Antigua and Barbuda: LIAT 2020 ERJ145LR landed at VC Bird International Airport, Antigua on Monday ahead of its official return to the skies. The aircraft has been taking trail flights during the sight in the sunset.
LIAT 2020 is likely to commence its commercial operations in the first week of August 2024 as announced by Prime Minister Gaston Browne. The airline was established in 2020, aiming to enhance its regional connectivity.
The airline was established in collaboration with Air Peace- a private Nigerian airline founded in 2013 during the COVID-19 period with a vision of expanding its footprints. At the time, the government of Antigua and Barbuda decided to suspend the operations of LIAT 1974 due to increased debt and the economic impact of the pandemic.
The collaboration featured the investment of US$65 million from the Air Peace and the US$20 million has been provided by the government of Antigua and Barbuda. After that, the procedure of making LIAT 2020 fly for the commercial operations started, featuring several steps.
Timeline of LIAT 2020 retuning into skies
January 2024: On January 23, 2024, a farewell has been presented to LIAT 1974 with grand celebration for its impressive period in Caribbean aviation. Through the farewell, the LIAT 2020 come into discussion as the promise was made the airline will make comeback.
March 2024: The meetings and dialogues were hosted by Prime Minister Gaston Browne between the shareholder government and the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) regarding the purchase of the airline’s first aircraft.
April 2024: Firstly, a series of training flights was held in the start of April 2024 under the supervision of the Eastern Caribbean Civil Aviation Authority (ECCAA). The first test flights from VC Bird International Airport to RLB International Airport, St Kitts was not successful with the fault detected in the landing gear and engine.
Prime Minister Browne announced that the government started the process to replace the faulty equipment and the second trail of the flight was started again in mid-April 2024. New parts were also procured to replace the faulty landing gears on April 15, 2024.
On April 24, 2024, LIAT 2020 also celebrated the arrival of its first two Embraer E-145 jet aircraft with a spectacular Water Salute Ceremony at VC Bird International Airport.
May 2024: At the mid of May 2024, the test flights of the LIAT 2020 have been successfully completed and started approaching the Air Operator Certificate (AOC). During this time, Prime Minister Browne announced that the authorities are eyeing the starting of the commercial operations in June 2024.
June 2024: In June 2024, the government of Antigua and Barbuda received its Air Operator’s Certificate- a crucial step in starting the operation of LIAT 2020. The certificate confirmed that the airline meets all safety and regulatory standards required for commercial operations.
However, Prime Minister Browne also criticized Caribbean Development Bank for delaying the payment operations.
July 2024: Prime Minister Browne made an announcement that the LIAT is likely to return to the skies at the start of August 2024.
Now, the LIAT 2020 is waiting for the commercial operation, aiming to enhance the regional connectivity with non-stop services of the flights.
