LIAT is back in the skies

According to news from the Caribbean Journal Staff after being shuttered for months, regional Caribbean carrier LIAT has returned to flying.
The carrier operated its first daily flight from Antigua to Dominica on November 01.
The airline will be continuing with a limited schedule for the time being after suspending services in April 2020 due to the impact of the pandemic.
The cash-strapped regional airline is currently under administration.
There are reports that the Barbados and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines governments have agreed to sell their shares. Apart from Antigua and Barbuda, the other major shareholder government of the Antigua-based airline is Dominica.
Earlier this year, Antigua and Barbuda unveiled a new plan for the airline with St John’s proposing re-investment of EC$108 million ($39.9 million USD) and indicating that under the new plan it is prepared to underwrite up to 50 per cent of the required capitalization.
The airline had suspended its commercial traffic in March after many Caribbean islands shut down their airports as part of the measures to curb the spread of the coronavirus.
In July, the Antigua High Court appointed an administrator as the sole representative of what remains as the LIAT estate.
The administrator, Cleveland Seaforth, is tasked with the responsibility of reorganizing the company – LIAT (1974) Ltd, by cutting liabilities and realigning expenses. The airline owes creditors in excess of EC$100 million.
Since the airline stopped its daily schedule, several smaller airlines have sought to occupy the space left by the regional airline but many Caribbean people face the challenge of reaching their destinations.
In a statement, LIAT said it was being “restructured to improve its viability and sustainability following a decision by the government of Antigua and Barbuda to reorganize the airline.”
LIAT said it was currently completing training and regulatory requirements for the territories it will be flying to.