The government of Trinidad and Tobago has approved Caribbean Airlines (BW, Port of Spain) to acquire new aircraft, which would be used on routes to South America, the dual-island nation’s energy minister Stuart Young has said.

Speaking at the CAPA Airline Leader Summit Latin America & Caribbean last week, Young said the carrier was "willing to partner with all other airlines in routes that make sense" and had determined certain routes to South America that would be suitable for the company to cover. He did not disclose further details on the type of aircraft Caribbean Airlines is looking for.

The ch-aviation fleets module shows that Caribbean Airlines’ fleet currently consists of 19 in-house aircraft - ten ATR72-600s and nine B737-8s. It also wet-leases in two B767-300Fs from Northern Air Cargo (NC, Anchorage Ted Stevens).

The Trinidadian carrier was not immediately available for comment. Last year, the company’s chief commercial officer, Martin Aeberli, told ch-aviation that it was planning to add regional jets to its fleet, to fill the gap between its turboprops and Boeing narrowbodies, and was looking at the E175, Embraer E2, and Airbus A220.