REAL NEWS: Another red flag has been raised regarding the Antigua Airways deal between the Gaston Browne Administration and an African investor, after the airline posted pictures of the Guatemalan city of Antigua to its website.
Rather than scenes of Antigua, West Indies, the airline’s promotional material depicted the Central American city’s Santa Catalina Arch among other iconic sites.
The clear confusion about this destination has led Harold Lovell, Political Leader of United Progressive Party (UPP), to conclude that “something is rotten in Denmark” – with regard to the agreement between the Administration and the Nigerian investor known only as “Mr. Mike.”
Lovell, a former Minister of Tourism, says it is shameful that the investor appears to have no clue about the country with which he is doing business.
Additionally, the airline’s official contact number is reported to be a cell phone, which would suggest that the company does not yet have an established office.
Lovell says nothing about this airline venture appears to be well thought out, and he notes that the Antigua and Barbuda Tourism Authority (ABTA) seems not to have had any input, either.
Having held the Aviation portfolio during his tenure in Tourism, Lovell says that one would expect that the Aviation Authority would have had some input, as well.
However, he acknowledges that he is unable to say what discussions might be taking place behind the scenes; hence, the UPP is in a wait-and-see position at this stage.
In the meantime, the Political Leader warns that another crooked scheme by the Browne Administration could ruin the name and reputation of Antigua and Barbuda.
So far, Lovell says, everything about this venture is pointing to shady dealings.
Meanwhile, an earlier social-media mention of the airline showed a photo of an aircraft branded Antigua Airways, bearing the national flag and the tagline “Ride of the Caribbean.”
However, yesterday, September 12, it was exposed as a photoshopped picture of a United Airline airplane.
Critics noted that the venture is being floated – or, reportedly, at least fronted – by Marvelous Mike Press Ltd., which specializes in digital printing services in Nigeria.
The company’s website indicates that passengers will experience “a better flying experience to your destination,” which apparently could be either in the Caribbean or the wider Americas.
The Cabinet Notes of July 20 reported that “the firm is hoping to collaborate with LIAT, flying passengers [from West Africa] north and south of Antigua.”
Last week, former Information Commissioner Alister Thomas urged the Government to be cautious about this venture, based on an alert he had received from his network of commissioners.
Today, he tells REAL News that the public needs to consider the possibilities of money-laundering or moving money here for election purposes, as well as the international scourge of human trafficking.
Given the glaring error in identifying Antigua and Barbuda as the partnering destination “at this last minute,” Thomas says residents must ask themselves, “How could they get it so wrong … if it is such an established or reputable airline?”
As much as we might want direct travel from Africa, Thomas adds, residents must be satisfied that the airline is legitimate, so that the country does not end up in any scandal or being blacklisted.
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Upp all the way. Upp for people and country..
@Rita
This BS is no longer funny
Is best KING CHARLES tek we back
Harold Lovel is a Joke. Including anybody who Endorse his crap. This guy was in power for 10 years. Now he and his followers out here…..like people forget them and their 10 years.
@ Just saying
you sound very worried, and no they should not forget all the great work that the UPP did during their tenure, just check the book of accomplishments, compared to the umpteenth of failed projects produced by THE ABLP…….there is no comparison.
How can you guys look poor people in the eye and expect them to return this WICKED HEARTLESS AND CORRUPT ABLP back in power when they do not help anyone but themselves in their ENRICHMENT SCHEMES.
GET RID A DEM
Whether or not you think he is a joke is not the point. The point is that this whole Antigua Airways thing just sounds and looks like a scam. They don’t even know how Antigua looks, that should be a huge red flag. Come on man this shit is not funny, it’s Antigua’s name that is going to get tarnished.
I completely agree!!!! This has nothing to do with any politician. This has to do with Antigua. To put antiguas name on an airline that we are not involved with or know nothing about the investors … Nigerians at that .. is a huge mistake … mark my words .. this airline willl go under and take antiguas name with it .. WE NEED TO BACK OUT NOW!!!!!
@ Just saying.
When you blog, you must have a good memory. It was you, Just Saying that said you agree with Harold Lovell when Harold Lovell first raised this scampish deal. YOU FORGET! CHECK OUT YOUR BLOGS for the past few weeks.
Yes, Just Saying said: ” For the first time, I agree with Harold Lovell”
You Just Saying have been missing from this blog for a number of days so you missed the news item. You cannot blame ANR, if you did not read it.
