The West Indian Association has teamed up with a local air charter company in its effort to establish a direct air link between Bermuda and the Caribbean.

"All of the regular airlines which serve Bermuda have so far failed to show a willingness to provide a regular and direct route to the Caribbean,'' Association president Insp. Foster A. Burke said in a recent statement.

"But Brown Charters, which have a record of successful charters to Jamaica, would like to help.'' Bermudians -- many of whom have family connections in the Caribbean -- have been without a direct air link to the region since British Airways scrapped its regular service to Puerto Rico in 1991.

In the past several months, the West Indian Association has been lobbying a number of other airlines to re-establish the connection on a permanent basis.

It has not been successful.

"Both Air Canada and American Airlines, which have flown from Bermuda to the Caribbean in the past, have said that the route is not a feasible option at this time,'' Insp. Burke said yesterday.

"But they have promised to look at it in the future if they feel it would be profitable.'' According to the local British Airways manager, however, a Bermuda-Caribbean air link is not economically viable.

Mr. Philip Troake claimed that the British airline, which has provided service to a number of Caribbean hubs from Bermuda, tried for years to sustain such a link.

"We lost a lot of money,'' he told The Royal Gazette yesterday. "In order for a link to be viable, it's got to be balanced with travel from the other end. And if you're looking at the Caribbean, there is basically no market for Bermuda. We weren't able to sustain the business.'' Insp. Burke, however, was more optimistic about such a link, claiming that special regional events and a growing interest among Bermudians in their Caribbean roots has resulted in increased travel to the islands.

Insp. Burke also dismissed the suggestion that a direct air link to the Caribbean would result in more drugs coming into Bermuda.

"There was a British Airways flight from Jamaica some time ago that was discontinued because it was believed that it was assisting in the importation of drugs to Bermuda,'' he said.

"But I can tell you as a Police officer that the entry of drugs has not stopped. Direct air service is not really a factor.'' When contacted yesterday, Tourism Minister the Hon. C.V. (Jim) Woolridge said he had not been approached by the WIA over its plans to secure a Caribbean link.

He did say, however, that he was generally supportive of the idea.

"We welcome all links to and from Bermuda because they give us greater access to the outside world,'' he said. "In the case of the Caribbean, I think there are a lot of people who would be interested in such a service. Bermudians have conducted a lot of business in the area in recent years.'' Insp. Burke, who claimed to also have the support of the Transport Ministry, said that any charter service to the Caribbean would be directed to a destination that would serve the interest of as many Bermudians as possible.

"We are interested in a charter that would go to a more or less central island,'' he said. "We feel that Barbados would be a central location -- not geographically, but in terms of connections to other islands.'' Before any air link is actually established, Insp. Burke said, Brown Charters will be polling Bermudians on their travel habits to better determine their needs.

He added that questionnaires have already been distributed among WIA members, who are being encouraged to make copies of the forms and pass them on to others.

"You don't have to be a West Indian or a member of the WIA,'' the Inspector said. "As long as you travel to the Caribbean or have intentions of doing so at any time in the future, your participation in this venture is vital.

"If these charters become successful, other airlines may be attracted to the idea.'' Insp. Burke said that the charter company would gather its information by the end of the month and make a decision soon after.

INSP. BURKE: Direct link to the islands.