The newly formed LIAT 2020 made its inaugural flight to Saint Lucia on Tuesday, signalling the return to the skies of the inter-regional airline, whose previous owners, LIAT (1974) Limited went bankrupt in January this year.
CLICK HERE TO JOIN OUR WHATS APP GROUP
LIAT 1974 Limited has been under administration since July 24, 2020, and the new entity has been formed in partnership with Air Peace, a private Nigerian airline founded in 2013.
Earlier this year Prime Minister Gaston Browne said that Air Peace would be putting in close to $130 million (US$65 million), while the government is investing $40 million (US$20 million).
Speaking at the launching ceremony, Prime Minister Browne said: “Today is indeed a momentous occasion in which we celebrate the inaugural flight of LIAT 2020.”
Browne said he was pleased to be participating in the event “considering the difficulties that we had with LIAT 1974 four years ago.
“I believe that this is a great story of courage, of patience, of resilience and perhaps the message to all of us is that notwithstanding the challenges we should always press on with determination, with optimism, knowing that invariably there is a brighter future for those who have the courage and resilience to fight whatever obstacles are placed in their way”.
CLICK HERE TO JOIN OUR WHATS APP GROUP
Browne said the launch of the inaugural flight “represents a rebirth of LIAT”, recalling having written a re-organisation in 2020 “in which I was trying to convince the other shareholder governments of LIAT 1974, not to collapse LIAT, not to liquidate LIAT”.
He said the re-organisation plan was titled “LIAT rising like a phoenix and today we are actually experiencing LIAT rising like a phoenix from the ashes and I have no doubt based on the quality of the staff and the service that we will provide that LIAT will literally start at the top of the food chain to be the number one carrier within our region”.
Browne said that the partnership with Air Peace will result in the new company having at least seven new aircraft to service the routes.
“We hope to expand LIAT in the coming years as the demand for travel increases within the region,” Browne said, adding that the company will be a “significant contributor” to the country’s economy.
He said jobs would be created, airport taxes collected as well as improving the tourism product here.
“LIAT will be a net economic benefit to the government and people of Antigua and we are also looking forward to a profitable LIAT, one that could generate profits and one in which, perhaps on an annual basis, the Government of Antigua and Barbuda could look forward to a dividend cheque.
CLICK HERE TO JOIN OUR WHATS APP GROUP
“But in any event, even if it struggles to make a profit, I am absolutely confident that it will be a net economic contributor to the economy of Antigua and Barbuda and my government is absolutely committed to the sustainability, and certainly, the viability of LIAT.”
But Browne said that “clearly we can’t do it alone,” saying “we need the support of all stakeholders” praising also the workers of LIAT 1974, who had accepted salary cuts to keep the airline flying.
He said LIAT was necessary for an effective integration movement, saying “LIAT has been and will continue to be a critical aspect of the integration movement as it contributes to moving people within our region.
He said with regards to sustaining the airline, it should not be viewed as an opportunistic institution “seeking to cover a short-term demand, but we should see this institution as an institution we are building long term, an institution we can bequeath to future generations . . .”
Meanwhile, the Chief Executive Officer of LIAT 2020, Hafsah Abdulsalam, said she remained optimistic that the airline, will play a significant role in the future development of the regional integration movement.
Abdulsalam said she was pleased to be representing “the other half of our shareholding” an obvious reference to the Nigerian-based Air Peace.
“This is a joint venture of two great partnerships,” she said, adding that the inaugural flight “represents a significant milestone in our journey flying the Caribbean people and beyond.
CLICK HERE TO JOIN OUR WHATS APP GROUP
“The inaugural flight is a testament of our hard work . . . against all the headwinds that have been thrown against them (staff and colleagues),” she said, adding “as we look ahead, this flight is only the beginning.
“Our commitment, innovation and growth will continue to propel us to new heights. We are excited about the future and the endless possibilities,” she added.
Antigua and Barbuda’s Minister of Tourism and Aviation, Charles Max Fernandez, said LIAT remains an important stakeholder in regional integration and travel.
“No matter how hard we had beaten up on LIAT through the years at the end of the day LIAT has always been there for all of us and I can tell you there has been one in almost every family in the Caribbean who has had a family member working with LIAT.
“So LIAT is an integral part of the Caribbean . . . and we need to ensure if we are going to have regional integration we need to have that type of connectivity right through the islands,” Fernandez said, adding that Parliament had to meet in an emergency session on a Saturday in order to prevent LIAT “going into a graveyard”.
Fernandez said that there are a number of naysayers, including some regional leaders “who were signing the death song of LIAT. . . and at least one of them came full circle and was heard to say we need LIAT.”
CLICK HERE TO JOIN OUR WHATS APP GROUP
Advertise with the mоѕt vіѕіtеd nеwѕ ѕіtе іn Antigua!
We offer fully customizable and flexible digital marketing packages.
Contact us at [email protected]
I want to hear what jokey Franz and Paul will say about this.
THIS STAKEHOLDER HAS BEEN CALLING 4805520 4805610 4805582….NADA
Over/under on how many hungry bellies will be smuggled via Liat 2020?
You know why I would never fly liat ever again this straw boss of a prime minister and his cronies seems to forget that over 11 million dollars still owed to paying customers and not one of those bastards would not mention it not even this online paper but when you start wrong you can only end one way good luck to all those who venture to book a flight on liat.
Another poorly planned venture by the government. Haven’t we learned from the failures of the past? Instead of investing in a repeatedly failing airline, those millions could have been used to improve healthcare, education, or infrastructure.
Why are we resurrecting a dead airline? LIAT had its chance and failed miserably. This new venture seems more like a vanity project than a sound business decision.
Creating more jobs sounds good in theory, but what about the employees who faced job cuts and salary reductions from the previous LIAT? This new entity should have first addressed the grievances and injustices faced by the former staff.
This partnership with Air Peace sounds sketchy at best. With their dubious track record, I have serious doubts about the long-term viability and safety of this new LIAT. It seems like a disaster waiting to happen.
How many inaugural flight is this joke of an airline is going to make? By the way, what happen to the other “inaugural” flight to Barbuda?
Let’s get real: ain’t no joke: We are tired of you entities deciding for us. What’s really in it for us? Antigua 30% and Nigeria 70%. What sort of nonsensical agreement is this? So you want to decide our traveling destinations also? Back off! We are not so daft as you regional, good for nothing, greedy regional governments think.
Comments are closed.