Following the collapse of Thomas Cook Group plc.  in September of this year, Chief Secretary Hon. Kelvin Charles made every attempt to provide political support to its subsidiary Condor, to obtain a bridging loan from the European Commission.

Condor is the only German airline servicing Tobago with a year round weekly touristic flight that transports approximately 13,000 passengers annually, between Germany and Tobago.

Mr. Charles wrote to nineteen key players at European institutions, in an effort to garner their support for the European Commission’s approval of a bridging loan of 380 million euros, applied for by the German Federal Government and the State of Hesse.

The Chief Secretary is elated to have received correspondence from the European Commission dated 22 October, 2019, indicating that his letter of support for Condor was considered and the European Commission agreed to authorize the rescue aid for Condor on 14 October, 2019, in an effort to avoid disruption to Condor flight services.

Mr. Charles says, “This is great news and I am relieved that approval has finally been granted for the bridging loan.  This will significantly assist Condor’s overall ability to maintain its flight services.  However, I am particularly pleased that the Germany-Tobago route is no longer under threat at this time”.

The Chief Secretary continues to highlight that Tourism is one of the pillars of diversification for the Tobago economy and encourages all of Tobago to contribute to the positive promotion of the island.