CARICOM Chairman Heap Praises on PM Browne for Rescuing LIAT

Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Chairman and Prime Minister of Dominica, Roosevelt Skerritt, has praised the Gaston Browne administration for its efforts in keeping LIAT operational.

In an interview with State Media, PM Skerritt expressed his appreciation while returning from the first-ever Saudi-CARICOM Summit

He commended Browne for holding the fort, where LIAT is concerned, and emphasized the need for collective efforts from all shareholder governments to support the airline.

A few months ago, it seemed like Antigua and Barbuda Prime Minister Gaston Browne was going it alone in the quest to revive LIAT, without receiving support from other shareholder governments.

Skerritt admits that “this is where we went wrong with LIAT, too few of us were engaged in LIAT.”

Skerritt recognized the importance of LIAT to the Caribbean region, saying, “We have always said that if we allowed LIAT to go under, we would have a problem in the Caribbean, and it is manifesting itself now…it is important for us to engage ourselves and play our part in financing a strategy.”

Skerritt believes that with the support of regional governments, the new LIAT 2020 will be successful, although it will not be an easy task.

He expressed his optimism that the new entity will provide a long-term solution to air travel in the region.

Skerritt also confirmed that Dominica is ready to play its part to ensure the success of LIAT 2020 and is confident that other governments will do the same.

The Antigua and Barbuda government took the lead in appointing a court-appointed administrator to save LIAT from liquidation, and Air Peace, Nigeria’s largest private carrier, has invested in LIAT 2020 to help get the airline back in operation.

LIAT 2020 and Air Peace have just signed a deal that gives the Nigerian airline a 75% stake in the new entity.