FIND THE LATEST NEWS UPDATED EVERY DAY AT CARIBBEANLIFENEWS.COM
Vol. 32, Issue 26 BROOKLYN EDITION June 25-July 1, 2021
CARICOM
AIRLINES
STRUGGLE
Several regional airlines
burdened by debt
By Bert Wilkinson
Long before the COVID-
19 pandemic emerged, the
major airlines in CARICOM
were struggling with huge
operating deficits, aging aircraft
fleets and stifling government
taxes that oft times
made it cheaper for people in
the Diaspora to fly from the
US to Asia or Europe than to
visit the Caribbean.
But once the pandemic
forced the closure of borders,
in the case of Trinidad for up
to 15 consecutive months, this
appears to have administered
the final blow to any hopes of
any of these carriers — Caribbean
Airlines (CAL), Bahamas
Air, Suriname Airways (SLM)
and Antigua-based LIAT —
making a profit and emerging
from the red anytime soon.
Earlier this week, authorities
in Trinidad announced a
not so surprising major downgrade
of operations at CAL,
cutting the fleet by three aircraft
to 13 comprising eight
Boeing 737 planes and five
turboprop island hopping
aircraft in addition to sending
home 350 workers, pilots
among them. The closure of
the two main airports since
March of last year meant
extremely limited earning
opportunities for CAL, exacerbating
its already precarious
financial situation.
“I am advised and I must
say I am saddened by all of
this. This is not something
that any of us would have
wanted to see. Any separation
of workers is directly as a
consequence of the reduction
in the fleet size and reduction
in the routes,” Minister
of Finance, Colm Imbert told
journalists.
As doom and gloom set in
at airline headquarters, management
at SLM in Suriname
are still trying to recover
from the seizure of a Boeing
-737 aircraft in Miami in mid
April because of the carrier’s
failure to meet its lease payment
obligations. The embarrassing
seizure of the plane
occurred just as about 80 passengers
were preparing to fly
to Paramaribo.
That incident was not the
first for the problem-plagued,
cash-strapped airline. At the
end of last year, debts had
amounted to US$102 million,
not helped by the fact that
Juneteenth Celebrations
Council Member Farah Louis unveils George Floyd Memorial Sculpture with Terrance
Floyd, the brother of George Floyd. See story on Page 32. Offi ce of Council
Member Farah N. Louis/ J. Noir Photography
New York Attorney General Letitia James
applauds court ruling on students bullying
By Nelson A. King
New York Attorney, General
Letitia James on Wednesday
welcomed a US Supreme
Court decision that recognizes
the ability of schools to curb
cyberbullying and address
other off-campus speech that
materially and substantially
interferes with the learning
environment or interferes with
students’ rights to be secure at
school.
In March, James, as part
of a coalition of 24 attorneys
general, filed an amicus brief
in the Pennsylvania-based
case, Mahanoy Area School
District v. B.L., a minor.
While the coalition did not
take a position on which party
in this specific case should
prevail, the attorneys general,
instead, argued in favor of a
legal rule that would allow
schools to protect students
from cyberbullying and disruptive
off-campus speech.
The brief urged the Supreme
Court to reject a lower court’s
rule, which would have largely
prohibited schools from regulating
off-campus speech.
“All children must have the
right to learn in safe environments
that empower them
to perform at their best, and
today’s decision recognizes
that should continue to be the
case in schoolhouses across
the country,” said Attorney
General James.
“While the internet and
social networking sites have
made it easier than ever for
students to connect both within
and outside of the classroom,
it has also made hurtful
language and behavior more
commonplace,” she added.
“This past year, many schools
only existed on the internet as
a result of the pandemic, so
Continued on Page 16 Continued on Page 16
/CARIBBEANLIFENEWS.COM