Caribbean Airlines dumps Blue Waters - as owner Dominic Hadeed remains detained

State-owned Caribbean Airlines (CAL) has confirmed it is no longer serving Blue Waters bottled water on its flights, ending a supply relationship that stretched across more than 15 years and covered every route in the airline's regional network. The airline has switched to Dasani, a locally produced brand by Caribbean Bottlers Trinidad & Tobago Ltd, a subsidiary of the Coca-Cola Company.

According to Guardian Media, the board-level decision — chaired by Reyna Kowlessar — was executed so abruptly last Wednesday that flight crews were left scrambling mid-service, removing Blue Waters labels from bottles and, in some cases, pouring water directly into cups for passengers. No tender was publicly advertised on CAL's procurement portal ahead of the switch.

Payment documents obtained by Guardian Media show CAL spent approximately TT$460,000 on bottled water in 2024, with around TT$264,000 traced to Blue Waters invoices. A senior CAL executive later clarified that no formal exclusive supply contract existed with Blue Waters — purchases were made through individual purchase requests — and that the airline launched a Request for Proposals process in April 2026, inviting all local suppliers to compete.

The transition comes while Blue Waters founders Dominic and Genevieve Hadeed remain detained under Preventive Detention Orders as part of an investigation into an alleged conspiracy to murder Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar. No criminal charges have been laid. The Hadeeds deny the allegations and have filed for judicial review, with their attorneys describing the PDOs as unconstitutional.

• CAL confirmed the supplier change via media release, without naming Blue Waters or Dasani directly • Blue Waters had supplied bottled water across all CAL flights for more than 15 years • Dasani, produced by Caribbean Bottlers T&T Ltd (Coca-Cola subsidiary), is the replacement brand • CAL spent approximately TT$460,000 on bottled water in 2024; roughly TT$264,000 linked to Blue Waters invoices • The board decision was implemented so quickly that crews removed labels and poured water into cups mid-service • No public tender was advertised on CAL's procurement portal prior to the switch • CAL later clarified there was no exclusive contract with Blue Waters; an RFP was launched in April 2026 • Dominic and Genevieve Hadeed remain detained under PDOs; no criminal charges have been laid • The Hadeeds deny allegations of a conspiracy to murder the Prime Minister and have filed for judicial review

The abrupt removal of a supplier whose products appeared on every CAL flight for over 15 years — reportedly generating around TT$264,000 in invoices in 2024 alone — raises serious questions about governance at a state-owned enterprise that connects the Caribbean. 

For Blue Waters, a brand exported across Antigua, Barbados, Dominica, Grenada and Guyana, losing the CAL account carries both commercial and reputational weight across the region. 

For passengers, the operational disruption — staff removing labels mid-service — signals that the decision was reactive rather than planned.

"CAL spent approximately TT$460,000 on bottled water in 2024, including around TT$264,000 on invoices attributed to Blue Waters — a long-standing supply relationship ended without a visible public tender."

— Guardian Media, based on payment documents obtained by the publication

• That directive, had to come from within "the belly of the beast!"....politics is the game and revenge is the name! - Nerissa Dqueen on Facebook
• Good thing he wasn't the principal owner of aeroplane fuel - Robert Alan Narine on Facebook
• They drop a local company to serve you Coca Colas Dasani, make it make sense. ­- Shaquille Charles on Facebook
• So what if they changed from Blue Waters? Does Blue Waters have some god given right to be the brand of choice? Steups - Brent Quashie on Facebook

CAL acted within its governance framework and transformation mandate: CAL maintains the procurement change was conducted in accordance with the Office of Procurement Regulation as part of its ongoing transformation programme to improve operational efficiency. The airline says a formal RFP process was launched in April 2026 and that all suppliers were given equal opportunity to submit proposals. Passengers, it insists, will see no drop in service standards.

Caribbean Airlines is the region's flagship carrier — state-owned, taxpayer-funded, and operating routes that stitch together the islands of the Caribbean. Its procurement decisions are not purely commercial; they carry political weight and public accountability.

The timing demands transparency and raises governance concerns: The Guardian's editorial argues that as a national institution, CAL owes the public a clear explanation of what drove the change, who made the decision, and whether political considerations played any role. It warns that businesses across the region need confidence that commercial relationships will not be disrupted by allegations or political pressures without due process.

The Hadeeds' detention is itself contested and due process must be respected: The Hadeeds' attorneys argue their clients are being targeted based on ethnicity and a land-lease dispute, and that the PDOs are unconstitutional. They assert no criminal charges have been laid and no evidence of any plot exists. The legal challenge directly contextualises every consequential business decision made in the shadow of the owners' detention.

"The presumption of innocence is a fundamental principle in any democratic society. Allegations, however serious, do not amount to proof of wrongdoing."

— Trinidad Guardian Editorial Board, Editorial position, via Trinidad Guardian