A group of entrepreneurs has applied to the Jamaican government to create the first Caribbean low-cost airline. Group head representative Ian Burns said: "We have made a formal application to the Jamaican Civil Aviation Authority under the name of Airone Ventures Ltd, although this isn't the name that we will be flying under. We have the potential to add one million tourist arrivals to Jamaica within five years, a huge boost to the tourism industry." The airline will also seek to open new markets and new routes. It will service the Caribbean, the United States and Latin America.

"We have commenced a recruitment drive and will be employing over 200 persons initially during the coming months. We are looking for bright, energetic, dynamic Jamaicans in positions ranging from management to cabin crew," Burns said. The airline will launch mid-2008.

The Chairman noted that Jamaica had invested in infrastructure by providing excellent facilities at Norman Manley and Donald Sangster International airports. He believes that it can now connect people and businesses and bring far greater access to the region, allowing for Jamaicans and the diaspora to meet on a more frequent basis.

Increased access and more affordable prices are two of the benefits to consumers that the airline will provide. When asked specifically about pricing, the chairman said he would give no further details, but promised that the consumers would be happily surprised.

In relation to the existing competition, he said that there was room for more players and significant growth and that at the end of the day the consumer would be the real winner.
Every region with a low-cost carrier (LCC) has grown tremendously, while the Caribbean, which to this point has not had the benefit of a LCC, has grown at a rate of only one per cent per year, over the past five years.

With the growing interest of the diaspora in their homeland, Airone will facilitate their coming home more often and promote business investments in Jamaican enterprises.
Ian Burns, chairman of Airone, said that the Jamaican government had so far been very receptive and is open for business.

Speaking with Caribbean Business Report last night, Burns said: "We will be providing non-stop airlinks to the Caribbean, the United States and Latin America and will be using Boeing 737-300 aircraft. The idea is to develop Kingston's Norman Manley International Airport as an international hub for the Caribbean.

Presently, 1.7 million passengers go through it every year and right now infrastructure is being built to accommodate four million passengers a year. In our first year of operations we are projecting to have 376,000 of our passengers pass through Kingston's number one airport. We see the diaspora as being a huge market and we will be concentrating heavily on it while also looking to the tourism industry."

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