and Tourism Minister, Satyakama Maharaj, as saying that the subsidised flights will continue, with no plans to eliminate them, noting that the TT$400 airfare remains in place.
The newspaper said that Maharaj, speaking by telephone to its reporter, said the government was exploring options to ease congestion, including introducing unsubsidised flights costing about TT$1,000 for travellers seeking last-minute seats.
The paper said that this would include tourists unable to access the service due to shortages.
“It is difficult at times to get flights to Tobago. It happened to me. I was able to get to get a flight to Miami easier than a flight to Tobago,” Maharaj said, adding that he was involved in these proposals because he carries the portfolio for tourism and wants to ensure that Tobago benefits from both local and foreign tourism from Trinidad.
‘We are exploring the possibility of having two additional unsubsidised flights to Tobago, at peak times. Twice a day, one in the morning and one in the evening. Discussions are ongoing,” he said.
‘We have to look at all ways of boosting tourism. Just to be clear, I am not saying that flights are increasing to $1,000. No, flights remain at $400 but we are looking at two unsubsisidsed flights to offer persons who are willing to pay that higher fare,’ he said..
The last fare increase on the domestic airbridge took effect on January 1, 2023, when the then government announced a TT$50 increase in ticket prices.
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