CDB to Govts: Create Right Environment for Efficient Air Travel

(Barbados Today) It is still early days, but one of the main funding partners behind the financially-troubled airline, LIAT, is proposing that several key changes must be made to the aviation business in the region.

In fact, President of the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) Dr Warren Smith told Barbados TODAY he believed there needs to be a multi-faceted approach to improving the aviation industry in the Caribbean, which would include changes to governments’ airport taxes and efficiency concerns.

“I think there is a lot of work that needs to be done not only in relation to coming up with a new mechanism, a new entity to serve the region, but I think there is also a lot of work to be done in the business environment in aviation,” said Smith.

He explained: “Our countries need to address the issue of taxation on air travel. We also need to look at the way in which we move people through our airports – in many instances there is a lot of work that needs to be done. It needs to be more user-friendly and you need to be able to have connectivity that is not as painful as it is today. That is part and parcel of the solution. So it is a multi-dimensional challenge as far as aviation is concerned in the region.”

Read more at: Barbados Today