Grenada PM laments intra-regional transport challenges on trip to T&T Loop Cayman Islands

Black Immigrant Daily News

Grenadian Prime Minister Dickon Mitchell said the time has come for action to be taken on improving connectivity between Caribbean countries and territories.

Speaking at last evening’s Trinidad and Tobago Manufacturers Association (TTMA) President’s Dinner and Awards ceremony, Mitchell lamented the difficulties he experienced while trying to get to Port of Spain to deliver his speech.

“We have to fix travel within CARICOM. I’m only here because I am the Prime Minister of Grenada. Because I could commandeer the aircraft used by the regional Security System to fly me in and out of Trinidad,” he said.

“Otherwise it would literally require me to spend an entire week. And the options of getting to Trinidad required me to get to Miami and then fly back to Trinidad. That is how difficult it is to travel within the region. And since we are talking trade, if we can’t even move people, then it is obvious that we can’t trade.”

He continued: “I feel the pain of our people because I literally can only travel within the region by asking the folks at the RSS to fly me…and if I am seeing that much trouble, imagine what the citizens of the region have to go through.”

Mitchell told the audience that COVID-19 cannot continue to be an excuse for the lack of connectivity in the region.

Caribbean Airlines is the only company with a direct service between Grenada and Trinidad.

Those flights take place on Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays.

CAL’s schedule shows the frequency of flights will increase soon with additional flights on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday.

Mitchell added that movement in the Caribbean should focus on connecting people over profits.

NewsAmericasNow.com