LIAT hardest hit by ATC action…cancellations, delays continue

By L.K. Hewlett
Editor- SKNVibes.com

Basseterre, St. Kitts- AS Air Traffic Control workers continue with a ‘slow control’ restricting the number of aircraft landing and taking off from Antigua’s V.C. Bird International Airport, LIAT appears to be the airline most affected, having had to cancel numerous flights and experiencing extensive delays on others.

The rumoured industrial action began last Friday (Dec. 19) and came without warning, plunging all airlines operating in or through Antigua into scheduling chaos.

Among those having cancellations and delays were Virgin Atlantic, British Airways and Air Canada, most of which had to accommodate large numbers of stranded passengers in hotels across the island.

Regional carrier LIAT uses Antigua as its hub as its operations are based there. As such, the ‘slow control’ ATC says was implemented due to the increased amount of air traffic into the airport has almost ground LIAT’s operations to a halt during this peak travel period.

~~Adz:Right~~SKNVibes spoke with LIAT’s CEO Mark Darby a few days into the ‘slow control’ and the airline executive said although the financial losses incurred could not be calculated at that time, the effects were disastrous.

“We have incurred considerable losses as we’ve been paying for hotels, meals transportation for those passengers affected by this action. It’s not just substantial financial losses being incurred as a result of this but it it’s also a loss of reputation.”

SKNVibes also spoke with some LIAT passengers who were delayed on Christmas Eve as they attempted to get to their various native islands for Christmas. One woman told this media house that she had departed St. Thomas en route to her native Antigua since Tuesday morning (Dec. 23) and had been stuck in St. Kitts until the following night (Wednesday). ~~Adz:Right~~

She and several others who had experienced cancellations and delays around Christmas Eve departed St. Kitts and landed in Antigua just before 1 a.m. on Christmas Day.

Captain George Arthurton, Director of Flight Operations said the situation was entirely beyond the Airline’s control, adding that LIAT’s employees were working normally to provide customers with as reliable a travel service as possible.

“This is a very difficult situation for us, and we want to apologise to our customers who have already experienced delays or cancellations. We are also advising customers booked to travel on LIAT to be prepared for possible delays. Customers are also strongly advised to check in on time so that any delays experienced can be minimised as much as possible,” Captain Arthurton stated.

The airline official echoed the CEO’s earlier claims that there had been no official acknowledgement by Air Traffic Controllers that the delays experienced by LIAT and other airlines were due to any kind of protest action.

Both Arthurton and Darby contend that the airport was no busier than any other Christmas, with Captain Arthurton adding that he could not see any reason for the restrictions presently being employed by air traffic controllers in Antigua.  He is hopeful that normal service will be restored as soon as possible in order that LIAT’s schedule and that of other airlines would not continue to be disrupted during Christmas and the New Year.

SKNVibes has been unsuccessful in contacting Hon. Harold Lovell, Minister of Civil Aviation and Tourism of Antigua & Barbuda to determine what if any government action has been or will be taken to rectify the situation.