The bilateral agreement will be between Caribbean Airlines (CAL) and an Indian air carrier and should take effect by October of this year.
Speaking at a press conference held at the Hilton on Sunday, 5th June, 2011, Dr. Griffith explained that airlift and airline incentive arrangements were one of several areas discussed between delegations from Trinidad and Tobago and India last Saturday, Griffith said CAL has highlighted the issue of a special pro-rate agreement, and the need to continue discussions with Air India about a bilateral air services agreement.
Indian High Commissioner to Trinidad and Tobago, Malay Mishra, added that Air India was not the only Indian airline currently in talks with CAL. Mishra said talks are also being held with Kingfisher and Jet Airways as well.
Suggesting that destinations such as New York, London or Panama could provide easier access for Indian tourists wishing to visit Trinidad and Tobago, Mishra expressed optimism that a bilateral air services agreement could be concluded before October.
Expressing India’s thanks to Government for waiving visas for Indian nationals, Mishra told Griffith that the Indian government was seriously addressing the possibility of waiving visas for TT nationals to visit India. Noting that approximately half of TT’s population was of East Indian origin, Mishra said discussions are underway to develop a framework where Indo-Trinidadians can visit India to discover their roots.
(Parts of this article were written with content submitted in a Trinidad and Tobago’s Newsday publication)