Got TIPS or BREAKING NEWS? Please call 1-284-442-8000 direct/can also WhatsApp same number or Email ALL news to:newsvino@outlook.com;                               ads call 1-284-440-6666

InterCaribbean reportedly acquiring LIAT’s planes; hiring pilots

January 17th, 2022 | Tags: InterCaribbean LIAT pilots airline acquire liquidation
InterCaribbean Airways is reportedly moving swiftly to replace LIAT in the Caribbean aviation space. Photo: InterCaribbean.com
LIAT has been facing money woes, reportedly owing some $27 million to creditors. The airline reportedly went into administration as its financial troubles soared, which has been made worse by the COVID-19 pandemic. Photo: airplane-pictures.net
LIAT has been facing money woes, reportedly owing some $27 million to creditors. The airline reportedly went into administration as its financial troubles soared, which has been made worse by the COVID-19 pandemic. Photo: airplane-pictures.net
ST JOHN'S, Antigua- InterCaribbean Airways is reportedly moving swiftly to replace LIAT in the Caribbean aviation space.

Media reports state that when the Antiguan Government said that it planned on liquidating LIAT’s assets back in 2020, InterCaribbean has been making moves.

The Antiguan PM Honourable Gaston A. Browne said there is need for a new airline to replace the failing airline.

Currently, LIAT is owned by Barbados, Antigua and Barbuda, St Vincent and the Grenadines and Dominica.

In the meantime, the Turks and Caicos-based InterCaribbean Airlines have been reportedly purchasing LIAT’s roomier ATR 42 aircraft and hiring LIAT’s pilots.

InterCaribbean has also recently announced weekly flights between Barbados and Guyana, and twice-weekly flights between Barbados and Antigua.

LIAT has been facing money woes, reportedly owing some $27 million to creditors. The airline reportedly went into administration as its financial troubles soared, which has been made worse by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Attempts to contact both airlines for comment have been unsuccessful.

History

LIAT.com states that Leeward Islands Air Transport Services (LIAT) was founded by the late Kittician (now Sir) Frank Delisle in Montserrat on 20 October 1956 and began flying with a single Piper Apache operating between Antigua and Montserrat. 

With the acquisition in 1957 of 75 per cent of the airline by the larger, better known BWIA, LIAT was able to expand to other Caribbean destinations and to obtain new aircraft types, such as the Beechcraft Bonanza and de Havilland Heron.

Hawker Siddeley HS 748s came in 1965, due to the airline's decision to phase out the Herons. In 1968, LIAT was operating some flights via an agreement with Eastern Air Lines to provide passenger feed at this U.S. based air carrier's hub located in San Juan, Puerto Rico and was flying "Eastern Partner" service between San Juan and Antigua, St. Kitts and St. Maarten.

LIAT was not always an all propeller aircraft airline. After Court Line obtained 75 per cent of the airline in 1971, LIAT entered the jet age, using stretched British Aircraft Corporation BAC One-Eleven series 500 twin jets for their longer Caribbean routes. Smaller Britten-Norman Islander STOL (short take-off and landing) twin prop aircraft were used during this time as well. LIAT operated the stretched version of the British-manufactured BAC One-Eleven, being the series 500 model, which was comparable to McDonnell Douglas DC-9-30 being flown during the late 1960s and early 1970s by a competing airline, Puerto Rico-based Caribair (Puerto Rico). The BAC One-Eleven jets were supplied to LIAT by U.K. based Court Line.

The 1980s were a decade of growth for the airline. By 1986, many daily flights were operated to Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport in San Juan, Puerto Rico, as well as other regions that the airline had never flown to. Faster de Havilland Canada DHC-8-100 Dash 8 turboprops were acquired in order to reduce flight times systemwide.

In November 1995, LIAT was partially privatized, to save it from bankruptcy once again. LIAT also began operating the larger 50-seater de Havilland Canada DHC-8–300 Dash 8 turboprop.

In June 2013, LIAT received its first ATR 72 series 600 aircraft (registration V2-LIA). The airline completed its transition from the Dash 8 fleet to an all ATR fleet in 2016.

6 Responses to “InterCaribbean reportedly acquiring LIAT’s planes; hiring pilots”

  • Leaving Island Any Time LIAT (17/01/2022, 09:35) Like (1) Dislike (0) Reply

    Wow...About time....them wuz fr*gg*n up long time now

  • WHY? (17/01/2022, 10:43) Like (16) Dislike (3) Reply
    Great news, now they can schedule and cancel even more flights leaving even more people stuck.
  • pat (17/01/2022, 10:47) Like (0) Dislike (1) Reply
    Oh well
  • okkkkkk (17/01/2022, 12:38) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
    Won'tw liat gone to the dogs boy
  • Great..love it. (17/01/2022, 16:59) Like (2) Dislike (0) Reply
    Better late than never. Time for Liat to exit the stage they performed ok during their reign...Ralph from St Vincent destroy Liat. He allow liat to Manage poorly. Top heavy for too long while begging caribbean countries to throw money in Liat fire...Now the Money dry up... They have to go...Liat was never a profitable business it survived on bailouts...Now their price so high...Hope inter caribbean bring the price down and correct liat failures..
  • They are not a good exampl (17/01/2022, 21:00) Like (4) Dislike (2) Reply
    Sorry to say but this airline is not a good example when it comes to travel. Poor customer service in public relations. They leave you stranded in some countries all day no communication with passengers, then they tell you they are not putting you up in a hotel. If that is not the worst after all day waiting for flight you are hungry with no place to get a proper meal. After you finally make noise they finally put you in a hotel way after kitchen close you got to go sleep hungry and you got to wait until next morning to get something to eat. December 2021 is the worst travel I've ever had with inter Caribbean. Don't come on here trying to defend them.
    People with children left stranded, the sick elderly stranded, working class people stranded, tourist travelling all day stranded then to be told you are not putting them up. They had to pay for their hotel. What kind of message you are sending to travelers and to our tourism product. You better get with the program and you have the audacity to place at your counter BVI LOVE. You are misleading the public for sure this kind of treatment is not BVILOVE. You embarrassed our territory. 20 people stranded in PR on December 14, 2021 you have no excuse don't try it. No don't lie your way out of this mess. No weather nothing was wrong. Total embarrassment to the people and territory. I am speaking facts not hear say.


Create a comment


Create a comment

Disclaimer: Virgin Islands News Online (VINO) welcomes your thoughts, feedback, views, bloggs and opinions. However, by posting a blogg you are agreeing to post comments or bloggs that are relevant to the topic, and that are not defamatory, liable, obscene, racist, abusive, sexist, anti-Semitic, threatening, hateful or an invasion of privacy. Violators may be excluded permanently from making contributions. Please view our declaimer above this article. We thank you in advance for complying with VINO's policy.

Follow Us On

Disclaimer: All comments posted on Virgin Islands News Online (VINO) are the sole views and opinions of the commentators and or bloggers and do not in anyway represent the views and opinions of the Board of Directors, Management and Staff of Virgin Islands News Online and its parent company.