Dominica’s Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit, has confirmed that there are ongoing
discussions among leaders of the OECS on the establishment of a new regional
airline in the wake of the demise of LIAT (1974) ltd. The regional airline, the
mainstay of intra-regional travel for several decades, will wind up operations later
this month.
Antigua and Barbud has been spearheading effort to form a new airline – LIAT
2020 – that is expected to service many of the routes previously serviced by LIAT
(1974) Ltd.
Speaking on the state-owned DBS radio, PM Skerritt said he had always informed
Dominicans that if “LIAT does not fly for one day in the Caribbean we will be in
trouble”.
“I always held the view that for you to have any sustained airline business in the
Caribbean among these islands…governments must be involved. Governments
must seek to underwrite certain portions of the expenses associated with running
these airlines and this is why we invested in LIAT (1974) Ltd. against all the
public criticisms which were meted out to me when I took the decision to invest
the airline.
“Dominica is still prepared to invest in any airline outfit that will serve the
Caribbean because we believe that it is absolutely important,” he added.
During the presentation of his country’s national budget last month, Prime Minister
Gaston Browne said his government had embraced the responsibility to restructure
and resurrect LIAT, with a “with a vision of returning the airline to the regional
skies”.
Browne said then the airline, which has been under administration since July 24,
2020, “has long been an essential thread in the fabric of Caribbean connectivity”.
“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.
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 finalising 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.”.
Skerrit told radio listeners that “my view is let us come together as governments.
“Okay we need US$20 million to start the airline, let us have a strategic plan for
this airline, let us put in good management, an executive chairman, good board
members, let the governments stay out of the running of the airline.
“Let the board and the management implement the strategy plan. I don’t believe in
governments running anything and this is why we don’t own things in the private
sector as a government.
“Anytime we invest in anything that’s supposed to be in the private sector because
there is a gap and I don’t believe in the government running anything.
Governments should not be running anything, leave it to the private sector people
to run this airline,” he added.
“So we are having these discussions with some of the islands within the OECS
about looking to see how we can work together towards introducing some kind of
operations that will alleviate the situation within the Caribbean, but the Caribbean
cannot grow to the extent that it wants to grow without addressing intra-regional
travel,” Skerrit said.
Article Published January 15, 2024 on trinidadexpress.com