The website of ANTIGUA AIRWAYS showed a picture of a yellow cathedral. Hey, That Cathedral was Antigua alright, but Antigua, Guatemala.
Don’t be vex with ANR or the UPP for showing up the incompetence of the ABLP so called investor. Remember, the ABLP IS AN EXPERT in attracting crooks.
Tell me, talking about a joke:
I hear that Gaston Browne pulled down his pant and showed his bottom to the world!
@just saying: Harold Lovell was never the Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda.
He was Tourism, Finance and Economy all in a 10 year stint….
He was responsible for the finances, the Economy the banking system that was destroyed.
Y’all not fooling nobody
We were here
@ Jack
you guys are pathetic – when during the election of 2014 Gaston convinced the electorate that he should be given a chance because he was never PM during the 28 years of the absolute disastrous reign of the ABLP, we all swallowed it, BUT now HAROLD is to be blamed when he was never even the Finance Minister in the first 5 years of the UPP.
In fact one of your minions was so adamant that he was the finance minister for 10 years that after he was corrected he went and buried his head, so much so that y’all now change the tune to ”all in a 10 year stint’, so just like Gaston claimed in 2014 he was not PM then, so too Harold was never PM during 2004-2014.
NOBODY FOOLING NOBODY….THE FACT IS: THIS FAILED GASTON EXPERIMENT MUST GO, HE MASH UP ANTIGUA AND THE PROGRESS THE UPP HAD MADE IN RESTORING ITS IMAGE IN THE WORLD.
The Bible says that a good name is better to be chosen than great riches, instead, GASTON and his ministers and minions have chosen riches and enrichment over the only thing that matters in a person’s life: YOUR CHARACTER. THEIR CHARACTER IS ROTTEN!!
GET RID A DEM
It’s a virtual flight
Who better to Photoshop images than a printing press?
I may not have been an A student, but I am outraged that maxfernandez cutie and gaston want to mek believe to such proportions jus to get a few votes
What next, a ploy cardiology center to compliment the ploy Nugent Ave hospital?
Lets really talk about ‘make believe, just to get a few votes’;
Was it ok for the UPP to make believe that they were ever going to fulfill their promise to give $2500 to every senior citizens as a financial assistance to fix their homes? To also fulfill their promise to give $1000 per month to every retiree turning 60 yrs old? These are two of many empty promises, make believe schemes that the UPP used to get votes. They used these to get the senior citizens to vote for them and never fulfilled their promise!!!
My heart aches too because people seem to forget all the empty promises that were made to us by the UPP administration. The ABLP aren’t perfect (never witnessed a government yet that is) but they have a wealth of experience and have taken us through this world crisis, fantastically! They have also been successfully clearing up all the financial mess that the UPP administration left them with. I really hope that Antigua continue to make steps forward in the right direction rather than taking steps backwards by voting in a new set of UPP inexperienced candidates to form our government… not a good move in this current climate!!!
@ Semper Virens
Please tell your ABLP GODS, GB, ‘CHIT’ GREEN, ETC, that you have not found us to spew out their LIARD BILE AND ‘B_ _ _SH_T’. YOU GUYS JUST LIE LIE LIE AND LIE AND FEEL THE END COMING. THATS ALL ABLP DOES-FOOL THE PEOPLE WITH MISREPRESENTATION ,BUT PEOPLE ARE WAKING UP TO YOUR LIES, YOUR EMPTY EMPTY PROMISES AND SCARE TACTIC.
I HAVE NEVER HEARD SUCH CRAPP IN MY LIFE.
YOU PEOPLE ARE THE SCUM OF THE EARTH- JUST GO AND DIG YOUR HEAD IN THE GROUND FOR THE GOD OF HEAVEN IS NOT SLEEPING.
THE UPP GAVE PENSIONERS AN INCREASE OF NEARLY $1,000 PER MONTH FROM CIRCA $100
-DENY THAT. THEY GAVE SENIORS OVER 60 THE A MONTHLY SUBSIDY, SO WHERE THE HELL YOU COMING UP WITH THIS BAREFACED LIE!!!
ON ONE HAND YOU CLAIM THEY CREATING A WELFARE STATE BUT NOW YOU CLAIM THEY SHOULD BE GIVING MORE- MAKE UP YA MIND YOU USEFUL AND LIARD IDIOT.
GET RID A DEM, BECAUSE ALL THEY DO IS SUCK THE BLOOD OF POOR PEOPLE.
