Gordon Butch Stewart, Chairman of Air Jamaica is vying to underscore the importance of the aviation sector to the tourist industry in the Caribbean and has called for a greater show of support for regional carriers.

At a presentation made at the recent Caribbean Media Exchange (CMEx) in St. Lucia, Stewart said, “the thought of doing without them (BWIA, LIAT, Caribbean Star or Air Jamaica), is too burdensome to even contemplate”. These remarks came after mounting complaints against the carriers.

Stewart, clearly pointed out that the aviation industry is one of the most fiercely competitive in the world yet the fact that the Caribbean had their own carriers made them; “masters of our own destiny”.

“More and more the Caribbean airlines and Air Jamaica through its Montego Bay hub are ensuring that the wider success of the Caribbean is protected, as if we can’t do it ourselves nobody’s going to do it for us,” he said.

He also insisted that rather then taking business from carriers not local to the region it has stimulated others.

The Chairman of Air Jam said that the company with all its challenges not only flies more than 50 per cent of all the people who come to Jamaica, but it has put the country in the most enviable position compared to most destinations.
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