LIAT Expands Network as Government Backs Airline’s Bid to Reclaim Regional Leadership
LIAT now operates flights to 17 airports in 16 cities across 13 countries and is preparing to add new routes to Belize, Guadeloupe, Colombia and Panama, according to Antigua and Barbuda’s Tourism and Civil Aviation Minister, Charles “Max” Fernandez.
Speaking during the Budget Debate, Fernandez said the regional carrier is continuing its recovery after years of uncertainty, describing its current phase as one of rebuilding and renewed ambition.
The minister, who has responsibility for civil aviation, said LIAT is working to “re-energise itself” as it seeks to regain the stature it once held in Caribbean aviation. He said the airline’s objective is not merely survival, but a return to “the level of the number one regional air carrier”.
Fernandez referred to LIAT as “our baby”, framing the airline as a shared regional responsibility and a strategic asset for Antigua and Barbuda and the wider Eastern Caribbean. He said that view underpinned the government’s decision to intervene when the airline was in danger of collapse.
That intervention, he acknowledged, was politically contentious. Fernandez told Parliament there was “so much criticism” when the government moved to support LIAT and claimed that some parliamentarians boycotted the effort. Despite that opposition, he said, the airline survived and has now stabilised enough to pursue expansion.
As part of that recovery, Fernandez said LIAT’s existing route network continues to play a key role in maintaining regional connectivity, particularly for smaller Caribbean states that depend on reliable inter-island air service. The planned addition of routes to Central and South America, he said, reflects confidence in demand and a broader vision for the airline’s future.
Fernandez placed LIAT’s progress within a wider aviation strategy that includes airport upgrades, expanded long-haul airlift and efforts to protect Antigua and Barbuda’s international aviation standing. Strong regional air transport, he said, remains essential as tourism arrivals grow and new hotel developments come on stream.
He said the airline’s rebuilding process would take time, but maintained that LIAT’s expansion plans demonstrate that it is once again looking outward rather than merely trying to stay afloat.
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