BUSINESSMAN LESLIE Buckley has withdrawn as an investor in the fledgling Caribbean low-cost airline Airone Ventures, which is backed by a number of Irish entrepreneurs.
A spokesman for Mr Buckley confirmed to The Irish Times yesterday that the Cork-born executive has exited from Airone. It is not clear how much Mr Buckley invested in the project or what the level of his shareholding was.
Airone is seeking a licence to launch services from Barbados and hopes to begin flying in the spring of 2009. Earlier this year, the airline failed to secure a licence to operate from Jamaica. It had hoped to begin flying from the island in May.
It is understood Mr Buckley decided to back out of the Airone consortium after it failed to secure a licence from the Jamaican government. Jamaica has a population of 2.8 million, while about 280,000 people live in Barbados.
Speaking to The Irish Times from Jamaica, Airone’s commercial director Tara Playfair-Scott declined to comment on Mr Buckley’s withdrawal as an investor.
But Ms Playfair-Scott said the airline hopes to operate low-cost flights from Barbados at fares of just $10 one way. This would represent a discount of up to 70 per cent on fares charged by existing operators.
Airone aims to run flights within the Caribbean – to Jamaica, Trinidad, Grenada and Antigua – and to Central and South America. It also hopes to provide flights to the US, most probably Florida and New York.
“We won’t be able to fly there [the US] immediately because their rules require to have flown for at least 90 days in the Caribbean,” she explained.
She said the airline could employ 200-plus staff when it is launched. It currently has five people on the payroll.
Ms Playfair-Scott said the recent surge in oil prices, which has forced airlines to hike their fares, cut back on routes and lay off staff, would not deter Airone from launching next year.
“It hasn’t put us off at all,” she said. “It’s the nature of the beast . . . we understand that. This [low-cost] service is definitely needed in the Caribbean.”
Airone is believed to have received $30 million in backing. The airline is chaired by Ian Burns, a former president of Dublin’s Wanderers rugby club.
Ms Playfair-Scott joined Airone last December, having worked for Cable Wireless in the Caribbean. She was originally approached to work for Digicel, the Caribbean mobile phone operator owned by businessman Denis O’Brien, before being offered the position with Airone.
Mr Buckley is a senior director of Digicel and the mobile phone company is expected to sell tickets on behalf of the airline.
Airone hosted a cocktail reception in Kingston, Jamaica last night. Ms Playfair-Scott described it as a “meet and greet” opportunity with business people and government officials.
