Caribbean Airlines to sell two ATR Aircraft by end of 2026 as part of cost-cutting efforts

Caribbean Airlines is all set to see two of its five owned ATR aircraft by the end of the year as part of their ongoing cost cutting measures. However, the chairman Reyna Kowlessar added that the selling of the aircraft will lead to layoff of any employee in the airline.

According to the disposal notice of Caribbean airlines cost cutting, two 14-year-old ATR 72-600s registered 9Y-TTB and 9Y-TTC for sale on an “as is, where is” basis. For 9Y-TTB, the disposal date is October 1, 2026, while for 9Y-TTC, it is scheduled for March 1, 2026. However, the bid is due by February 6, 2026.

During a media release, he said that there are absolutely no job cuts that are planned and that staff have been included in consultations across departments. Caribbean Airlines cost cutting measures have been reached at several stages, aiming to operate the flights smoothly. The two aircrafts were purchased by Caribbean Airlines in 2011 for replacing their Dash 8 fleet. After taking the delivery of five aircraft, the airline signed a contract to pay about US$18.9 million each which has also been considered a move to drain cash reserves.

In 2026, Caribbean Airlines consisted of ten ATRs and they had leased five of them. Due to their fuel efficiency, these aircrafts carry high maintenance costs due to heavy utilization, particularly on the airbridge which is estimated at US$600-US$800 per flight hour.

Earlier, the routes have also been reduced by the Caribbean Airlines cost cutting efforts and the experts pointed out the issue with the cash flow within the airline. However, the airline also denied the reports of the layoffs, stating that they will be made to ensure that employment is tied to output, expertise and capability and not political patronage and nepotism as existed before.

The airline suffered from poor decision making in route selection, as per the expert.