The Caribbean Development Bank explains it is not a party to the sale agreement regarding the aircraft belonging to the regional airline LIAT (1974) that went bankrupt earlier this year.
The CDB says it “continues to take a strong interest in the development of regional transportation and remains a strong advocate for the development of the Caribbean’s transportation networks and infrastructure”.
CDB says following the collapse of LIAT (1974) Limited, the shareholder governments agreed to the sale of LIAT’s three aircraft to the Antigua and Barbuda government.
The statement from the Barbados based institution comes on the heels of remarks by Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda, Gaston Browne; recently the Antigua-based LIAT 2020 had received its Air Operator’s Certificate.
However, Browne took issue with the CDB for what he claims was its further delaying the airline’s return to the regional skies by its slow response of the CDB to the sales agreement for the planes.
The government of Antigua and Barbuda government says it pay US$12.1 million for the acquisition of other planes owned by the CDB as efforts continue to launch LIAT (2020) Limited.
The Caribbean Media Corporation is reporting the government has already made an offer to purchase the three aircraft owned by the CDB and had been used by the inter-regional airline, LIAT, which is owned by the governments of Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Dominica and St Vincent and the Grenadines, but ended its operations on January 24 this year.