Prime Minister Gaston Browne remains unwavering in his commitment to build an
‘air bridge’ between the African continent and the Caribbean with Antigua and
Barbuda as its first hub.
PM Browne said his administration remains undeterred in its policy objective
despite the fallout from the earlier attempt with the establishment of Antigua
Airways and the problems that ensued from that arrangement.
According to the prime minister the government has put in place several measures
to ensure that there will not be a repeat of the problem, where hundreds of African
migrants ended up being stranded in Antigua. Following an IOM report, it appears
as though the Africans, mainly Cameroonians who were fleeing conflict in their
homeland sought to use the direct flights to travel to Antigua, from where they
hoped to travel the long treacherous journey to the southern US border.
PM Browne said the steps being implemented will prevent this from happening.
“This time around, having had the experience of a few months ago, we have put
certain systems in place so we will not be granting visas to Cameroonians or other
countries with instability in Africa,” he revealed.
Individuals described by the prime minister as ‘opportunistic migrants’ will not be
allowed to board the flight heading for Antigua. Also, there will be no waivers of
visa requirements.
The privately owned Nigerian airline, Air Peace, is currently in negotiations with
the government to own a majority of the shares in the newly formed LIAT 2020
which according to PM Browne, should be able to take to the skies by October of
this year.
Meanwhile, he said the new airline will soon get the necessary licensing regime
that will allow it to operate commercially in Antigua and Barbuda and other
territories.
