Caribbean Airlines (CAL) has appointed former Chief Executive Officer of the Guyana Oil Company, Renatha Marshall, as its new Country Manager. Her appointment took effect from September 5, 2022.
The new CAL Country Manager, accompanied by Caribbean Airlines General Manager Carl Stuart and Sales Executive Dion Inniss, along with Airport Manager Kevin Prashad and acting Reservations Manager Stephanie Greene, met with President Dr Irfaan Ali on Friday to discuss current in-transit arrangements in Trinidad and Tobago; the future development of the airline; and its strategic position, taking into consideration opportunities and challenges in the Guyana market.
President Ali and several Government representatives had, in August 2022, engaged CAL executive members to discuss existing challenges and ways of strengthening the CAL-Guyana partnership. The President had said he is aware that CAL has been an outstanding partner of Guyana, but informed that it had never been a one-way street.
“We are aware that CAL has been an extremely good partner of Guyana, but you must also accept that Guyana has been an extremely good market for CAL. It has never been a one-way street, it has always been a two-way street, and all your previous boards and CEOs would have appreciated this,” the President had said.
The President had also acknowledged that there is room for improvement in many areas, including local content.
“I know that you are cutting costs and you are cutting staff, but we would like to see more involvement of Guyanese in the operations; and by that I mean we are willing to work with you on increasing your footprint and your presence here in Guyana as part of your development plans,” the President had said.
Additionally, he had pointed to the challenges regarding frequency and costs of flights to Canada and Miami, and the issue of cargo capacity; and had noted that, during the pandemic, the relationship had continued, since Guyana was kept relatively open and CAL’s operations were sustained.
“It is under these circumstances that I wanted us to engage and to have a clear understanding as to where CAL is heading,” he had said. Also, “We believe that CAL is a long and strong partner with us, and we need to find a way in which that partnership is demonstrated in a stronger way.”
At Friday’s meeting with CAL, President Ali was joined by Tourism, Industry and Commerce Minister Oneidge Walrond, and Director of Projects at the Office of the President, Marcia Nadir-Sharma.
