Suriname authorities have denied Caribbean Airlines’ request to resume its scheduled flights between Port of Spain and Paramaribo, alleging the mistreatment received by local passengers from the airline.
«Until Caribbean Airlines solves its problems with passengers and travel agencies, it will not receive my permission to resume operation. Suriname is a country where rules apply and order prevails,» said Albert Jubithana, Minister of Transport, Communications, and Tourism, in statements reproduced by Trinidad’s Saturday Express newspaper.
The airline has not yet responded to Suriname authorities, who claim that, unlike other airlines, Caribbean Airlines did not attend to stranded passengers when the country closed airspace in March 2020 as a measure to curb the spread of COVID-19.
Copa Airlines and GOL recently resumed their regular flights to Paramaribo, but Caribbean Airlines has not yet received authorization to do so, although it is already promoting its return.
«The company is promoting without Suriname’s permission the resumption of flights,» said the Minister, also mentioning the Brazilian operator GOL, which also grounded its passengers.
Jubithana said that GOL «wanted to return just like that, without resolving the problems it had created» and that the authorities had told them that if they did not reach a fair agreement between the company and the travel agents, they would not be able to resume operations to Suriname.
The official concluded that he expects the situation to be resolved once the airline begins negotiations with the Suriname Travel Agents Association (ASRA), as Copa Airlines did.
