Is Singapore Airlines Coming To Barbados?

"Singapore has concluded open skies agreements (OSAs) with Barbados, Brazil, Jamaica and Rwanda, at the International Civil Aviation Organization Air Services Negotiation Conference 2010 (ICAN 2010), held recently in Jamaica.


ICAN 2010 offers a central meeting place for air services officials from various countries to meet and conduct bilateral air services negotiations. The OSAs with Barbados and Jamaica are the first between Singapore and the Caribbean community. The Singapore-Brazil OSA comes on the back of the Singapore-Peru OSA, which was concluded in 2009 together with the establishment of Air Services Agreements with Colombia and Ecuador. The OSA with Rwanda is Singapore’s second with an African country, after the Singapore-Zambia OSA that was concluded in 2008.


Without restrictions on capacity, frequency or routing, OSAs allow carriers the full flexibility to introduce services when market opportunities arise. Carriers are also able to tap on traffic from and to third countries to improve the commercial viability of their operations. Direct air links with Singapore will allow businesses in Africa, Latin America, and the Caribbeans to access more markets by tapping on Singapore’s excellent connectivity to the Asia Pacific region. This will reinforce the growing people and trade flows between these regions and the Asia Pacific. The establishment of liberal air services frameworks between Singapore and more countries in Africa, Latin America, and the Caribbeans pave the way for such benefits.


There are currently no direct flight connections between Singapore and Latin America or the Caribbeans. In Africa, Singapore Airlines operates passenger services to Egypt and South Africa, while Singapore Airlines Cargo operates cargo services to Kenya and South Africa.


Apart from sealing OSAs with the four countries at ICAN 2010, Singapore and Fiji also concluded an open skies framework for cargo services and expanded traffic rights entitlements for passenger operations between and beyond both countries.  Yap Ong Heng, Director-General of the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore welcomed the recent developments, saying, “airlines operate in a challenging environment with dynamic markets. It is thus critical for countries to proactively put in place air services frameworks that enable airlines the commercial freedom to respond to market opportunities.""

 Source:  mb.com.ph

Speightstown Out - St. Lucy In

Prime Minister David Thompson in St. Lucy last week

A frail-looking Prime Minister David Thompson gave the clearest hint yet that government is leaning toward St. Lucy over Speightstown, St. Peter for the planned second cruise port for Barbados. This comes just over a year after Tourism Minister Richard Sealy's statement indicating that Speightstown had the nod. Yesterday the Barbados Advocate reported:

"While stating that the [Pickerings New Town] project has the potential of increasing market opportunities for St. Lucy he [the Prime Minister] said that he was “convinced” that MP for St. Lucy Denis Kellman may get a “long overdue airport and cruise terminal”.

He stated that Government has had offers from people to establish private airport facilities for private jet aircraft and a cruise terminal could be beneficial since a lot of activities take place in the north..."

Some might say that again politics seems to be trumping common sense on the location of the cruise port, as indeed, some have been criticizing the whole Pickerings/New Town project which is to be built on some of the best agricultural land in St. Lucy (much of it already owned by government). In a land-scarce country the question must be asked - what kind of example government is setting vis-a-vis reviving agriculture? It has not gone unnoticed that one of the principals of the company behind Pickerings/New Town is a high ranking member of the governing party and a former parliamentarian for St. Lucy himself. This clue to how things get done in Barbados may also be instructive on how the decision will come down at the other end of the island on the Long Beach/Chancery Lane wetlands project where yet another governing party politician has designs.

After 4 Years Of Selling Thin Air Merricks Gets The Big Green Light

"The much awaited $400 million resort development project planned for Merricks St. Philip has received approval from the Town and Country Planning Office.


Word has come in the local press that developers of 70 acre development received planning permission on May 19th, 2010 and now it appears that all systems are ago for the project.


Although a small number of investors have demanded refunds due to the lengthy delay in receiving planning permission for the property.


