Janet Silvera, Senior Tourism Writer

WESTERN BUREAU:

Although Irish investors, Airone Ventures Limited, has expended US$1 million in start-up capital, Government has refused to grant them a licence to operate an airline which, they claim, has the potential of becoming the country's second national carrier.

Confident that it was all systems go, the company, which has set up headquarters on Dumfries Road in St. Andrew, says it "ran into some difficulties" in the middle of negotiations with the Government and believes its situation might be related to plans to divest Air Jamaica.

hit rocky road

Airone says initial negotiations were going well until three weeks ago, when they hit a rocky road.

For months, the investors insisted that they would not be entering the market as a rival to the national carrier, which the company's chairman, Ian Burns, reiterated on Friday.

"We are no competition to Air Jamaica. We want to bring in new business, new tourists and new routes to Jamaica," Burns stated, his voice betraying disappointment. The company said it had a coordinated development plan for the island's aviation industry which aimed to open up new routes to Caracas, Venezuela, Trinidad, Antigua and a number of United States gateways to which Air Jamaica does not currently fly.

no confirmation

When contacted yesterday, Transport Minister Mike Henry could not confirm if Airone's application had been turned down.

"You would have to ask the chairman [of the Civil Aviation Authority], because flying aeroplanes in and out of Jamaica involves (the input of) the Civil Aviation Authority," the minister said.

He noted that several procedures were involved, but only one or two of these fell under the Transport Ministry.

Added Henry: "Being asked to be a flag carrier is a different matter from just wanting to fly in and out of a country. I don't know what decision the board (of the Civil Aviation Authority) has taken."

The Sunday Gleaner sent questions to Colonel Torrance Lewis, chairman of the Civil Aviation Authority, last week, but was advised that he would be out of office until this week.

Airone's initial investment was planned to be US$30 million, commencing operation with two 737 A300 planes in the first year and expanding to about 15 aircraft within two years, Burns revealed. He projected the creation of 220 skilled jobs and the bringing in of an additional 300,000 to 400,000 passengers to Kingston and Montego Bay annually.