As Vincentians continue to complain of the unsatisfactory service provided by Turks and Caicos based airline InterCaribbean Airways, Ltd. Prime Minister Dr. Ralph Gonsalves has said he is awaiting documents from the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) pertaining to the establishment of “a new LIAT”.
The Prime Minister was at the time speaking on WE FM’s Issue At Hand program where he shared the sentiments of others stating that the airlines service has been terrible.
“The service is absolutely terrible, and all what you guys said on the radio this morning about it, I support, it’s a terrible service; and just to indicate that I’m awaiting a document from the Caribbean Development Bank, which would have come to me already, for a new Liat. I suspect as a result of the discussion which I had with the President of the CDB and his team when they came a couple weeks ago, a few weeks ago.
I suggested some practical things to them and I thought their estimate for starting the new airline was a little on the lower side, knowing what we went through when we did the re-fleeting of Liat,” the Prime Minister said.
Prime Minister Gonsalves said that in the meantime he has been in talks with local airline Mustique Airways to increase their service to the nation.
“I am working with the Mustique company for them to have—they have five twin otters, 19 seaters, one is being serviced right now, I want to see if we can get them with a little more regular service—a regular service out of St. Vincent to Barbados, Trinidad, neighboring islands, St. Lucia and the like and I’ve actually asked them if they can purchase three more to add to the fleet and we can, in a way, help to service our demand, while we get full solutions,” the Prime Minister said while speaking on the Issue At Hand program.
On 27 June 2020, the Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda announced that LIAT would be liquidated following a series of unsuccessful months due to COVID-19