PM Gonsalves Fires Back

Prime Minister of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Dr Ralph Gonsalves, has moved to explain why this country was removed from a plan by a ‘new’ LIAT, to commence a commercial service to seven Caribbean territories, among which it was included.

An entity calling itself LIAT, comprised of what the Government of Antigua and Barbuda took control of arising out of the collapse of LIAT (1974) Ltd., announced that it was ready to commence a commercial service to seven territories on Nov. 30.

However, the flights to Barbados and St. Vincent and the Grenadines were aborted after approval for landing was not granted.

Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda Gaston Browne took umbrage with his Barbados and St. Vincent and the Grenadines prime minister colleagues, accusing them of putting “impediments’ in the path of effort to revive LIAT.

But Prime Minister Gonsalves, while speaking on radio earlier this week, appeared to be ignoring the “effort to revive LIAT” when he said, “You cannot, however, return an airline like that. There are a number of things that have to be put in place administratively.”

He noted there was a difference between the LIAT that had been previously approved for landing in SVG, i.e. LIAT 1974 Ltd., and the LIAT that was currently being advanced.

Dr. Gonsalves also highlighted that LIAT 1974 Ltd. is “in administration” and that a legal process must now be allowed to run its course.

“Shareholders now don’t have anything to do with LIAT, there’s no independent management, there’s just a court appointed administrator,” he explained.

“The Government of St. Vincent and the Grenadines welcomes LIAT 1974 Limited in administration to fly here in St. Vincent and the Grenadines,” Dr. Gonsalves disclosed, but this, as per information contained in the accompanying article on this page, would happen only after the entity satisfied certain ‘new conditions’.
Dr. Gonsalves did not address those conditions.