A report in the Trinidad Express says the Trinidad and Tobago Government has agreed to help state-owned Caribbean Airlines with the funding to lease a private jet to operate a commercial service.The airline will establish an executive jet service as a business venture, the paper says, quoting unnamed sources.
However the service would also be available to other regional and private and public entities, including Caricom governments.
This raises speculation about whether it is the first step to Prime Minister Patrick Manning owning a private jet. Caribbean Airlines came under fire recently for including the balisier, the PNM's emblem since 1956, on the tail of its Dash-8 aircraft in a major million-dollar design overhaul.
That became a controversial issue in September 2006, when Manning and his wife went unannounced on a test flight on a Bombardier executive jet. Following the flight the government insisted that it had no plans to buy the US$50 million long-range jet, manufactured by the Canadian aerospace giant.
Bombardier currently operates an on-demand leasing service. The new Skyjet service can be financed either as a pay-as-you-go private jet service or with a client card. At the time of the test flight Bombardier was also in negotiation with the state for a lucrative contract for the rapid rail system that the Manning government has been planning to build.
Manning has been talking about a private jet for a long time. Here is what he told a media conference in 2004:
"As Trinidad and Tobago moves into developed country status, and as we begin to exert greater influence in the region, the Caribbean and western hemisphere, and especially if we acquire the headquarters of the FTAA, you are going to see a need for greater travel by the political directorate of this country."
Manning is hosting two international conferences next year - the Summit of the Americas and the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM). He is also positioning himself for a leadership role in CARICOM.
He dropped a broad hint this week of the need for his private transport. He told media that the preparatory work for these conferences requires frequent travel to meet with leaders of various leaders.
He has also said CARICOM is discussing the question private jet travel for leaders. He said a number of them "have begun to discuss that matter even though nobody has as yet come to a conclusion."
Manning has already established the "need" for a private aircraft. The Trinidad and Tobago Government currently rents Guardian Life's private jet for short trips by the prime minister.
2 comments:
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