interCaribbean will reduce its flights by 10% due to continued employee shortages and supply delays, which have resulted in operational delays and flight cancellations. The reductions are temporary and are scheduled to run through June 30, 2022.
«It seems counterintuitive to reduce flights as demand increases, but we have to balance demand with ensuring we maintain the integrity of our schedule,» explained Lyndon Gardiner, CEO and President of interCaribbean, via a statement.
«This temporary reduction in capacity is the best measure we could take to avoid the delays and last-minute cancellations that have recently disappointed our customers,» he added.
See also: interCaribbean Airways adds an ATR 42-500
While flights have recovered remarkably from the pandemic, the pendulum has now swung the other way. The demand for flying is causing a worldwide shortage of pilots and other areas of the business, as well as a delay in getting new pilots into the limited number of certified training facilities around the world.
Labor shortages are just one of the problems facing the industry, compounded by supply chain disruptions.
According to interCaribbean, something as simple as printing immigration forms, once a matter of days, now takes weeks or months to obtain; becoming more expensive and less predictable or available.
Despite the setbacks, the company remains optimistic. «We are committed to our mission of providing safe, comfortable, affordable and on-time air service throughout the Caribbean, and with the support of our customers and team members, we will get through this period. The indicated reduction in frequencies is temporary,» Gardiner concluded.
Routes affected
- Turks and Caicos Islands:
Northern Caribbean services between Providenciales (PLS) and the capital, Grand Turk (GDT), will be reduced from four to three daily flights, operated on Embraer 120s and Twin Otters.
- Haiti:
Flights from Providenciales (PLS) to Cap Haitien will go from four to three times a week, operated in Twin Otter and Embraer 120, while to Port-au-Prince will decrease from three to twice a week, operated in Embraer 120 aircraft.
- Bahamas:
Services from Providenciales (PLS) to Nassau (NAS) will be reduced from six to five weekly frequencies and will continue to be operated on Embraer 120 aircraft.
- Jamaica:
Operations between Provinciales and Kingston (KIN) will be reduced from seven to six weekly flights, on Embraer 120 and ERJ 145 aircraft.
- Antigua and Barbuda:
Services between Providenciales and Antigua (ANU) are discontinued for the next two months.
- British Virgin Islands:
In May, flights from Tortola (EIS) to Antigua (ANU) are reduced from 10 to 9 per week. Meanwhile, in June the airline will offer 8 flights per week. Flights from Dominica (DOM) are reduced from two to one flight per week. Finally, San Juan (SJU) in Puerto Rico is reduced from 16 to 13 flights per week.
Destinations from its Barbados base will not be affected, maintaining current frequencies to Guyana, Dominica, St. Lucia, Grenada and St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
According to data obtained by Aviacionline through Ch-Aviation, interCaribbean’s fleet consists of one Twin Otter, ten Embraer 120s and two Embraer ERJ 145s.
