Antigua and Barbuda’s Prime Minister, Gaston Browne, has accused his regional counterparts in St Vincent and the Grenadines and Barbados of discriminating against the new LIAT.
On Friday, LIAT announced a suspension of services to these destinations, less than a week after restoring its commercial passenger flights.
A scheduled flight to Barbados was made on Monday but LIAT says they have since been informed by both territories, that new arrangements must be made for entry into the countries.
Browne said over the weekend that the situation is very unfortunate and signalled a deliberate effort to undermine the work ahead to have a successful return of the regional carrier.
“It’s is an unfortunate development that these impediments are developed. Notwithstanding the fact that LIAT has valid flight approval to fly into these countries. LIAT is not a new carrier, they have been flying for decades,” he said.
Furthermore, Browne said the requirement from Barbados and St Vincent is not in line with the expectations of other airlines.
“LIAT has been asked to make pre-payment for landing fees and other carriers are not asked to do that. Why are they discriminating against LIAT? LIAT should be given preference, not to be discriminated against,” he added.
The Prime Minister is calling for a complete review of the decision.
“Who has this kind of gumption? To take this type of policy decision in order to discriminate against LIAT recognising we all have treaty obligations. It cannot be sustained and I recommend that it be reviewed soonest,” he demanded.
Meanwhile, LIAT’s court appointed administrator Cleveland Seaford said he is surprised by the recent turn of events that forced the carrier to suspend services to two destinations.
He said revenue will be affected as a result of the cancellations.
The carrier relaunched it services November 30, with the resumption of passenger flights to seven regional destinations including Antigua & Barbuda, Barbados, Dominica, Grenada, St Lucia, St Kitts & Nevis and St Vincent & the Grenadines.
How many times is L I A T going to be bailed out financially and who is getting the money? Years ago L I AT was a good and dependable airline now it needs to be disbanded re-named re-organized with new owners and management with the Headquarters not in Antigua.
They can unify on two fronts only: against democracy in Dominica, and dislike for Lenox Linton’s leadership… Else they just like Wiltshire and NASSIEF: Public battles in public.
Browne didn’t try to save LIAT, he made a power grab to turn LIAT into an Antigua airline with the jobs in Antigua, and the international travelers flying through Antigua to the benefit of Antigua. Mia and Gonzales have no reason to support this as it takes jobs and travel dollars away from their own international airport. Good for them.
Dominica also must give up on this new Antigua dominated LIAT and create it own Air Dominica airline. Plans already exist! Antigua, Barbados, St Lucia, Grenada and now St Vincent have invested millions in UNDER-UTILIZED international airports (a mistake Dominica should not make!), and are desperate for more business to them.
Create Air Dominica and Dominica has all the power. Instead of begging from a position of weakness for Antigua’s new LIAT to gift Dominica good service, Air Dominica could negotiate from a position of strength with all 5 desperate nearby islands (who foolishly over-invested in big airports) for the best terms and…
“LIAT should be given preference, not to be discriminated against,” he added. Wrong! This is exactly what has been wrong with LIAT and the CARICOM region more generally for the past decades! Time to end the LIAT monopoly and now compete in an open Caribbean skies market!
It may have to do with the probability that LIAT still has a huge landing fee bill with one of countries whose gov’t has come under fire more than once for injecting finances when other counterparts refused, maybe if LIAT start paying its landing fee bills the arrangement(s) can be looked again.
You’re so right anonymous who in they right mind would give liat credit at this time and next couple of months they go out of business and leaving islands with big bills unpaid not a chance of that happening again pay up every fortnite or get lost.
Yeah………. i was thinkin bout the treaty when Red Jet was trying to obtain license to fly onto these same.xountry
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LIAT has a lot of work to do to regain trust. Starting with DEPENDABILITY. I’ll stop here.
LIAT needs to focus on the BVI and USVI and forget those two islands. They will get more business from these two territories.
True that concerned but it going to be stricter regulations and Liat wouldn’t be able to run up big bills in BVI and USVI no body is giving Liat credit so you could put that in ur pipe n smoke it.
2020 is a disastrous year for Liat. Go back to the board room…. this needs more work.
how you want to me to allow a failed airline who owe me, i lost millions as a shear holder to just come and fly and owe me landing fees/taxes all over again??? you all belive Ralph and Mia stupid.
