PM Browne welcomes Air Peace’s inaugural flight

Prime Minister Gaston Browne has been speaking of his role as a leading voice
within the Caribbean, calling for establishing direct flights between Africa and the
Caribbean, which he referred to as Africa’s ‘Sixth Region.’
PM Browne recalled that the proposals were annunciated within ‘the halls of
CARICOM’ and during the time that he served as chairman, he had done much
work to advance the process.
“This initiative emanated within the CARICOM space within which we would
have held discussions about strengthening the relationship between the Caribbean,
the Sixth Region, and the ‘Motherland.’ In 2021, it was the CARICOM chair who
presided over the first CARICOM-African summit. In fact, I even recommended
that September 7 be set aside as African-Caribbean Day which is now observed
each year. The point I am making is that, I have been among the leaders in
CARICOM promoting closer ties with Africa,” he stated.
According to PM Browne he has been advocating for stronger ties with Africa in
trade and investments as well as opportunities for people-to-people exchanges.
“However, to capitalize on these opportunities, we must be able to move people,
and if you can’t move people then, obviously, that vision would remain unrealized.
This is why Air Peace is so important. It is the first established airline to have
crossed the Atlantic to have a commercial flight into the Caribbean region. This is
a significant development, and the airline’s CEO is giving a commitment for
weekly flights linking Africa with the Caribbean.” he remarked.
The prime minister promised his government’s full support for the efforts by Air
Peace to establish weekly flights into Antigua and for its commitment to invest
significantly in LIAT 2020 in the coming months.
He also opened the door for a possible starting point for cruises, where Africans
arrive to board ships that are homeporting here. He promised to have discussions
with the cruise lines to explore this possibility.