Caribbean Airlines is to lease a group of Embraer 175s as it seeks to become the dominant player in its region.
The Trinidad and Tobago-based carrier is hoping to fill the space temporarily vacated by longstanding West Indies player LIAT, which is undergoing a restructuring. LIAT is currently operating a small number of ATR turboprops and plans to relaunch as LIAT 2020 (Antigua) by the end of this year.
In his 2024 budget statement to Trinidad and Tobago’s parliament earlier this month, finance minister Colm Imbert said that Caribbean Airlines hoped to take advantage of strong passenger demand, both within the region and from growing numbers of international visitors following the pandemic.
Imbert said that the airline aims to establish a foundation on which to grow its network in the region.
To do so, he said that the carrier will increase its fleet across several categories of aircraft. As well as leasing in additional ATR turboprops as well as Boeing 737-800 and -8 narrowbodies, for the first time it will introduce crossover jets, to fill the gap between the two types.
This will take the form of leasing five Embraer E175s, “to service intra-regional demand and to establish bases and hubs across the region to promote efficiency and cost-reducing measures,” Imbert said.
A Caribbean spokesperson told ATW that the airline was still working through the details of the E175 acquisition and would give more information on its plans for the aircraft when it became available.
