Air Jamaica and Caribbean Airlines have formally merged, with the Jamaican and Trinidadian airlines agreeing to create a “larger product which will build capacity and critical mass,” according to Audley Shaw, Jamaica’s Minister of Finance. “It will also allow for the increased viability and profitability of this new regional carrier.” Trinidad’s Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar said the finalization of the deal was a “great symbol of economic integration.” [Jamaica Observer]