Caribbean Airlines “Returns to Normal Operations” After Pilot Shortage

Above: a Caribbean Airlines plane

By the Caribbean Journal staff

Caribbean Airlines returned to “normal operations” this week after 47 pilots called in sick in an apparent industrial action.

In a release, the company said that all disruptions from the “unprecedented pilot shortage” on July 1 had been addressed with “minor delays in some cases” on Wednesday.

“We are again fully operational,” Caribbean Airlines CEO Michael DiLollo said. “I must extend sincere gratitude to our customers for their patience and understanding during the disruption of the past day and for their continued loyalty.”

The disruption came when a group of pilots all called in sick ahead of Tuesday’s flights, leading to widespread grounding of flights, both the country’s Trinidad-Tobago air-bridge flights and its international operations.

In a statement on Thursday, the Trinidad and Tobago Pilots Association said that while it “cannot sanction industrial action, we understand fully the frustration of our individual members.”

The TTALPA said on Wednesday that the two sides had been able to reach partial agreement on “some of the more serious issues” between them, with more meetings to come.

“Our committed employees have conducted themselves to the highest levels of customer service,” DiLollo said. “Some of the messages they had to deliver were difficult and they managed to do this successfully without causing further stress for our customers.”