US extends Air Jamaica waiver
Published:Thursday | June 17, 2010 | 12:00 AM
THE UNITED States Department of Transport (DOT) has extended the period that Air Jamaica can continue flying to American ports while the takeover by Caribbean Airlines Limited (CAL) is finalised.
Air Jamaica had initially been given a 60-day waiver of the DOT ownership and control standard to permit it to continue to fly to and from the United States (US) after the transfer of ownership to CAL.
The initial waiver expired on Monday, with Air Jamaica requesting an indefinite extension until "CAL is duly licensed to operate services between Jamaica and the United States".
But in a response dated Monday, June 14, DOT said it decided to grant the airline a one-month extension.
According to DOT: "We are taking this action ... as an interim matter without a determination on the merits and solely for the purpose of enabling Air Jamaica to continue operations, pending our ongoing review of the record in the case."
DOT emphasised that its decision to extend the waiver was not a determination on how it might rule on Air Jamaica's request for CAL to fly its routes for an indefinite period.
CAL's takeover of Air Jamaica's eight profitable routes wobbled in early April after local government officials failed to secure permission from DOT to allow the Trinidadian entity to fly into and out of the US.