CAL Chairman Vows To Meet PM’s Two-Year Turnaround Directive
Chairman of Caribbean Airlines Limited (CAL), Reyna Kowlessar, says the national carrier is ready to meet Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar’s directive to turn around the company within two years.
Ms. Kowlessar, who was appointed to the Board in July, assured that the airline is taking the directive seriously, with comprehensive audits underway across every department.
« If you’re talking about leadership, leadership is not a position, it’s a process, and we’re here to work twice as hard with the entire team. So we will get there, we are going to get there, and we’re going to take that mandate very seriously. »
Speaking after Caribbean Airlines received the ‘Internationally Known T&T Owned Company of the Year’ Award from the T&T Chamber on Thursday evening, she outlined plans to optimise routes and invest in staff development.
« We are looking and auditing all the routes—where we can do better, where the gaps exist, what we have to do better, retooling, up-skilling, that sort of thing. But, as well, this is all about the staff and we’re looking internally to promote where we can give an opportunity to do so, that will happen. As I said before, all hands on deck. This is not about a one-man show but it’s about a team effort for all of us, both Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago, because Jamaica is a shareholder, and we’re hoping to have some active participation from them. »
Route adjustments are already underway, with CAL reviewing its Kingston–Florida and Montego Bay–Florida services.
« They were sort of bleeding out and costing CAL a pretty penny, and so that will be stopped soon. In terms of auditing, we are still going through that. We’ve actually adopted an ad hoc committee, a routes optimisation committee so we are literally looking at every single route. »
Ms. Kowlessar also confirmed that staffing gaps are being addressed.
« It’s in progress so there have been interviews that’s been going on and they will be filled. There’s one that should be filled soon and there are interviews scheduled to be filled. »
Addressing past tensions with the Trinidad and Tobago Airline Pilots Association (TTALPA), she said: « We have been actively meeting and consulting with TTALPA very recently, and we are actually going to be having a meeting with the executive team as well as the first-level management to go through the financials and see where we are as a company. »
The ‘Internationally Known…T&T Owned Company of the Year’ Award, she said, is a testament to Caribbean Airlines’ resilience.
