Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit has said that the Government of Dominica is prepared to play its part in any effort towards improving air travel within the Caribbean. He made the announcement while addressing a press briefing recently.
According to him, air transportation is crucial for the economies of the Caribbean.
“In regards to LIAT 2020, as I have said before we are prepared to play our part as a government and as a country in any effort towards improving air travel within the Caribbean,” he said.
He continued, “And if we go back to contemporary times, you would recall that we invested in LIAT 1974 Limited and [as] a matter of fact when we invested then we were heavily criticized because we felt we were investing in a failed company, in a company that was losing money and we are just throwing good money.”
The Prime Minister told reporters that he indicated to those critics that if LIAT doesn’t fly for one day in the Caribbean, “we are in trouble” and if it doesn’t fly at all, “we are in real deep trouble.”
“Unfortunately, this has come to pass and we have seen the dramatic impact on air travel in the Caribbean, on our economies, on the tourism industry, because all the countries in the Caribbean–all with no exception–regional tourism is either number one or number two in terms of contribution of tourism to these countries,” he explained.
Despite the investment by InterCaribbean Airways, Caribbean Airlines, and Winair Airlines, there is still a gap because of the absence of LIAT.
“And therefore, we have to work towards filling that gap if we are to get back to LIAT servicing of operations,” Prime Minister Skerrit stated.
LIAT (1974) Limited, a regional airline owned by the governments of Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Dominica, St Vincent and the Grenadines, permanently ceased all commercial flying operations on January 24, 2024. This decision was taken by the court-appointed administrator, Cleveland Seaforth, after careful consideration and evaluation of the present operations.
LIAT (1974) Limited has been under administration since July 24, 2020. The airline serviced several regional destinations before it entered administration. Since then, it has scaled down its operations and is now only serving Anguilla, Antigua, Barbados, Dominica, Guyana, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Martinique, San Juan Puerto Rico, St Kitts, St Lucia, and St Maarten.
Antigua and Barbuda Prime Minister Gaston Browne, during his country’s national budget presentation, said that his government had embraced the responsibility to restructure and resurrect LIAT, “with a vision of returning the airline to the regional skies.”
Browne also mentioned that LIAT has long been an essential thread in the fabric of Caribbean connectivity.
Browne shared that in 2023, LIAT 1974 Limited, which resumed flying operations after a hiatus, on November 1, 2020, operated a limited schedule, despite several hurdles, including unserviceable aircraft, unresolved issues for former workers, financial constraints, staff attrition, and disruptions caused by the hurricane season.
The airline ensured vital connectivity across destinations with 167 dedicated staff.