THEY SAY ABOUT WELFARE STATE, BUT IT IS NOT A WELFARE STATE WHEN EVERY SINGLE ELECTION IN ORDER TO WIN THE ELECTION THEY GIVE HANDOUTS TO THE POPULACE: RAMPANT CORRUPTION. WITHOUT THE GIVEAWAYS (WELFARE), THEY WOULD NEVER EVER WIN AN ELECTION IN THIS COUNTRY.
GET RID A DEM
Real news always coming with se bullshit if it’s senator you working for you nah get um when you coming please provide solid evidence to back your news
Did you see the article published by ANR earlier this week? Did you miss it? It was published. It was a picture of Antigua, Guatemala. That is right, ANTIGUA AIRWAYS did not know which ANTIGUA they the plane was supposed to land in.
I know you are embarrassed. In fact, the telephone number posted was a private cell phone number.
Remember Gaston Browne already has over 26 failed projects under his belt. I guess this will just be another one.
Answer this one question: How is it that most of Gaston’s investors are in jailed.
The Chinese man for WIOC, Saab Moran, Peter Virdee.
Will Magic Mike be added to this list?
SMH
So you flying a plane to Antigua and you don’t know which Antigua you flying to.
Hey, with all the people with degrees in the Cabinet, this is foolishness you dealing with.
Gaston, what stupidness you get us involve with this time.
CHUPTS!
These people think this is a joke business. Many large airlines like Emirates had to pull their service out of Nigeria because they had problems getting their money out of the country. Why are we rushing into place with do many problems to do business. Are we that desperate? We have enough headaches in this country.
I will give it to Marvelous Mike, the art work on the plane is nice. But the graphics team is damn lazy for not giving the webmaster the right images. Had the proper legwork been done, many people might have had more confidence in Antigua Airways.
This brings us to the real problem with Gaston Browne. He does not do the proper due diligence. Or maybe he just disregards the evidence.
I am still waiting for Antigua and Barbuda cargo vessel promised to the people few years ago by the ABLP. We were told having our own cargo ship 🚢 will help to reduce the freight cost and cost on imported food and clothes items in the supermarkets, village shops, and stores.
You can’t make this stuff up
So you could book a flight from Nigeria to Antigua on that Airline and end up in Antigua,Guatemala.Perhaps if you were to book to Trinidad.You could end up in Trinidad,Colorado.LOL
What a Pappyshow government. Is Africans they dealing with. The biggest scam artists! They need to get the hell outta here. What I find interesting is that the Prime Minister seems to be the main spokesperson for Antigua Airways. What happen to the Min of Tourism and Min of Aviation?
This is a total sham!
Yours and my ancestors are from there and they’re bad.
Thing is Bernie Madoff scammed $26 Billion Usd(biggest they told us) as an American Businessman but Americans ain’t considered the biggest scam artists as you’ve described Africans, I wonder why?
Smh
You can jump high or jump low, Gaston Browne MUST GO!
You sound so foolish
Gaston Browne and ABLP is best for Antigua and Barbuda general Progress and Growth
@ Iman
OK THEN, I TOTALLY AGREE WITH YOU IF YOU WANT ANTIGUA TO BE A PAUPERISED STATE AFTER ABLP AND THEIR MINISTERS ROB US ALL OF OUR LANDS, NATURAL RESOURCES AND DIGNITY.
I CANNOT UNDERSTAND YOUR RATIONALE. THESE PEOPLE BLATANTLY ROB US EVERY WHICH WAY, HIGH GAS PRICES WHICH THEY USE TO FLEECE THEIR POCKETS, HIGH FOOD PRICES WITHOUT EVEN CONSIDERING LOWERING DUTIES TO HELP POOR PEOPLE, BUT AGAIN THEY HAVE TO MAINTAIN THE DUTY ONCE AGAIN TO FLEECE US AND FILL THEIR POCKETS WITH THEIR ENRICHMENT SCHEMES.
AND THIS IS BEST FOR ANTIGUA? TELL ME YOU ARE BEING SARCASTIC!!!
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How can you call someone foolish for their opinion
,ablp has not no good it time for them to pack and good
Ablp has no good for antiguan it’s time for them to pack up and go
antiguaairways.com was some aviation fanboy site that they had to buy to sort out the mess the kid had done. Their site has always been antiguaairways.net. You guys are a complete joke!
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