BWIA denies owing $29m to AATT Guardian 11.16.02 National airline BWIA has denied owing the Airports Authority of Trinidad=20 and Tobago (AATT) =93anything close to the amount=94 of $29 million as=20 disclosed by AATT chairman Linus Rogers. Describing the AATT as in extreme= =20 financial crisis, Rogers said as at July 31, BWIA=97its biggest=20 concessionaire=97owed the AATT $29 million. He made the disclosure on=20 Thursday during his testimony of the hearing of the Commission of Enquiry=20 into the Piarco Airport Development Project. Yesterday the airline=20 responded, saying that: =93Once again BWIA is the victim of sensationalism= =20 when the story is simply not true. BWIA does not owe $29 million (or=20 anything close to that amount) to the Airports Authority.=94 BWIA is current= =20 as at October 31, the airline said. In a statement the airline said: =93The Airports Authority has been advised= =20 many times over the past 18 months that their billing is not correct and it= =20 is unfortunate that this should be quoted as a fact when it further paints= =20 the airline in a poor and undeserving light.=94 On the topic of the negative= =20 media coverage of the airline and its current struggle to right itself,=20 Conrad Aleong, BWIA chief executive officer, said: =93We understand that= much=20 of what is happening in the national carrier is news and some of it is bad= =20 news, but the sensationalising of differences like this hurts the airline=20 internationally.=94 He added that BWIA was competing in the international=20 arena where bookings were badly hurt when an airline was put in a negative= =20 light, =93particularly when it is denigrated at home=94. The owner of Roger's Trinbago Site: Roj (Roger James) *************************************************** escape email mailto:ejames@escape.ca Trinbago site: http://www.tntisland.com CBC Website http://www.tntisland.com/caribbeanbrassconnection/ The Trinbago Site of the Week: (chgdev) http://www.chagdev.com/ (Chaguaramas Development Authority) courtesy of Roj Trinbago Website & TnT Web Directory Roj's Trinbago Website: http://www.tntisland.com TnT Web Directory: http://search.co.tt *********************************************************