Dixie you hit the nail on the head with that one 10 out 10 for that nothing more needs to be said.
Whereas I do not like Mia, and Gonzales due to them running circles around Roosevelt Skerrit, aiding and abating the destruction of Dominica which resulted in ruing Dominica’s economy.
I must admit that their actions in regards to LIAT might be justified! LIAT is a none-prophet entity, as such it will never be in a position to pay its debtors. It will land takeoff for a thousand years, and never pay one cent to the islands where it land and takeoff: Barbados and St.Vincent demanding payment in advance is simply saving themselves the misery of constantly giving LIAT handouts!
That’s business, not discrimination.
” Discrimination especially occurs when individuals or groups are unfairly treated in a way which is worse than other people are treated, on the basis of their actual or perceived membership in certain groups or social categories.
It involves restricting members of one group from opportunities or privileges that are available to members of another group.”
In this…
Mr. Linton, Dr. Fountain and yes, current speaker of the House, Joseph Issac were prevented from addressing the CARICOM meeting some years ago. Now the latter is with the SAME government he acknowledged to be undemocratic 🤭🤭
……………………………………….
In Guyana, after the courts ruled that the vote of no confidence against the Granger administration was legal yet he refused to call elections, what did you do?? Talk. And even when those elections were held and the PPP won and Granger refused to concede, what was done? More talk. It took the International community to indicate that sanctions would ensue, for him to give it up.
Karma, it is said, is a b***h. We must learn always to say what we mean, and mean what we say! To have PRINCIPLES!
See how quickly the shoe has been placed on the other foot??!!
But of course the traveling public is the greatest looser.
HOTEP!
Sorry Brown, but someone said years ago that we in the region have a “crab in the barrel” mentality which has manifested itself throughout our post independence period.
Liat has surely not been managed properly over the years.But I am not at all surprised if what you claim is true.
We created CARICOM and we have lots of “talk” meetings, yet NOWHERE in these “meetings, agreements” can a clause be found stipulating that members MUST abide with said or face penalties. Whenever a difficult situation arises, each member brings up the matter of “sovereignty”. The European Union, on the other hand, is a proper example of how CARICOM should be structured
We claim to adhere to the rule of law, free and fair elections, human rights, etc. but when the time comes to “put our money where our mouth is”, we find all reasons not to.
What have we done as a region for example, to ensure that Skerrit adheres to the principle of free elections? We not serious hence your predicament.
HOTEP!
The movie “Snakes on a Plane” starred a lead black actor as a federal agent escorting a witness to testify in a trial of some gangsters who arrange for deadly snakes to be released on the plane, with the hope that they will somehow prevent the plane from reaching its destination. I don’t know how or when directors decide that a movie needs a sequel but I think this storyline may well be adapted to the pristine islands that make up CARICOM. We could have some wonderful new island scenes to this movie urban legend, Snakes on a Plane. Indeed!
I imagine these 2 countries were owed landing fees they were not able to collect during LIAT’S bankruptcy. Most likely LIAT may have a bad history of remitting landing fees to them and they do not want to repeat their mistakes. The other carriers may not have this delinquent behavior. I guess Dominica’s government has not learnt this lesson.
All I can say and its visible to the blindest that ALL, I mean ALL of you so called leaders are FRAUD.
I think liat should get two jets one to Europe and another with daily flights to new york miami and Antigua. That will give you edge in regional travel.
This is exactly how CARICOM works. DYSFUNCTIONAL! For the sake of intra regional travel, I hope that these wrinkles between LIAT and these two countries can be ironed out.
if this is exactly as its laid out here, then he has a point. some badmindedness is at work.
“LIAT has been asked to make pre-payment for landing fees and other carriers are not asked to do that. Why are they discriminating against LIAT?”
I think it might be because they know LIAT ALWAYS brokes.
However Browne does have a point about the treaties.
Well King Obstinate said it best…….”Children mayday!”
Skerro drinks red cool-aid easily because he is grasping at straws and will hold on to fibers if he feels it has a chance of making him survive somehow. Not Mr. Mia or Comrade Ralph….they are both very strong minded men
. Gangster Brown may feel he has Skerro by his cahunas but he can’t shake the others. They don’t need LIAT or Antigua to survive.
They have International Airports, which is a plus. An International Airport makes a huge difference in boosting the economy.
children melee not mayday. cajones not cahunas