Automotive and Aviation Services

The total number of motor vehicles registered in Trinidad and Tobago escalated more than 13 times its original figure from 1951 to 2000, according to statistics from a Special Report on the Transport Division of the Ministry of Works and Transport. For the same period, the number of motor vehicles on local roads increased from roughly 23,500 to more than 300,000.

The Transport Division has been forced to decentralise its services to improve, among other things, registration and inspection of motor vehicles, granting of driving permits, and administration of driving tests. Increased car ownership has afforded the Licensing Office of the Transport Division 1.4 per cent of the country’s total revenue every year.

Trinidad and Tobago’s car market has more than doubled since 2000, with the sale of more than 384,000 motor vehicles over the last six years. The Motor Vehicle Licensing Department of the Ministry of Works reported a 65 per cent increase in the number of motor vehicles registered locally from 2004 to 2006; this equates to an increase of 450,000 to 700,000 motor vehicles.

Most new motor vehicles in Trinidad and Tobago are imported from Japan and Europe. New car dealers have increased their offerings, now providing the full range of car models, features and available engine sizes; some new car dealers have upgraded their service bays and parts retrieval systems amidst growing competition from foreign-used car sellers who offer more affordable vehicles.

President of the Automotive Dealers Association Phillip Knaggs estimated that 15,400 new motor vehicles, which include passenger and commercial vehicles, would be sold in 2007. The association represents dealers of new motor vehicles, which account for approximately 40 per cent of the registrations at the Licensing Department at present, down from 60 per cent in 2003. But the new motor vehicles market enjoyed a 14.3 per cent increase in 2006. Knaggs predicts that its market will continue to grow in 2007 to 9.3 per cent.

President of the Pre-Owned Auto mobile Dealers Association Inshan Ishmael pointed out that at least two registration series were licensed in 2007 up to June. Therefore, on average more than 3,000 new or foreign-used motor vehicles were put on the road for each of the first five months in 2007, since each completed registration series represents 9,999 new motor vehicles. Ishmael said the Licensing Department registers about 1,500 foreign-used motor vehicles each month. He estimated there were more than 100,000 foreign-used motor vehicles on the road since 2001.

In his 2006/2007 Budget presentation, Prime Minister Patrick Manning announced that Government would be moving towards limiting the number of foreign-used motor vehicles imported into Trinidad and Tobago. These new policies have forced both new and used-car dealers to vie for a larger stake in the market, as foreign-used motor vehicle dealers look to importing and supplying brand new motor vehicles.

“We see the ultimate death of the foreign-used (car) industry in Trinidad and Tobago,” Ishmael said. “Dealers face many challenges, (these include) Government’s limit on the age of a vehicle which can be imported into the country. Many foreign-used (motor vehicle) dealers have already started to bring down brand new vehicles to sell them to consumers.”

The Civil Aviation Authority has been working very closely with the Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) of the US Department of Transportation in an attempt to strengthen Trinidad and Tobago’s aviation regulatory infrastructure, according to the requirements of the International Civil Aviation Organisation, the body charged with setting aviation standards worldwide.

Aided by Government, the Civil Aviation Authority continues to take the necessary steps to maintain the Federal Aviation Authority International Aviation Safety Assessment (FAA IASA) Category One status that the country regained in August 2005.

On July 5, 2001, Trinidad and Tobago had been downgraded to FAA IASA Category Two, which posed a significant setback for the economy and its civil aviation industry. It restricted the operations of, among other airlines, the then national carrier BWIA and its flights into the USA. Parliament later passed a Civil Aviation Act in 2001 and the country’s Civil Aviation Regulations, which were based on the FAA model, were approved by Parliament three years later.

The defunct BWIA (newly dubbed Caribbean Airlines), Tobago Express and the nation’s helicopter companies were recertified under these new regulations. Until the end of its tenure BWIA had remained the largest airline operating out of the Caribbean, flying direct to the USA, Canada and the UK.

The  FAA also trained local aviation inspectors at its training centre in Oklahoma City. In addition, two FAA inspectors have provided onsite technical support to the Civil Aviation Authority in the development of technical procedures for surveillance and certification of air operators, maintenance organisations and airmen since 2003.

For Ramesh Lutchmedial, the Director General of the Civil Aviation Authority, the country’s upgrade serves as an advantage for airlines that wish to acquire new routes into the US and its territories and gain additional revenue. “It improves not just the chances for our national airline but also the safety of all passengers who use our airport,” Lutchmedial said.

 “As a contracting state of ICAO, and a signatory to the Chicago Convention, Trinidad and Tobago is required to properly discharge its obligations under the Convention, including adoption of the Standards and Recommended Practices (SARPs) contained in the Annexes to the convention.”

Piarco International Airport is the main airport serving Trinidad and Tobago, while Crown Point International Airport is the main air link for the island of Tobago. Both airports are operated by the Airports Authority of Trinidad and Tobago.

The Piarco Area Control Centre (ACC) provides direct air traffic control to all aircraft within the Eastern Caribbean and also provides flight information to pilots flying within a 750,000-square-mile area of airspace extending to the mid-Atlantic Ocean. The airport is the largest transport facility in the region and can accommodate the majority of international wide-bodied airliners.

Increasing tourist arrivals in Tobago have attracted larger airlines to the Crown Point International Airport and in 1992 an extensive aerodrome development project was completed at the airport to facilitate accommodation for wide-bodied international jets.

Caribbean Airlines provides flights connecting the Caribbean with USA and Canada and currently operates the London route with a code share agreement with British Airways. Tobago Express is the main operator of the air-bridge between Crown Point International, Tobago, and Piarco International. And National Helicopter Services Limited (NHSL) is a State-owned enterprise that provides a wide range of helicopter services to the Caribbean region.

