Air Jamaica looking for private partner

Air Jamaica is for sale but the government wants to keep a stake in the national airline.

Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett made the announcement in London. "We have had some discussions but I think that those discussions have not quite materialised, so I think Air Jamaica is back on the market. We are still seeking to find a partner," he said.

Bartlet added, "We are not interested in selling off Air Jamaica in full. Jamaica will always maintain a significant interest in Air Jamaica but we need partnerships to keep the airline alive...We are working now to see if we can get partnerships to share in the cost of operating Air Jamaica."

The U.S. low-cost carrier, Spirit Airlines, has expressed an interest in buying the airline.

The Jamaica Airline Pilots Association (JALPA) announced that it was awaiting a reply from the government to a bid it had submitted to acquire the carrier.

JALPA president Captain Russell Capleton said that the association, which comprises the airline's 140 pilots, is spearheading the acquisition effort on behalf of staff.

"We have proposed that we acquire the airline, and this is coming on the heels of the Government stating that the cost of divesting the airline was expensive," Captain Capleton told the Jamaica Observer newspaper last month.

Prime Minister Bruce Golding said the divestment process would cost the government almost US$200 million.

Air Jamaica's performance has improved over the last six months. But the government is under intense financial pressure and has said it must be taken off the budget before the end of this year.