The tourist complex includes three five-star hotel blocks, eight apartment blocks, 18 “plantation” houses, 42 one-bedroom cabanas, a 500-seat conference room, restaurants, shops and a spa village..." 

Click here for more =>> Barbados TravelAdvisor • View topic - Merricks Resort Gets Government Nod

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Pierhead battle brewing

"Government may face court action over its handling of the award of a contract for construction of the multi-million dollar Pierhead Marina Development Project.

An American law firm representing Irish company Lagan Construction Limited has written the board of the Barbados Tourism Investment Inc. (BTII) citing an alleged breach of an “agreement” it said was reached between its client and the BTII last November for the said contract and is now threatening to “move swiftly to protect its rights”.

Barbados TODAY has learnt that the BTII and by extension Government were given until last Wednesday to respond to a three-page letter from Washington D.C. law firm Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP on behalf of its client Lagan, otherwise they would seek legal recourse.

This was after a November 13, 2009 decision by the BTII’s four member Project and Tenders Committee headed by then chairman Dr. Jerry Thorne to award the Pierhead contract to Lagan was overturned and the decision communicated directly to Lagan International Director, Richard Jones.

That letter sent from Barbadian law firm Inn Chambers last November 27 on behalf of the BTII and copied to BTTI CEO Stuart Layne and Thorne, charged that Thorne had “acted ultra vires” (beyond his powers) and that “the entirety of the contents of the said correspondence in no way represents the position of the Barbados Tourism Investment Inc”. The chairman tendered his resignation three days later and it was accepted.

But the controversy does not start or end there..."

Follow this link for more - Pierhead battle brewing

AirOne Apparently Not Dead ... Yet

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados — AIRONE Ventures Limited (AVL), a start-up airline, which three years ago sought a home in Jamaica, is likely to begin operations in Barbados later this year.

AVL, which has a Barbados address, is advertising for several positions including line training captains, captains, first officers, cabin crew, human resources and facilities manager, among others.

The advertisements for flight crews said candidates should have an International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) licence with current type rating on MD 80 aircraft.

With a "launching low fares" tagline, AVL said it would be positioning as the first Caribbean low-cost carrier.

Airone Holdings Limited has named the Irish-based communications firm Digicel as its marketing and sales partner.

No information was immediately available about AVL's routes but the company had previously said it would operate flights between the Caribbean and the United States.

The airline had initially planned to operate two Boeing 737-300 aircraft, which it said it would lease for between US$200,000 and US$400,000 per month and gradually expand to five within two years.

AVL had sought national carrier status in Jamaica and signalled its intention to set up in Barbados once its application to the Jamaican authorities was denied.

The airline had argued that with its base in Jamaica, it would have generated more than 200 new skilled jobs in the first year of operation, contribute two per cent to gross domestic product and a minimum of US$65 million in taxes to the government.

Source: http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/news/Airone-likely-to-commence-operations-this-year_7626912

See also: West Coast Blog: AirOne Still Standing By For Takeoff

Search For The Good Life Barbados

Barbados TravelAdvisor • View topic - Barbados, insider's

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Taking St. Vincent For A Ride

"Update on the Buccament Bay UK Launch Party – April 24th & 25th
We are delighted to tell you we now have full details on the opening of the most exciting new resort in the Caribbean.

The Rt Hon Ralph Gonsalves, Prime Minister of St Vincent & The Grenadines, will be present on both days to talk about this wonderful island and the Government’s support for our stunning new resort. Also present will be several Government Ministers and Caribbean High Commissioners for St Vincent & The Grenadines, Barbados, St Lucia and the Dominican Republic, the islands where Harlequin will be opening their other resorts during the next few years.
Harlequin’s Ambassador

Andy Townsend, ex-Chelsea and Republic of Ireland player, will be compering the weekend and will provide an update on the Harlequin Sports Academy.

