L-R: LIAT2020’s Chief Operating Officer Kidus Melkamu, Chief Executive Officer Hafsah Abdulsalam, Minister of Works and Transport Rohan Sinanan, and Minister of Tourism, Culture and the Arts, Randall Mitchell; the inaugural flight of LIAT (2020) at passing through the customary water cannon salute at the Piarco International Airport on December 19, 2024. Photos: Alina Doodnath
After a temporary hiatus, Liat20 is back on Trinidad and Tobago soil, with its inaugural flight arriving at the Piarco International Airport on Thursday morning from Antigua and Barbuda, greeted by the customary water cannon salute.
Speaking at a ceremony to commemorate the new route, LIAT20 CEO Hafsah Abdulsalam said the airline is determined to ensure that late flights are a thing of the past.
“I know the old LIAT acronym and this is linking back to the history of LIAT…Leave Islands At Anytime and some people have perceived it as a negative. For us, it’s a new LIAT, with new management and new branding, and it means we’ll be available to fly you when you want to fly. And when we commit to a time and a service, we’ll be delivering that service to you. So leaving an island means you will leave that island at the time that we promised you would be travelling.”
Minister of Works and Transport Rohan Sinanan said this addition to the country’s air travel network cements Trinidad and Tobago as an important regional hub.
“LIAT’s presence is a testament to the enduring spirit of Caribbean unity and the resilience of our people. The new route reinforces the positioning of the Piarco International Airport as a major hub for regional travel in the Caribbean.”
The airline departs on Friday for Jamaica, which adds yet another location to the airline’s regional network.
Currently the airline operates in Antigua and Barbuda, St Lucia, Barbados, Grenada, Dominica and St Kitts and Nevis, with new routes to Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana and Jamaica.
In January 2024, Liat (1974) ceased operations, following financial losses as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The company’s shareholders – the governments of Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Dominica, and St. Vincent and the Grenadines – agreed to the sale of LIAT’s three aircraft to the Government of Antigua and Barbuda.
LIAT 2020 Limited is a joint venture between the Government of Antigua and Barbuda (30%) and Air Peace Caribbean Limited (70%).