Prime Minister Gaston Browne, who is leading the Antigua and Barbuda
delegation to the 46 th meeting of CARICOM Heads of Government, has provided
an update to his colleagues on the progress being made towards setting up LIAT
2020.
PM Browne reported that the government is partnering with Air Peace out of
Nigeria to spend an estimated US$80 million to establish the new regional air
service. As part of that undertaking, he further reported, Air Peace will fly three
aircraft to Antigua shortly to join with the other three that are being sourced from
the Caribbean Development Bank, and which were leased by LIAT (1974) Ltd.
Air Peace is also assisting the government with acquiring the LIAT (1974)
headquarters building along with the aircraft it will supply initially.
According to Browne the first three Air Peace supplied aircraft are Embraer E-
145’s 50-seater aircraft will arrive by mid-March. He said Air Peace has given a
commitment that it will expand the fleet as the demand suggests, including a jet
aircraft sometime in the future.
“There will be a fourth aircraft – the Embraer E-195- which can carry up to 125
persons. They have given an understanding that they will make additional assets
available to meet the demands. As it stands now, we are likely to run LIAT 2020
with six aircraft; three from LIAT (1974) Ltd, through the CDB and the other three
from Air Peace. We are making progress as we are meeting the CDB on
Wednesday to finalise the arrangements for the three planes formerly owned by
LIAT (1974) Ltd.,” he disclosed.
According to PM Browne the search for a suitable individual to head the airline is
progressing with interviews now being conducted.
The focus, he informed his colleagues, is to acquire the Air Operations Certificate
for LIAT 2020, but that this is contingent upon the airline first acquiring an
aircraft.