Ex-Liverpool footballer, David Fairclough, and other Liverpool personnel will also be on hand to talk about the Liverpool Football Club Soccer Schools, the first of which will be opening at Buccament Bay Resort in July.

Pat Cash will be talking about the Pat Cash Tennis Academies, the first of which will be opening at Buccament Bay Resort in July, as well as the new Pat Cash Tennis Hotels that Harlequin are planning to build at the Buccament Bay Resort, Las Canas and The Marquis Estate.

Harlequin Performing Arts Academy. We are proud to announce that stars from the West End and Broadway will be performing in a new music and dance extravaganza, Bringing the Best of Broadway to the Caribbean, on each day at 4pm. This is a show not to be missed! Performers will include Michael McCarthy, West End and Broadway star, famous for his performances of Javert in Les Miserables and Paul Morrissey, who has recently finished performing in Phantom of the Opera in the West End..."

Click here for more.
Click here to follow The Merricks Saga in Barbados

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Ocean Pew

The interior of Barbados's Nidhe Israel synagogue.

"Consider the irony: A foreign visitor celebrates his bar mitzvah on Shabbat Shekalim in a synagogue that was itself saved from the wrecking ball by a massive round of shekel-collecting; a synagogue, moreover, that is perched on an island at the easternmost edge of the Caribbean (no desert, but no Jerusalem, either) where the mere act of enumerating the Jewish population—800 Sephardim in 1750, 40 Ashkenazim in 2010, no Jews at all in 1930—reminds us of just how convoluted the history of our wandering people can be..."

Click here for entire Tablet Magazine article.

See also:  Speightstown’s Jewish Past

Yet Another Reason To Ditch The Barbados Tourism Authority

 There is growing dissatisfaction with the way in which tourism in Barbados is being run.  Other Caribbean destinations are already eating our lunch as our marketing efforts continue to fall short, and failure to address forthrightly some the glaring problems in the sector such as a lack of affordable hotels and beach erosion.  It has not helped also that a promised "Tourism Master Plan" is still more than two years in the making.  Join the discussion on our forum by clicking on the link below.

Barbados TravelAdvisor • View topic - Yet Another Reason To Ditch The Barbados Tourism Authority

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Pierhead Project Back From The Dead - In News Again

"FOUR MEMBERS of the board have parted company with the Barbados Tourism Investment Inc. (BTII).
Reports reaching THE NATION yesterday were that chairman Jerry Thorne, deputy chairman Mark Prescott, and members Paul Bernstein and Decourcey Headley have left the BTII. All of them have been on the board since 2008.

New appointments

It is understood that new appointments were made last month, and chartered accountant Andrew Marryshow was installed as the new chairman while businessman Chris deCaires is his deputy.
Several telephone calls to Minister of State in the Ministry of Finance, Darcy Boyce, and Minister of Tourism Richard Sealy for confirmation about this situation were not immediately returned. THE NATION was informed that both were attending meetings.

When contacted, Thorne, an orthopaedic surgeon, declined to comment, but deCaires confirmed that he was now on the BTII's board.
Reports indicated that the separation follows a disagreement over the $130 million Pierhead Development Project, which was switched from the Ministry of Tourism to the BTII in 2009.
That project, which has been in the works since 1988, includes plans for a marina, hotel, three blocks of condominiums, a retail and restaurant complex and a high-rise car park, as well as other services.
It was to transform the Pierhead and Lower Bay Street into a sophisticated shopping, entertainment and upscale accommodation area, and represent a partnership between Government, the private sector and foreign investors, with Government and the Barbados Shipping and Trading conglomerate as major landowners.
Last October, when asked about the project, chief executive officer of the BTII, Stuart Layne, said it was before Cabinet and he could not speak on the matter.
It is understood that a significant sum of money had already been spent by the former administration to conduct a study into the feasibility of this much-mooted project."

Source: http://www.nationnews.com/news/local/LEADbtii-resignations-FRONT-PAGE-LEAD