Delta, the world’s biggest airline, is closing its doors in Trinidad and Tobago.

Effective June 1, Delta Airlines will suspend operations in the country ‘indefinitely’, the airline said.

The airline, which has an office in Port of Spain and flight operations at Piarco, blamed the state of the economy for its departure.

‘The challenges of the current economy have forced us to make this very difficult decision,’ Delta said in an e-mailed statement to travel agents and partners.

Delta operates a service out of Piarco to New York City, USA.

It commenced operations in Trinidad three years ago.

Based on the needs of neighbouring Caribbean markets, the airline said it will be using its service to strengthen other markets that have a more urgent need for flights to and from their countries.

Delta also operates in Barbados, Grenada, Guyana and St Lucia.

It will start a service from New York to Grenada on June 5 at the request of the Grenada government, the Delta statement said.

‘We have increased flights to and from Montego Bay, Jamaica, Bahamas, Puerto Rico, US Virgin Islands, St Lucia and other islands within the region. We will continue to upgrade our services to and from Guyana to New York,’ it added.

The airline noted that it would continue to monitor ‘any future need for the Trinidad and Tobago market’, and staff will remain focused on operations in Guyana and the Caribbean.

It did not say how staff members would be affected in Trinidad.

Internationally Delta serves more than 160 million customers each year, offering flights to 350 destinations on six continents, its website said.