Dear Editor,

I would like to thank your business columnist, Keith Collister, for taking up the issue of the “divestment” of Air Jamaica. It is important that all Jamaicans understand that Prime Minister Bruce Golding has been explicit in his public pronouncements that “the Air Jamaica brand is not for sale”. This is being retained by the government on behalf of the people of Jamaica. So the national airline is being liquidated/closed and the staff made redundant.

Therefore, there is no sale of Air Jamaica that is currently being negotiated with Caribbean Airlines. Instead, the negotiations centre on Caribbean Airlines providing additional airlift from Jamaica by extending its existing international network to include a few flights that will originate out of Jamaica – this is the so-called “Jamaican Operations” of Caribbean Airlines.

What we should be asking ourselves is exactly what is Caribbean Airlines seeking to accomplish by flying out of Jamaica to five destinations in the USA and Canada? And what will the government and people of Jamaica get in return for this “sale”?

While the prime minister and others have scoffed at the efforts of the Air Jamaica staff, I have carefully reviewed the staff’s business plan. Although it is not perfect, it should not be thrown out of hand. There is no doubt that there is value in “the little piece of Jamaica that flies”. The safety record speaks for itself, and we should not discount lightly the impact of the marketing thrust that former Chairman Gordon “Butch” Stewart made in an effort to rebrand and reposition the national carrier.

However, any decision by any group of Jamaicans to form an airline must be made on strictly commercial grounds with no call on the government to provide financial assistance – those days are over.

But, it is equally important that the government also respect the need to allow Jamaican investors to operate on a level playing field. It would therefore be unfortunate if the government continues its efforts to offer “exclusive national carrier status” to Caribbean Airlines. It is ironic that it was being reported this week that our prime minister was encouraging Chinese investors to view Jamaica as a vital transportation hub – imagine how he would respond if a Chinese group approached the government about establishing a “Jamaican airline operation” only to be told that this would not be possible? And what if Mr Stewart decided that he wanted to offer a charter service for his hotel chain? Should he also be denied “national carrier status”?

R Anne Shirley

renee.shirley @yahoo.com