The debate on the Tobago air bridge continues to circle the wrong issue. The problem is not subsidies, it is inefficiency, poor management, and a broken booking system that has turned a national service into a financial drain.
The Government has a duty to connect all parts of Trinidad and Tobago, but that does not mean throwing money at a system that is not delivering value. Just as roads are built to unlock economic growth, Tobago’s connectivity must be structured to generate real returns, tourism, commerce, and opportunity.
The solution is not to abandon support, but to redesign it: make the sea bridge the reliable, high capacity backbone for affordable travel, while positioning the air bridge as a premium, time sensitive service operating at near commercial rates, with targeted subsidies only for essential travel.
This is no different from free public roads versus tolled highways, choice, efficiency, and value. What Tobago needs is not endless subsidy, but a system that works, on time, accessible, and financially sustainable.
Gordon Laughlin,
Westmoorings
