BRUCE NOBLES, chief executive officer (CEO) of Air Jamaica, said Wednesday that the airline was projecting to break even in the next six months and make a profit by next year.

This forecast comes even as the national airline prepares to send home an unspecified number of employees within the next six months. The unions representing workers at the airline and management are said to be holding talks in relation to the company's restructuring plans.

Quizzed by parliamentary committee members about the impact the business plan would have on the carrier, Nobles said he could not guarantee whether the new business plan for the airline would work.

Expected to succeed

However, he later said the business plan was expected to succeed. "If we fail we will react, but we are not expecting to fail," Nobles stressed.

The CEO and other executives of the airline were invited by committee members to make a presentation on the new business plan for Air Jamaica, which had been approved by Cabinet last month.

He said the three interested bidders for the airline had said they were satisfied with the new direction the carrier was taking.

"All of our creditors are encouraged by this plan and the people who are expressing interest in acquiring the company are also very supportive of what we are trying to do," he said.

Committee member Dr Morais Guy wanted to know what investors saw in the debt-ridden entity, that they were willing to acquire the airline.

"I can't confess to tell you why an investor would be interested, but if in fact the airline can be profitable, (he) could take advantage of those things and can be capitalised at a nominal level," Nobles said.

The CEO also pointed to a "large and loyal diaspora customer base" in addition to fixed assets owned by the company.

Discontinuing flights

The airline announced that it would be discontinuing flights to a number of destinations in the United States and Cayman.

But some committee members pressed the airline's executives to reconsider the company's decision to stop servicing the Miami International Airport route.

"The fact is the majority of our passengers in that market have shifted their preference to Fort Lauderdale, so we were left with the dilemma whether to operate from two airports in that marketplace or consolidate our strengths in one," Nobles said.

The airline boss said he recognised that this would affect loyal customers who travel the Miami route, but said: "We cannot be all things to all people; we simply do not have the resources to do so."

edmond.campbell@gleanerjm.com