​An engineer working with LIAT for over 40 years has appealed to the authorities in Antigua and Barbuda and the airline’s administrator for help.

Francis Ifill, who is from Barbados, is worried about losing his pension and severance pay if his concerns are not addressed.

Ifill is facing financial difficulties, with debts including a mortgage and a medical condition that needs immediate attention.

He is unable to qualify for severance pay because he claims to be “held hostage” by LIAT’s court-appointed administrator in Antigua, Cleveland Seaforth, who refuses to terminate his employment despite his role being largely redundant.

The Antigua and Barbuda government is winding up LIAT 1974 Ltd, and the airline is set to be replaced by LIAT 2020, which Nigerian carrier Air Peace will control. 89 employees from Barbados, including pilots, flight attendants, and ground staff, were dismissed when the airline collapsed in 2020.

Ifill has been on half-pay since July 2020 and is worried about his future. He is frustrated by the lack of communication about his future and feels he is being mistreated.

He is imploring the authorities to intervene, saying that he has been trying to reach everyone in authority, but he is getting nowhere. Ifill’s plea extends to the government, and he is calling for assistance, drawing a comparison with the proactive stance of the St Lucia government, which paid out all its citizens who were made jobless when LIAT went into administration.

Some former LIAT employees in Barbados are still waiting for bonds that were promised by the Mia Mottley administration as part of the severance payment.