A seven-seat passenger aircraft, operated by Caribbean Helicopters, touched down at the Captain Clayton Lloyd International Airport on Friday evening, February 12, starting the reintroduction of LIAT’s services to Anguilla.
The island had been experiencing much difficulty from LIAT’s withdrawal of flights firstly to St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands, and, more recently, to Antigua.
An announcement by LIAT, the Caribbean Airline, on February 1, stated that its service would be resumed to Anguilla with effect from February 12.
The announcement continued: “All services will be able to accommodate seven passengers and one piece of checked baggage. The permitted weight is no more than 50 pounds (23 kgs), which is the inclusive amount for both checked baggage and hand baggage.
“Caribbean Helicopters operates a fleet of Piper Navajo Chieftain PA31-350 and Britten Norman BNR aircraft, which are ideal for services into some of the smaller Caribbean islands, where demand is limited and a smaller aircraft is required. Customers can continue to book these fights through LIAT, and they will operate with LIAT flight numbers.”
At a recent Government of Anguilla press conference, Minister of Infrastructure and Communications, Mr. Curtis Richardson, credited his Permanent Secretary, Mr. Larry Franklin, and Mrs. Donna Banks, Chairperson of the Anguilla Tourist Board, for assisting in the resumption of the LIAT services between Antigua and Anguilla.
Mr. Richardson said that they, and him, were also working on the Anguilla/St. Thomas route to see what could be arranged to facilitate airlift between the islands.