Shareholder governments of LIAT (1974) Ltd. are scheduled to to meet here on Friday for critical discussions on the airline’s future.
A brief statement issued by the Government Information Service this evening said host Prime Minister Freundel Stuart will lead Barbados’ delegation to the meeting, which will also be attended by his Dominica counterpart Roosevelt Skerrit and St Vincent & the Grenadines Prime Minister Dr Ralph Gonsalves.
Antigua and Barbuda is to be represented at the meeting, which takes place at the Hilton hotel at 9 a.m., by the Minister of Public Utilities, Civil Aviation and Transportation Robin Yearwood.
In an interview with Barbados TODAY earlier this week, Minister of Tourism Richard Sealy indicated that Stuart would be leading an effort to get LIAT back on sound financial footing, against the backdrop of a sound warning that if a plan being implemented by the regional airline’s board of directors fails the financially-troubled carrier could be grounded.
“There will be definite changes going forward. We don’t have any choice in the matter. It is either a better future or the airline will be grounded,” Sealy said, while noting that if there was no LIAT “there are countries in the Caribbean that would collapse”.