The total number of motor vehicles registered in Trinidad and Tobago escalated more than 13 times its original figure from 1951 to 2000, according to statistics from a Special Report on the Transport Division of the Ministry of Works and Transport. For the same period, the number of motor vehicles on local roads increased from roughly 23,500 to more than 300,000.

The Transport Division has been forced to decentralise its services to improve, among other things, registration and inspection of motor vehicles, granting of driving permits, and administration of driving tests. Increased car ownership has afforded the Licensing Office of the Transport Division 1.4 per cent of the country’s total revenue every year.

Trinidad and Tobago’s car market has more than doubled since 2000, with the sale of more than 384,000 motor vehicles over the last six years. The Motor Vehicle Licensing Department of the Ministry of Works reported a 65 per cent increase in the number of motor vehicles registered locally from 2004 to 2006; this equates to an increase of 450,000 to 700,000 motor vehicles.

Most new motor vehicles in Trinidad and Tobago are imported from Japan and Europe. New car dealers have increased their offerings, now providing the full range of car models, features and available engine sizes; some new car dealers have upgraded their service bays and parts retrieval systems amidst growing competition from foreign-used car sellers who offer more affordable vehicles.

President of the Automotive Dealers Association Phillip Knaggs estimated that 15,400 new motor vehicles, which include passenger and commercial vehicles, would be sold in 2007. The association represents dealers of new motor vehicles, which account for approximately 40 per cent of the registrations at the Licensing Department at present, down from 60 per cent in 2003. But the new motor vehicles market enjoyed a 14.3 per cent increase in 2006. Knaggs predicts that its market will continue to grow in 2007 to 9.3 per cent.

President of the Pre-Owned Auto mobile Dealers Association Inshan Ishmael pointed out that at least two registration series were licensed in 2007 up to June. Therefore, on average more than 3,000 new or foreign-used motor vehicles were put on the road for each of the first five months in 2007, since each completed registration series represents 9,999 new motor vehicles. Ishmael said the Licensing Department registers about 1,500 foreign-used motor vehicles each month. He estimated there were more than 100,000 foreign-used motor vehicles on the road since 2001.

In his 2006/2007 Budget presentation, Prime Minister Patrick Manning announced that Government would be moving towards limiting the number of foreign-used motor vehicles imported into Trinidad and Tobago. These new policies have forced both new and used-car dealers to vie for a larger stake in the market, as foreign-used motor vehicle dealers look to importing and supplying brand new motor vehicles.

“We see the ultimate death of the foreign-used (car) industry in Trinidad and Tobago,” Ishmael said. “Dealers face many challenges, (these include) Government’s limit on the age of a vehicle which can be imported into the country. Many foreign-used (motor vehicle) dealers have already started to bring down brand new vehicles to sell them to consumers.”

The Civil Aviation Authority has been working very closely with the Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) of the US Department of Transportation in an attempt to strengthen Trinidad and Tobago’s aviation regulatory infrastructure, according to the requirements of the International Civil Aviation Organisation, the body charged with setting aviation standards worldwide.

Aided by Government, the Civil Aviation Authority continues to take the necessary steps to maintain the Federal Aviation Authority International Aviation Safety Assessment (FAA IASA) Category One status that the country regained in August 2005.

On July 5, 2001, Trinidad and Tobago had been downgraded to FAA IASA Category Two, which posed a significant setback for the economy and its civil aviation industry. It restricted the operations of, among other airlines, the then national carrier BWIA and its flights into the USA. Parliament later passed a Civil Aviation Act in 2001 and the country’s Civil Aviation Regulations, which were based on the FAA model, were approved by Parliament three years later.

The defunct BWIA (newly dubbed Caribbean Airlines), Tobago Express and the nation’s helicopter companies were recertified under these new regulations. Until the end of its tenure BWIA had remained the largest airline operating out of the Caribbean, flying direct to the USA, Canada and the UK.

The  FAA also trained local aviation inspectors at its training centre in Oklahoma City. In addition, two FAA inspectors have provided onsite technical support to the Civil Aviation Authority in the development of technical procedures for surveillance and certification of air operators, maintenance organisations and airmen since 2003.

For Ramesh Lutchmedial, the Director General of the Civil Aviation Authority, the country’s upgrade serves as an advantage for airlines that wish to acquire new routes into the US and its territories and gain additional revenue. “It improves not just the chances for our national airline but also the safety of all passengers who use our airport,” Lutchmedial said.

 “As a contracting state of ICAO, and a signatory to the Chicago Convention, Trinidad and Tobago is required to properly discharge its obligations under the Convention, including adoption of the Standards and Recommended Practices (SARPs) contained in the Annexes to the convention.”

Piarco International Airport is the main airport serving Trinidad and Tobago, while Crown Point International Airport is the main air link for the island of Tobago. Both airports are operated by the Airports Authority of Trinidad and Tobago.

The Piarco Area Control Centre (ACC) provides direct air traffic control to all aircraft within the Eastern Caribbean and also provides flight information to pilots flying within a 750,000-square-mile area of airspace extending to the mid-Atlantic Ocean. The airport is the largest transport facility in the region and can accommodate the majority of international wide-bodied airliners.

Increasing tourist arrivals in Tobago have attracted larger airlines to the Crown Point International Airport and in 1992 an extensive aerodrome development project was completed at the airport to facilitate accommodation for wide-bodied international jets.

Caribbean Airlines provides flights connecting the Caribbean with USA and Canada and currently operates the London route with a code share agreement with British Airways. Tobago Express is the main operator of the air-bridge between Crown Point International, Tobago, and Piarco International. And National Helicopter Services Limited (NHSL) is a State-owned enterprise that provides a wide range of helicopter services to the Caribbean region.

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