St John’s, Antigua – The Antigua and Barbuda government Friday said it has embraced the responsibility to restructure and resurrect cash-strapped regional airline, LIAT, with a “with a vision of returning the airline to the regional skies”.
Prime Minister Gaston Browne, delivering the EC$1.3 billion (One EC dollar=US$0.37 cents) national budget to Parliament, said that the airline, which has been under administration since July 24, 2020, “has long been an essential thread in the fabric of Caribbean connectivity”.
LIAT, prior to entering into administration had been servicing several regional destinations and has since scaled down its operations and is now servicing Anguilla, Antigua, Barbados, Dominica, Guyana, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Martinique, San Juan Puerto Rico, St Kitts, St Lucia and St Maarten.
“In 2023, despite hurdles, including unserviceable aircraft, unresolved issues for former workers, financial constraints, staff attrition, and disruptions caused by the hurricane season; LIAT 1974 Ltd operated a limited schedule, ensuring vital connectivity across destinations with 167 dedicated staff,” Browne said of the airline, whose major shareholders are the governments of Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Dominica and St Vincent and the Grenadines.
Browne said that the Barbados-based Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) will play a critical role in solidifying the arrangement among the governments, adding that this will set the stage for finalizing the arrangement with Air Peace, a private Nigerian airline founded in 2013, “so that LIAT 2020 can begin operations, thereby securing a promising future for regional travel”.
Browne said that in 2024, the Antigua and Barbuda government will spend an estimated EC$30 million to “ensure LIAT 2020 Ltd has all the aircraft needed and appropriate maintenance and operational arrangements are in place for the safe, reliable, and efficient delivery of service to the people of the region. (CMC)