KINGSTON, Jamaica – Jamaica and the twin-island Republic of Trinidad and Tobago have found yet another ground on which to strengthen their ties.

Transport and Mining Minister, Lester ‘Mike’ Henry and Trinidad’s High Commissioner to Jamaica, His Excellency Fitzgerald Jeffrey, have agreed that the state of regional air travel leaves much to be desired and is in urgent need of improvement.According to Jeffrey, it is much easier to travel from Kingston to New York and Port of Spain to Toronto, than it is to travel from Trinidad to Jamaica and other countries in the Caribbean. He says this inadequacy is stifling the development of the region and Jamaica and Trinidad must take the lead in arresting the situation. This is in light of Trinidad’s 80 per cent stake in the regional and international carrier, Caribbean Airlines.For his part, Henry said the development of a Hub Concept is an urgent issue to support the region low cost carriers. He says the government’s decision to expand the Ian Flemming Airport, the Open Skies Agreements and provision of a hassle-free investment environment are being done to foster improve trade and cargo services in the Caribbean.According to Henry, he is willing to facilitate a Transport Ministers Fraternal to explore the issues and establish the platform on which to build a solid foundation for easy regional travel. On the other hand, Jeffrey believes that the collaboration between Jamaica and Trinidad must go beyond Transport issues to include the fight against crime and education. He said the recent misunderstanding between the two countries can only be resolved with continuous dialogue and joint approaches.