Prime Minister Gaston Browne says he remains hopeful about the future of intra-
regional air travel, led by LIAT 2020, as support for a more reliable air
transportation system is gathering momentum.
The prime minister was commenting on recent statements by the former chairman
of LIAT (1974) Ltd., St. Vincent and the Grenadines Prime Minister, Dr. Ralph
Gonsalves who has indicated a willingness to invest in the new airline.
PM Browne recalled that over the years he has tried to impress on his regional
colleagues that maintaining an airline to move people and goods throughout the
region was a vital necessity.
He suggested that some governments wanted to have the benefits of a regional
carrier, but who did not want to invest in the airline to ensure the sustainability of
the venture.
According to the prime minister, these are some of the factors that led to the
grounding of LIAT 1974 Ltd in 2020 during the height of the COVID-19
pandemic.
Antigua and Barbuda, on its own, decided to incorporate LIAT 2020 and it has
invested millions of dollars into the entity to keep it afloat thus far. However, it
does not have the required fleet to adequately service the region.
Another Caribbean airline, InterCaribbean, has been servicing many of the routes
previously served by LIAT 1974 Ltd. However, there has been a region-wide
outcry over its service, reliability, and overall operations, that many in the region
are asking for the return of LIAT.
“Forty years ago, when our economies were much smaller, were we able to sustain
an airline, and now 2023 with our economies much larger and with more resources,
we can’t sustain an airline, how do you rationalize that? Obviously, it’s a lack of
cooperation and collaboration among states; that is a fundamental problem and it’s
one of the issues affecting regional integration,” PM Browne suggested.
The Antigua and Barbuda leader holds the view that the failures of InterCaribbean
during this summer have made the point about the necessity of a reliable airline,
that will get people to their destinations on time. Already, the SVG leader, Dr.
Gonsalves, and the leader of St. Lucia, Philip Pierre, are on board with investing in
LIAT 2020. “We are making progress,” he stated.
