- Antigua to acquire LIAT planes
Antigua and Barbuda has made an offer to purchase the three aircraft owned by the Barbados-based Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) and had been used by the inter-regional airline, LIAT, which was dissolved late last month.
A statement issued after the weekly cabinet meeting said that Prime Minister Gaston Browne, during a Zoom meeting with CDB and representatives of the LIAT (1974) shareholders on Tuesday, made the offer to purchase the aircraft.
The airline, which is owned by the governments of Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Dominica and St Vincent and the Grenadines ended its operations in its current form on January 24 this year.
The airline, which had been under administration since July 24, 2020, ended its operations with the court-appointed administrator, Cleveland Seafort, in a letter to staff.
But he indicated that it would not be shying away from its obligations to them on severance, vacation pay, retroactive pay and any outstanding salaries.
“The company recognises its obligation as it relates to any of the [aforementioned] applicable entitlements, which will be provided to you under separate cover within 45 days of this letter after the respective computations have been completed.”
In December last year, Prime Minister Browne delivering his country’s national budget, said the CDB would play a critical role in solidifying the arrangement among the governments, adding that this would 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.”.
According to the Cabinet statement, Browne told his colleagues “of his offer to purchase the three aircraft which the CDB owns, and which will be utilised by LIAT (2020) Ltd. now that LIAT (1974) Ltd. has been dissolved”.
He gave no indication as to the amount being proposed to acquire the aircraft, but the statement said that the talks were due to continue this week.
“Following the consummation of the sale, the three aircraft will form the basis of the fleet that will cause LIAT 2020 to become a viable entity. It will partner with Air Peace to provide the much-needed intra-regional and extra-regional services to move people and cargo throughout the Caribbean,” the Cabinet statement added.
