Trinidad and Tobago's Caribbean Airlines has signed a contract for nine aircraft in a deal worth about US200 million, according to the Italian news agency Ansa.

The 68-seater planes will be built by ATR, the European constructor of turbo-prop aircraft, the agency said.

The 72-600 aircraft will replace the Dash-8 300s which Caribbean Airlines currently uses for its domestic flights, and will add further routes to other nearby destinations.

The agency said some of the new aircraft will be used by Air Jamaica, which has been taken over by Caribbean Airlines.