CARIBBEAN Airlines Limited (CAL) has defended its position in relation to the duty-free row with the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA), explaining that a restriction on the entry of transit duty-free items has been imposed.Management of the CJIA on Thursday issued CAL with a 21-day ultimatum to honour a contractual agreement between the two parties, or have its operations at the Timehri-based airport terminated.

It was recognised that persons travelling from Guyana to North America through connecting flights in Trinidad were not allowed to take with them duty-free items bought in Guyana.

Having received numerous complaints from overseas-based Guyanese, and having warned CAL to no avail, the CJIA was forced to issue the 21-day ultimatum.

The airline, which has served Guyana for over 50 years, has sought to defend its position on this issue by stating that restrictions have been imposed through security processes.
In a statement issued to the press on Friday, the management of CAL said the airline must comply with all regulatory directives of the sovereign states into which it operates, as do all other airlines.

CAL noted that one such regulatory body is the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), which governs the security processes and conducts audits for all carriers flying into the United States of America.

“In light of screening rules, which are in accordance with TSA measures being applied at any Last Point of Departure (LPD) to the United States, and a recent TSA audit, a restriction on the entry of transit duty-free into the sterile holding areas of all transit airports has been imposed,” the statement said.

As such, CAL’s management has explained, customers departing Guyana or any other Caribbean destination with duty-free items, who are connecting on flights to the United States on any airline, cannot enter the sterile holding area of any airport through which they transit en route to the United States.

Apart from this mechanism, which has limitations due to obligations, CJIA had also recommended the introduction of an arrangement which would see passengers receiving their duty-free items, which would have been placed in their checked luggage under the CAL/CJIA security supervision.

Caribbean Airlines has reasoned that it has sought to balance its regulatory obligations with its customers’ desire to make duty-free purchases, but this has proved to be a challenge.

“Unfortunately, this proved to be challenging, as it resulted in damage to fragile items as well as items remaining unclaimed at the final destination,” CAL said in the statement.

The airline’s management also sought to recommit to working in collaboration with stakeholders, including the Civil Aviation and Airport authorities, to achieve a workable solution which ensures that the airline remains compliant with the TSA regulations and provides quality service to its customers.

“Guyana is an important destination for Caribbean Airlines, and we remain committed to our loyal Guyanese customers, whom we have consistently served with reliable service since our start in 2007. Caribbean Airlines has the distinct privilege of being the designated carrier for Guyana for the Toronto and New York destinations,” the statement added.