Caribbean Airlines Limited is the state-owned airline and flag carrier of Trinidad and Tobago. It is also the flag carrier of Jamaica and Guyana, with the Government of Jamaica having approximately 11.9% ownership.

Caribbean Airlines Chairman, Mr. S. Ronnie Mohammed recently participated in the Prime Minister’s delegation to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Jamaica’s minister of tourism Edmund Bartlett called the visit a diplomatic coup for tourism between Saudi Arabia and the Caribbean.

Chairman Mohammed, who is a Muslim engaged in high-level discussions with Mr Rashed Alshammair- Vice President of Commercial from Saudi Arabia’s Air Connectivity Program (ACP) to explore areas of collaboration and cooperation between Caribbean Airlines and Saudi Arabia.

The Saudi Air Connectivity Program (ACP) was established in 2021 to support tourism growth in Saudi Arabia by enhancing air connectivity and developing existing and prospective air routes, connecting Saudi Arabia to new destinations. ACP works at the intersection of tourism and aviation by bridging the stakeholder ecosystem to enable the National Tourism Strategy’s vision and establish Saudi Arabia as a global leader in tourism air connectivity.

Ali Rajab, the CEO of the Saudi Air Connectivity program best explained the intention of this program in 2021:

“As market operators rebound from a historically difficult period, we see the tourism ecosystem playing a vital role in the industry’s recovery. At ACP we are committed to working with current and prospective international air travel partners wishing to discover the Kingdom’s exciting air connectivity opportunities and remarkable new tourism growth. Our goal is to support our partners through expert advisory services and unlock the future of tourism air travel, ensuring that our partnerships deliver a shared and sustainable value for all. My team and I look forward to speaking to you and exploring how we can work together in the future to support your growth and expansion into Saudi Arabia.

“Inspired by a daring vision to blaze a path to success for the tourism sector in Saudi Arabia, the Air Connectivity Program (ACP) was founded to play a leading role in enabling and enhancing tourism Air Connectivity in the Kingdom and maximizing the engagement of key players.”

With Riyadh Air, as the new national carrier for the Kingdom, and a growing Saudia National carrier operating from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia is well positioned to partner with major and not-so-major players in the global aviation industry.

Caribbean Air may be on the receiving end of such a potential cooperation, which may change the tourism landscape in the Caribbean, and at the same time make the connectivity for the Muslim community in the Caribbean easier in connecting with the new emerging markets in Saudi Arabia.

Interline agreements between Caribbean Air and the two Saudi Arabian carriers were discussed in Riyadh on the highest level in a delegation also attended by heads of state from throughout the Caribbean, including the Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister. Mr Rashed Alshammair- Vice President of Commercials from Saudi Arabia’s Air Connectivity Program (ACP) welcomed the discussions.

Click here to read the press release issued on Saudi Tourism News.