Antigua and Barbuda prime minister Gaston Browne has said that there are several proposals on the table from private entities as efforts continue to breathe some new life into the seriously ailing LIAT.
“There is one entity that has offered a US$25 million investment for 51 per cent of the shares,” the Prime Minister said on Saturday on his weekly radio show in Antigua. “There’s another regional airline that has offered to invest about US$25 million and a few planes for about 60 per cent of the shares in LIAT.”
According to Browne, at least three governments have also shown some interest in investing in LIAT.
“So there are some prospects that the Administrator is pursuing. And we believe that ultimately, on the basis that the Administrator is successful in getting the cooperation of creditors, that LIAT will be organized and be back in the air to take its pole position, to continue to be the number one carrier within the Caribbean region,” Browne stated.
He acknowledged that LIAT is presently on life-support but insisted that as far as Antigua and Barbuda is concerned, “corporate euthanasia” is not the answer.
The Prime Minister said while certain prospective investors have written to him directly, expressing their interest in LIAT, he has passed on all the information to the Administrator, Cleveland Seaforth, who has sole managerial responsibility for the airline.
sherika fe, the past shows us that LIAT has an unblemished record of spectacular safety flying the Caribbean skies. This must not and can not be underestimated.
Good luck my boy. Meanwhile the chairman of LIAT Ralph Gonsalves of St. Vincent have his own airline SVG with ten airplanes including a private jet. That man sitting well sweet Gaston.
Goe intercaribbean
Liat need to move on no one should put any money in this sell it case done brown is just playing politics
Over the past few months the Prime Minister of Antigua has been making statements regarding the operations of LIAT and one of which was the Richard Branson of on the , majority of Virgin Airline, will invest in LIAT. That did not materialize and the chairman of the government shareholders was not aware of the statement made by the Prime Minister of Antigua. In his most recent statements, we can only wait if all these stated promise investments will materialize.
I like the offers from the private sector because they will be in a strong position with the majority of the shares, thus the unions can’t hold the company to rasome nor can the government influence management to give a job to their supporter even if it will burden the financial health and profitably of the company. The shares being offered to the governments should further be offered to citizens of the sub-region as a percentage of the country’s participation.
Gaston sounding like when Skerrit promised that four schools were fighting to take over the Ross University campus at Picard
I know of no better way to judge the future but by the past .What has been the legacy of LIAT? Hind sight.
Local, regional and international support is important for the future sustainability of LIAT… I applaud all efforts to make the airline airborne again.
The love/hate relationship between LIAT and the Caribbean is a long one that we should not allow to be destroyed
Is it the same Cleveland Seaforth who was the CEO of Liat in the past? Just asking a question.
Has anybody rescued the Dominican workers of LAIT YET???? ? !!
That is good news. I have been stuck in Dominica for the past 5 months, if Liat airline was flying, I would have been home by now. I have booked 3 airlines, all cancelled because of landing permit issues. Please, anyone knows which airline is flying from Dominica to St Lucia right now?
From the outbreak of covid LIAT Suspended its operation, it is more than 5 months.
Try Air Antilles.
LIAT is dead and gone, time to stop wasting money on LIAT and form a new airline using small 50 passenger jets to make direct flights to and from the US, small jets can easily land in Dominica and fly direct to Tampa and Miami Florida. Even when LIAT was fully up and running people still had to overnight in another island just to get to Dominica people do not want to go through conniptions just getting to Dominica so Dominica loses out on money spending visitors. A lot of people visit St Lucia instead. There are direct flights from Atlanta to ST Lucia every day so why would someone go to Dominica when they can just go to ST Lucia by jet direct from the US and not have to overnight anywhere else.
A 50 seater jet from frorida to Dominica would be uneconomical.
Gaston just produce the goods if you can and stop your habitual over promising. The people of the sub-region need concrete action not loosey goosey talk. The problem with Gaston Browne and many of his colleague prime ministers is that they suffer from verbal diarrhoea and mental constipation.
Gaston lie!
Any shareholder owning 51% of anything, is the owner of that thing, the holders of 49% does not have any decision making power.
It is even worst if someone or an organization, own 60% of that something!So, in both cases, the 51%; and the 60% assumption: if something like that were to materialize, the three governments “Dominica, St. Vincent, and Antigua; I believe are the three interested; they will be left with nothing while contributing a greater amount of money to defray expenses.
It does matter who own LIAT, nothing will change!
LIAT has been an economic disaster from its inception; for almost seventy years of its existence it has been a none-profitable entity, and that is because of its limited route; things might change if LIAT can get more than one international route.
That would become very costly, whereas a series of commercial Jet Aircraft would have to become involved into International flights, and they will need more than the 150 pilots they now…
Hmmmmmmmm
Again for LIAT 2020 to succeed ALL debts must be left in the dust. In other words, it must be an entirely new Airline that is not responsible for the old LIAT debt plus no regional government should hold any shares. Totally a private sector airline run by professionals for once with no government hands in the managerial aspect.
@Bwa-banday, just stop talking and put your money where your mouth is.