by Parissram Jaggernath

AMEL,MSc Aviation Director Aviation Institute, The University of Trinidad and Tobago

Trinidad and Tobago possesses a rich and diverse history in aviation, and is recognised as a world leader in the area of aviation maintenance, dating back to the early days of British West Indian Airlines (BWIA) which began in 1939.

Today, its industry structure and related services locally boasts of public ownership of two national air operators, namely Caribbean Airlines (CAL) and National Helicopter Services Ltd (NHSL). Further, there are two publicly owned and managed airports as well as a number of private air operators. Regulatory and safety oversight comes from the Trinidad and Tobago Civil Aviation Authority (TTCAA), whose operations conform in all aspects to the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) standards and recommended practices. Both airports are also adequately staffed with trained and qualified ground services personnel and receive a stable supply of fuel from National Petroleum Company Ltd.

Yet, still, we have only touched the tip of the aviation iceberg with respect to its potential to diversify the economy and be a revenue and employment generator. Significantly, the aviation industry contributes to national economic development through its air operators and the airports' direct, indirect and catalytic employment and connectivity outflows.

Geographically, Trinidad and Tobago is poised to take advantage of air traffic and locational opportunities for expansion across North, Central and South America via improved connectivity in all directions, carrying with it the possibility of becoming a central source of services in multiple sectors including education and technology, aircraft maintenance and support services.

The island possesses a long history of safe and reliable aviation operations with the National Airline, having over six decades of experience in effecting aircraft maintenance for its own fleet of jets and for third party entities. This is complemented by the country's education system which provides a strong grounding in engineering and technology training, which can be leveraged to develop the aviation sector into a recognised centre for aircraft maintenance services.

Core to this goal is The University of Trinidad and Tobago's (UTT's) construction of an Aviation Campus geared toward undergraduate education in Aircraft Maintenance, Aeronautical and Airworthiness Engineering, and Management. Complementing this is The University of the West Indies programme offering of a Master of Science degree in Aviation, which would provide the region with improved technical and business competencies.

UTT, as an entrepreneurial university, constructed its training hangar with the potential to advance into a functional Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul facility. Its programmes offer Aeronautical Engineering fundamentals and Airworthiness capability modules using workshops and live aircraft that aim to develop the design and repair skills of students in support of this area's economic potential.

Further, the nation's potential to not only mushroom its training but its ability to maintain, repair and overhaul aircraft, should not be ignored but rather, it should be actively pursued through CARICOM. A joint venture among regional stakeholders (LIAT, Bahamas Air, CAL, UTT), can see the UTT facility become the centre for maintenance of the region's ATR Fleet, a CARICOM business entity. The value of this entity to the region spans the areas of technical skills and knowledge transfer, labour mobility, regional ownership, and technical aviation capability improvements, and also provides a service that fosters economic relationships among regional airlines and CARICOM member states.

The National Development Strategy of Trinidad and Tobago (2016- 2030) provides tangential views that can harness the imagination of our millennial population in establishing the ‘new normal' that has eluded the region thus far. UTT - through its education, research and inquiry – can spark a chain reaction that can catalyse air transportation's success financially and otherwise, adding to the diversification agenda and ensuring a strong and sustainable economic footprint regionally.