Black Immigrant Daily News

The government has confirmed that plans are on track for the launch of Antigua Airways by the first week of November at the very latest.

The airline was first announced in July by Prime Minister Gaston Browne who said an October start was the goal.

The new airline, which will operate flights to Nigeria, Ghana and Canada, will be based in Antigua and Barbuda.

Other flights to countries in West Africa will be added as the airline grows. The government of Antigua and Barbuda is a part owner in the company and will enjoy 20 percent of the profits generated.

The majority shareholders – a Nigerian investment group – will receive 80 percent of Antigua Airways’ profits. Ambassador Lionel Hurst recently confirmed that plans ahead of the official launch of the airline are being finalised and added that Antigua Airways will begin offering service from the V. C. Bird International Airport very shortly. “I can offer you the assurance that we’re going to see Antigua Airways touchdown at the V. C. Bird International Airport sometime within the next five weeks.

“They are working out all kinds of logistics – not only baggage handling, fuel, permission to fly into Antiguan airspace and so on, they’re working all that out, but you know when they leave Antigua, the plan is to fly on to Toronto before going back to the African continent, and so they must work that in as well,” he explained. Hurst also confirmed that the Cabinet received a positive update on the progress of plans leading up to the launch of Antigua Airways as recently as last Wednesday. “It’s going to be really nice, I can assure you.

From what has been announced in Cabinet yesterday, it’s going to be a really nice event when that airline leaves the African continent, the homeland of the largest number of descendants of Antiguans and Barbudans. It will be something to applaud.” Antigua Airways plans to operate a Boeing 767- 300ER in a 16 business and 251 economy configuration.

The aircraft, which have been secured under a wet lease arrangement, will offer amenities including a modernised interior with touchscreen in-flight entertainment and charging ports.

To entice travellers to use the service, a members loyalty programme will be offered, although the details of this enhancement has not yet been revealed. Antigua Airways is also establishing a “Visa on Arrival Programme” with the African nations it will serve, which will allow travellers to bypass the process of securing a VISA ahead of their trip through third parties.

The launch of Antigua Airways is also expected to pump much needed business into LIAT, as the hope is to establish timely connections for its passengers to other Caribbean islands via the V. C. Bird International Airport homebase.

The launch of the new airline has not been greeted warmly by all, however, and critics are predicting that the airline will be fraught with issues, and perhaps, even failure.

The pronouncements of these harbingers of doom have not shaken the resolve of Prime Minister Gaston Browne and his administration, who continue to express confidence in the venture’s potential for success.

In Parliament on Thursday, the prime minister said that unlike other ventures which have attempted to offer service to West Africa that failed, the plan for Antigua Airways involves sound research, a carefully thought-out plan for the growth of the business and a solid network of local and international resources.

He also made it clear that Antigua and Barbuda has nothing to lose as the government has not invested financially in the airline. “What we did do is to list it as a CIP (Citizen by Investment Programme) project and one in which we have allocated up to ten CIP files, and if and when they are subscribed, then we will get, I believe, about 20 percent of the shares. “My understanding is that the service will start as a charter service. They are also trying to have a sustaining relationship with LIAT 2020 when we would have operationalised LIAT 2020, and we have been told so far that the arrangements to lease the plane and to start operating are on target,” Browne told the Parliament.

Last month, Minister of Tourism, Charles Fernandez, said that Antigua Airways is expected to offer three flights per week out of Antigua and Barbuda at its inception. (POINTE XPRESS)

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Stephen McClashie –

MINISTER of Labour Stephen McClashie has said the government is not considering making changes to the stipends of On-The-Job Training Programme (OJT) trainees “at this time.”

He was responding to a questions during a standing financial committee meeting in Parliament on Wednesday.

He said there are approximately 4,000 trainees in the programme.

Princes Town MP Barry Padarath asked if the stipends for trainees would be adjusted owing to the rising cost of living.

McClashie said, “No, we are not at this time looking at changing the stipends .”

The estimate of the recurring expenditure for salaries and cost of living allowances for those employed under the OJT – not the trainees – for fiscal year 2023 is $1,200,000.

In 2022, the revised estimate was $900,000.

The $300,000 increase, McClashie said, “is to provide payment of salaries and cost-of-living allowances for substantive holders in the post.

“It has leave relief also and payment of arrears of acting allowance and increments for 30 officers under the OJT.”

Couva South MP Rudranath Indarsingh then asked the reason for some trainees getting their salaries late more than once.

“Is it because of vacant positions in the accounts department of the OJT?” he asked.

McClashie said it was not related to vacancies per se, but had to do with “us recognising that the way we pay administratively, we had to make some changes to ensure robustness of the system.”

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Gulf City Mall, in San Fernando. – Lincoln Holder

There were no reports of damage or casualties on Wednesday in south Trinidad, although the bad weather wreaked havoc on the eastern parts of Trinidad as well as in Tobago.

There were reports of street and flash flooding across the country.

The San Fernando City Corporation (SFCC), via its Facebook page, urged people living in flood-prone areas to collect sandbags from this and other corporations.

People can collect the bags at SFCC’s disaster management unit office at Circular Road, San Fernando, and other places including the Cocoyea Community Centre and the Albert Street playpark/basketball court in Marabella.

Chairman of the Mayaro/ Rio Claro Regional Corporation Raymond Cozier told Newsday the corporation had not received any reports of house or street and flash flooding.

The corporation’s disaster management unit, he said, was closely monitoring the weather, and staff were on standby to help people if necessary.

River levels were rising but not to their full capacities. The highest was reportedly 60 per cent.

The yellow-level adverse weather alert began on Wednesday at 5 am and remains in effect until Friday at 12 pm. The Meteorological Service (Met Office) 1.51 pm update on Wednesday said the axis of the tropical wave was west of TT.

However, the atmosphere remains significantly moist and unstable. Periods of rain and/or showers of varying intensities were still expected, the Met Office said.

“There is also a 70 per cent (high) chance of occasional heavy showers and thunderstorms that can produce intense rainfall in excess of 25 millimetres,” it warned.

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tekst en beeld Arjen Stikvoort PARAMARIBO — “De opleiding was zwaar, maar leerrijk. Hetgeen ik heb geleerd, zal ik gebruiken.

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BASSE-TERRE

Seuls les véhicules légers sont autorisés à emprunter le pont de la rivière des pères, rendu à la circulation depuis dimanche matin après des travaux post-tempête. Des travaux sur ce pont qui s’élèvent à un peu plus de 530 000 euros. 

France-Antilles Guadeloupe

485 mots – 05.10.2022

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