Source : Loop Caribbean
The court-appointed administrator for the cash-strapped regional airline, LIAT, Cleveland Seafort, says the airline will wind up its operations in its current form on January 24 this year.
In a letter to staff outlining the latest position regarding the Antigua-based LIAT (1974) Ltd on Thursday, Seaforth wrote “after careful consideration and evaluation of the present operations, a decision has been taken by the court-appointed Administrator to permanently cease all commercial flying operations as of the close of business on January 24, 2024.
“As a result of the foregoing, you are hereby notified that your employment with LIAT (1974) Limited (in administration) will be made redundant effective February 4, 2024.”
The move is expected to result in more than 90 employees being made redundant without any payment and a promise that obligations will be met.
The airline is owned by the governments of Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Dominica and St Vincent and the Grenadines and during the presentation of his country’s national budget last month, Antigua and Barbuda Prime Minister Gaston Browne said his government had embraced the responsibility to restructure and resurrect LIAT, with a “with a vision of returning the airline to the regional skies”.
Browne said the airline, which has been under administration since July 24, 2020, “has long been an essential thread in the fabric of Caribbean connectivity.