US embassy cable - 05KINGSTON1814

UNCLAS KINGSTON 001814 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR WHA/CAR (WBENT) 
TRANSPORTATION FOR SECRETARY OF TRANSPORTATION MINETA'S 
OFFICE 
 
E.O. 12958:  NA 
TAGS: AORC, EAIR, ELTN, EWWT, XM, XL, CA 
SUBJECT:  RE: WHA CIVAIR: REQUEST FOR INFO ON TRANSPORT 
MINISTER PARTICIPATION AT UPCOMING WHTI MEETING 
 
REF: A) STATE 132219 
B) 04 KINGSTON 3385 
C) KINGSTON 1318 
D) KINGSTON 1346 
E) KINGSTON 1316 
F) KINGSTON 831 
G) KINGSTON 1529 
 
1. (U) Per reftel A, on July 20 Econoff contacted the office 
of Minister of Transport and Works Robert Pickersgill.  His 
office confirmed that the Minister would be attending the 
Western Hemisphere Transportation Initiative (WHTI) meeting 
to be held in Brasilia, Brazil, August 25-26, 2005.  His 
staff did not indicate whether or not the Minister was 
interested in a private meeting with Secretary Mineta to 
discuss bilateral issues, the most relevant of which are 
outlined below. 
 
2. (U) The GOJ is worried with the economic viability of the 
national airline, Air Jamaica, which is facing heavy debts 
(ref B) and increasing competition from low-cost carriers 
(ref C). 
 
3. (U) The GOJ is concerned about the implementation of the 
WHTI and its effect on the ability of tourists to visit the 
island without passports - the GOJ feels strongly that the 
new documentation requirements for Americans under the WHTI 
will have a strongly negative impact on their tourism 
economy, as visitors turn to Puerto Rico and the Yucatan, 
which will not have similar documentation requirements in 
2006 (refs D and E). 
 
4. (U) The Jamaica Civil Aviation Authority (JCAA) has 
renewed its commitment to providing oversight of aviation 
safety on the island, following a recent FAA assessment 
during which Jamaica narrowly avoided a downgrade to 
Category Two status (ref F). 
 
5. (U) The GOJ has been charging a customs user fee on sales 
of jet fuel to U.S. flagged carriers (American Airlines and 
Northwest Airlines), but has been waiving the fee for Air 
Jamaica in light of its precarious financial situation. 
This exemption of the national carrier is not allowed under 
the Free Skies agreement.  Post has repeatedly brought the 
problem to the attention of the GOJ, but has received no 
substantive response in over a year (ref G).  There are 
similar reports from American Airlines (and perhaps other US 
carriers) that the mandatory security "tax" levied on all 
tickets is not remitted to the GOJ by Air Jamaica, but 
rather retained as operating income.  This is both a 
discriminatory trade practice and an underfunding of airport 
security. 
 
TIGHE