Brunton says his dismissal was unnecessary and an act of "viciousness"

Captain Ian Brunton told the Trinidad express Wednesday his firing from the national airline was an unnecessary act of “viciousness”.

The chairman of Caribbean Airlines (CAL), George Nicholas, fired Brunton last week. The CEO was appointed in 2009 during the Manning PNM administration when Arthur Lok Jack was chairman of the CAL.
 
The move against Brunton came after a disagreement between CAL's line minister, Jack Warner, and Nicholas, over the purchase of nine aircraft from European manufacturer ATR. Cabinet approved the US$200 million deal in September at which time the airline did not have a new board.

Brunton, who has had decades of experience in the airline industry, was the principal negotiator with ATR. If the deal is scuttled CAL will lose its deposit of US$1.8 million, which is over TT$11 million.

Warner said last week the new chairman had a "penchant" for planes made by the Canadian aerospace giant, Bombardier. Airlines sources have stated that CAL is considering buying planes from Bombardier instead.

One expert in the industry told JYOTI Wednesday the ATR planes are superior to the Dash made by Bombadier and that safety concerns about the ATR aircraft have been corrected. The problems were mainly related to icing during winter conditions, which do not apply since CAL will be operating the ATR planes in the tropics.

Brunton has demanded that he be reinstated and his lawyers have said if the airline refuses they will take whatever legal action is deemed necessary. 

The lawyers have stated that the chairman's decision was an exercise of excessive power and noted that the entire board should have been consulted before any such action was taken.


Read the story: Fired CAL CEO demands explanation for dismissal; calls firing unlawful exercise of power 

The CAL Deputy Chairman, businessman and media executive Mohan Jaikaran, was in Jamaica when the decision was made.

Brunton has had an impeccable record as CEO and the airline has never had any complaints about his performance. In addition, an industry source told JYOTI Brunton was a highly efficient and organised professional.

If the CAL board cancels the ATR deal it would mean that it is going against a decision made by the cabinet. That's a violation of the board's mandate since it is required to be guided by and take instructions from the shareholder, which is this case in the Government of Trinidad and Tobago.

In addition, the Airline would have to pay a penalty and ATR would forfeit the US$1.8 million down payment. The budget for the planes would also increase substantially if the board opts for the Bombardier planes, which cost at least US$5 million more per unit.

The cabinet approved ATR deal is for US$200 million with delivery by next year. Any new agreement would mean a much longer delivery time.