Trinidad and Tobago welcome LIAT20’s inaugural flight, celebrates 1750 additional seats per week

LIAT20 launched its inaugural flight to Port of Spain on Thursday from Antigua and Barbuda.  

The regional air carrier’s flight 5N-BUV, operated in an Embraer ERJ-145 touched down the soil of Port of Spain and received a traditional water salute.  

Over 250 seats to be booked daily  

The new route is expected to bring 250 seats every day, equalling to 1750 each per week.  The service anticipated to provide a major boost to the tourism industry of Trinidad and Tobago. 

After the closure of LIAT1974, the new carrier operated under the name LIAT20. The new commercial flight has already linked the Trinidad and Tobago to Barbados, Grenada, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Saint Lucia and Antigua and Barbuda.  

During the welcome ceremony at the airport, Tourism Minister Randall Mitchell called this re-entry ‘essential’ to increase connectivity across the region.  

He further this will bring more visitors to the twin island nation which will put a positive impact at the local restaurants, hotels and artisans and will open much greater accessibility for more travellers to experience the nation’s vibrant culture, unique heritage and exquisite cuisine.  

Notably, the new service will link Trinidad’s Port of Spain to major Caribbean destinations such as Saint Lucia, Antigua, Barbados, St Vincent and Grenada and is also anticipated to boost regional economic ties.  

Meanwhile, the regional air carrier is being re-introduced as a joint venture between the Government of Antigua and Barbuda and Air Peace Caribbean.  

As such, Minister Randall Mitchell also lauded the various stakeholders for uniting to transform ideas into tangible benefits for the Caribbean people. 

The Minister further extended his congratulations to the leadership of the air carrier on the airline’s return to service and for its unwavering commitment to connecting the region.  

He emphasised the important role of LIAT in regional travel and tourism and credited the carrier with bringing around 75,000 to 82,000 visitors from the region to the nation annually during its 2017 to 2018 operations. This reportedly accounted for 20 percent of market share in visitor arrivals. 

Minister Mitchell said that he is looking forward to welcoming visitors to Trinidad and Tobago as it continues to boost the tourism sector while facilitating the environment required for an exciting and unforgettable visitor experience.  

He also said that the Caribbean is Trinidad and Tobago’s 2nd largest source market after USA which is why the introduction of these flights is being seen as a huge benefit to the overall economy of the island nation.  

Not only this, but the airline is also set to kick off flights on December 20 to Jamaica in a bid to expand its regional network. This comes soon after the addition of Guyana to the continuously growing network.   

CEO Hafsah Abdulsalam also announced further plans to extend service to Montego Bay in 2025. LIAT 2020 currently serves over 10 Caribbean destinations with a fleet of six aircraft.