GEORGETOWN, Guyana, CMC – The Guyana government says. At the same time, it has not committed to investing in the cash-strapped regional airline LIAT. It wants to be “part of a solution for regional air transport.”
President Dr. Irfaan Ali told the Guyana-based online publication Demerara Waves Online News that his administration has been approached to help revive the Antigua-based LIAT (1974) Limited, which entered into administration in July 2020 following increased debt and the impact of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
The airline is owned by the governments of Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Dominica, St Vincent, and the Grenadines. A downsized version of the carrier has been operating a reduced schedule with a limited workforce since November 2020.
Before entering into administration, the airline had been servicing several regional destinations. It has scaled down its operations and is now servicing Anguilla, Antigua, Barbados, Dominica, Guyana, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Martinique, San Juan, Puerto Rico, St. Kitts, St. Lucia, and St. Maarten.
Ali told the Guyana publication that the governments of Antigua and Barbuda, St Vincent, and the Grenadines have been talking with his administration about a “possible role” in a revived regional carrier.
“They have asked us to be part of a solution. Of course, part of a solution might be looking at investment, looking at the outstanding debts to Guyana,” he said, noting that countries have not yet decided what form Guyana’s assistance would be.
“We have not committed to any investment in LIAT at this time, but, of course, we want to be part of a solution for regional air transport and regional maritime support,” he added.
Media reports last week noted that representatives of regional countries who met in St. Lucia failed in their latest attempt to revive the airline.
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